The Bells of Drogheda Come Alive !!
On Saturday 8th February, the new Drogheda Community Orchestra , directed by violinist Tadhg Murphy, will premiere Michael Holohan’s orchestral piece The Sabbath Rang Slowly in the Barbican Centre, Drogheda. Holohan composed a smaller version of the piece in 2017 and it was premiered with great success in The National Concert Dublin in February 2018 by Helen Leahy and The Drogheda Youth Orchestra. The revised version has been scored for a much larger orchestra.
How Michael was inspired to write the piece.
‘ I was walking one quiet Sunday morning through West Street and when I reached The Tholsel at about 11.30 am, I could not help but notice the many bell sounds which could be heard coming from St Peter’s Catholic Church, St Peter’s Church of Ireland and The Tholsel Clock Tower itself.And so I notated all these sounds and integrated them into my piece.’
Amie Dyer and Hannah O’Brien, two of Drogheda’s young and up and coming international sopranos will perform in the second half of the concert.