Sraith na Búille, (The Boyle Suite), ***online***
Dr Ryan Molloy is the first recipient of the King House Piano Commission 2020/21, marking
the first in a series of music commissions by Roscommon County Council. The commission is
in celebration of the Steinway Grand Piano at King House, purchased by Roscommon County
Council in 1998 through the Arts Council Joint Purchase Scheme. Arts Officer, Rhona
McGrath commented ‘We are very pleased to have awarded the first commission to Ryan
Molloy, an accomplished composer and pianist, and to deliver this new initiative in
partnership with Boyle Arts Festival. Due to the ongoing Covid restrictions, the premiere will
be filmed in the Main Salon where the Grand Piano is at the heart and soul of King House,
and streamed to audiences around the world in August.” Sraith na Búille merges the worlds
of classical and traditional with uplifting, exceptional music, marking another extraordinary
year in our lives and in the arts. In a further link to King House, Ryan draws on six artworks
from the Boyle Civic Art Collection for inspiration, two of which have local significance
‘Winter Field & Trees near Croghan’ by Malachy Costello and ‘Island Lough Key’ by Nick
Miller. Since its inception in 1990, the Boyle Civic Art Collection has grown to be widely
considered one of the most important civic collections in the country, managed by the
trustees and housed at King House.
Composer note
This work was generously funded by Roscommon County Council together with the Arts
Council and Boyle Arts Festival, written for the King House Piano Commission 2020/21. In
some ways, Sraith na Búille (The Boyle Suite) is a traditional version of the Russian composer
Mussorgky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. In this piece, the composer wanders through an art
exhibition (which results in a recurring Promenade theme in the piece) and responds
musically to various paintings he encounters there. In the same way, Sraith na Búille is my
journey through the Boyle Civic Art Collection, beginning with a musical journey into
Roscommon, encountering some of its famous musical connections, on into Boyle and into
the gallery itself. The subsequent musical journey follows the four seasons of the year,
responding to paintings that clearly evoke the colours and moods of the local landscape
throughout our varied climate (which in this piece even warrants the insertion of an extra
season between Spring and Summer!). It has been a pleasure to work with musicians Alan
Kelly, Steph Geremia and Mossie Martin on this new work, bringing as they do such a
deep-rooted understanding of traditional music, which is so central to my music, and also
their equally deep-rooted connection to Roscommon.
DR RYAN MOLLOY
The Musicians:
Steph Geremia
Steph Geremia is an Irish and classical flautist and singer highly regarded as one of the top
musicians of her generation. Perhaps best known for her vibrant and versatile Irish flute
playing and as a mainstay of the critically acclaimed group, Alan Kelly Gang, she brings a
wealth of musical scholarship to her love for Ireland’s North Connaught tradition, as
displayed on her sparkling 2018 release Up She Flew. “Exceptional skill and musicality. . . a
masterclass in Irish flute” (Folkworld) ★★★★ RnR ★★★★ Songlines. Steph has toured
extensively around the globe and performed at top world and folk music festivals including
WOMADelaide (Australia), Edmonton Folk Festival (Canada), Celtic Connections (Scotland)
Milwaukee Irish Fest (USA) and the Guinness Irish Festival (Switzerland). Steph also tours
with the inimitable Scottish songstress, Eddi Reader and in the past has performed with
critically acclaimed artists including the Grammy award winning Chieftains, Sea Road
Sessions, Kris Drever (Lau), Ian Carr, Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh (De Dannan), John
McCusker & Heidi Talbot, Líadan and many more.
Steph studied World Music at the prestigious, Wesleyan University (USA) and holds a
Master’s Degree in Traditional Irish Music Performance, which she completed at the
University of Limerick. She is a highly sought after teacher who has taught masterclasses at
international festivals, developed both a wooden and silver flute course for the Online
Academy of Irish Music and teaches regularly via Skype and in Galway Ireland, where she is
based.
“as good an album of top-drawer Irish tradition as is imaginable” RnR
“fabulous flute playing… a masterclass in Irish flute” FolkWorld
“effortless… a peach of a record that demands your attention” Living Tradition
“flawless… a must have for your collection” Irish Music Magazine
Mossie Martin
Fiddle player Mossie Martin hails from Derrynacoosan near the village of Keadue in north
Roscommon. His style is rooted in the North Connaught tradition and he performs regularly
with the Dartry Ceili Band as well as collaborating with other traditional artists including
Draíocht (June McCormack & Michael Rooney), Leonard Barry, Sean & Noelle Carroll,
Bernard Flaherty & Donal O’Connor. A tutor of the well-established Traditional Irish Music
PLC course based in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, Mossie has been performing and teaching
traditional music for over two decades and has recorded several times with the Dartry Ceili
Band, Lúnasa and Dervish. He released a semi-solo album in 2019 entitled ‘The Humours of
Derrynacoosan’ which features John Blake on guitar and keyboard and Mossie’s brother,
sister and father on several tracks. See ![]()
www.mossiemartin.com for more info and videos.
Alan Kelly
Described by New York’s Irish Voice as “in league with the best piano accordionists in the
world”, Alan Kelly is regarded as one of Ireland’s most accomplished musicians in any genre.
He is a piano accordionist, composer and arranger, utterly at home in his own skin. Though
Alan hails from the rich traditional musical landscape of Roscommon, in the west of Ireland,
variety in repertoire is one of his hallmarks. To date, he has released three critically
acclaimed solo albums: Out of The Blue (1997), Mosaic (2000), After the Morning (2009),
named as one of the ‘top ten musical highs of 2009’ by the Irish Times who gave it a
coveted 5 star review and described it as a ‘humdinger of a collection’; the critically
acclaimed duet album with his brother John, Fourmilehouse (2003) and his most recent Alan
Kelly Gang albums, Small Towns and Famous Nights (2010) and The Last Bell (2014)
Alan is one of the busiest performers on the traditional and folk music scene, touring and
recording with artists such as: Eddi Reader, Matt Molloy, Sean Keane, Cathy Ryan, Arty
McGlynn & Nollaig Casey, Michael McGoldrick, Karen Casey, Cathal Hayden, De Dannan,
Lúnasa and Alison Brown and has contributed to a number of theatre productions from
Boston to Edinburgh to Sydney working with prestigious award winning theatre companies
such as Galway’s Druid Theatre Co., The Lyric in Belfast and Mabou Mines in New York.