NMD26: A Double Bill: Old Segotia / Land of Winter

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, hardanger d’amore, flute, electronics
Seán Mac Erlaine, clarinets, chalumeau d’amore, percussion, electronics

Crash Ensemble
Ryan McAdams, conductor
Larissa O’Grady, violin
Maria Ryan, violin
Lisa Dowdall, viola
Kate Ellis, cello
Caimin Gilmore, double bass
Alex Petcu, percussion
Caitríona Frost, percussion
Susan Doyle, flute
Leonie Bluett, clarinet
Macdara Ó Seireadáin, clarinet
Clíona Warren, bassoon
Rebecca Halliday, oboe
Dewi Jones, horn
Erick Castillo Mora, trumpet
Roddy O’Keeffe, trombone
Andrew Zolinsky, piano

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh/Seán Mac Erlaine: Music from Old Segotia album
Donnacha Dennehy  Land of Winter 

This double bill brings together two distinctive strands of contemporary Irish music, pairing an intimate collaborative performance by Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Seán Mac Erlaine with the Dublin premiere of Donnacha Dennehy’s large-scale work Land of Winter, performed by Crash Ensemble.

Ó Raghallaigh and Mac Erlaine present music from their acclaimed album Old Segotia, blending traditional sources with improvisation, live electronics and extended instrumental techniques. Renowned for his work on the ten-string hardanger d’amore, Ó Raghallaigh creates haunting, resonant sound worlds alongside Mac Erlaine’s expansive approach to woodwinds, percussion and electronics. Their collaboration moves fluidly between Irish traditional music, experimental practice and contemporary sound.

​​​​​​​In the second half, Crash Ensemble returns to the music of its Artistic Partner Donnacha Dennehy with Land of Winter, a 2026 Grammy Award-winning work inspired by cycles of time, light and renewal. Drawing on Ireland’s Roman name, Hibernia, the piece unfolds across twelve movements corresponding to the months of the year, exploring repetition, transformation and seasonal return. Following its Irish premiere at Sounds From a Safe Harbour Festival in 2025, this performance marks the Dublin premiere of a work that reflects Dennehy’s long-standing creative relationship with Crash Ensemble and his central role in shaping the ensemble’s artistic identity.

Presented by New Music Dublin with support from the Arts Council and in partnership with RTÉ and the National Concert Hall