Louth composer Donnchadh Mac Aodha has been announced as this year’s winner of the prestigious Seán Ó Riada composition competition which celebrates new works from Irish composers and is held in collaboration with the Cork International Choral Festival and Chamber Choir Ireland.

Donnchadh Mac Aodha's winning composition, ‘Babel’, will have its world premiere at St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork on Friday, May 2nd, at 7.30pm. 

Donnchadh’s current compositional work draws inspiration from his roots in traditional music and the Irish language, seamlessly blended with his training in contemporary composition, led primarily by John Godfrey at UCC. Through his work, Donnchadh looks to push and remould apparent boundary lines between music genres to create a unique blend of old and new.

The inaugural performance of ‘Babel’ will be part of the Cork International Choral Festival’s annual collaborative concert with choir-in-residence, Chamber Choir Ireland, led by their Guest Director Gabriel Crouch. This promises to be a night of exceptional musical talent. 

The Seán Ó Riada competition, which has been running for over 50 years, provides a platform for Irish composers to have their work judged and rewarded solely on its own merits. Submissions are made under pseudonyms, ensuring anonymity until after the judges' decision has been made. The competition aims to present Irish choirs with fresh, authentic material for their programs and has attracted renowned composers throughout its history. 

Composer and Chamber Choir Ireland member Eoghan Desmond, conductor Orla Flanagan, and Guest Conductor of Chamber Choir Ireland, Gabriel Crouch, who evaluated McDonnell's winning piece, summarised their reaction, stating:

'Babel' makes a rich contribution to Irish choral literature. The contemporary relevance of Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh's Irish-language poem is striking, with an unsettling sense of lofty ideals soured by arrogance and pride. The composer's musical setting reflects this and is both sensitive and expressively impactful. The phrases inflect upwards, yearning for something, but falter in the (quite deliberate) absence of harmonic stability. The effect is sobering, and captivating. It has a distinct musical identity, and shows great fluency in its approach to choral writing.

This year’s Cork International Choral Festival which is set to bring Cork to life with song takes place from 30^th April – 4^th May 2025. For more information see www.corkchoral.ie