INDEPENDENCE
Siansach 32 is a symphony for Irish instruments and orchestra, composed by Erick Falc'her-Poyroux, Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Tours.
It celebrates Ireland's history and musical identity through contemporary orchestral writing, combining neo-Irish melodies and classical structure.
​ Colonized from the 12th century onwards by Anglo-Normans, Ireland became partially independent in 1922 and truly sovereign in 1949.
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One hundred years later, 26 of the 32 counties of the island constitute the Republic of Ireland, while 6 counties in the north of the island are an enclave of the United Kingdom.
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The consequences of the partition of Ireland, a source of division as well as of cohesion, are still sadly visible today.
To celebrate this particularly complex period in Ireland's history, the "Decade of Centenaries" (2012-2022) officially invited - on both sides of the Irish border - benevolence, tolerance and mutual understanding.
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And it is indeed a harmonious journey that Siansach 32 proposes, by drawing on different traditions of Irish music and retracing the history of Ireland through major or forgotten events, famous or unknown characters.
In so doing we celebrate the multiple and disparate identities of the 32 counties, the vitality of this elusive and vibrant Irish universe, this mosaic of attitudes, points of view or approaches, all representative of a plural, cosmopolitan, welcoming and tolerant society in the 21st century.
Miltown Malbay, July 2017 (photo EFP)
