Trad legends Dónal Lunny & Paddy Glackin collaborate with Traditional Music ensemble on debut album

15 May 2025

_{The UCD Traditional Music Practices ensemble performing on Céilí House, RTÉ's flagship traditional Irish music radio show}

Renowned musician and composer Dónal Lunny has worked with students from the UCD School of Music and the (opens in a new window)Creative Futures Academy to create a (opens in a new window)debut album for the UCD Traditional Music Practices ensemble.

The UCD Musician in Residence, whose career was recently honoured at the Irish Folk Awards, wrote an entirely new piece for the ensemble’s first collection of recordings, titled ‘Seven Springs’.

The brand-new composition is one of many original works that can be heard on the album, which features traditional tunes from Ireland and tracks inspired from related folk music from regions such as Macedonia and elsewhere in the Balkans.

_{Members of the UCD Traditional Music Practices ensemble in the Creative Futures Academy's Trapdoor theatre} 

Performing these melodies, and writing and arranging many of them, are students from the UCD Traditional Music Practices ensemble – a project founded in 2022 during Lunny's tenure as Artist-in-Residency with the UCD School of Music and the Creative Futures Academy (CFA). 

Also featured on the new album is guest artist Paddy Glackin, a long-time collaborator of Lunny, who regularly visited with the ensemble and the CFA to share his deep knowledge of the history and the culture of Irish traditional music.

“It has been our great honour to work with such great musicians as Dónal Lunny and Paddy Glackin,” said (opens in a new window)Dr Peter Moran, who directed the album and is Composer in Residence at the CFA and Assistant Professor of Composition and Performance in the UCD School of Music.

“These artists are living legends of traditional Irish music and true national treasures. It was a joy to work alongside Dónal and Paddy on this project, and to give this opportunity to our UCD students.”

_{The UCD Traditional Music Practices ensemble preparing to perform at the launch of their debut album}

The UCD Traditional Music Practices ensemble is a 20-piece trad orchestra, and as a class explore a broad range of activities within the world of traditional music. 

This includes performing melodies from Ireland and related traditions, as well as undertaking individual projects, such as composing, arranging, and independent research. 

The group worked with Glackin and Lunny over the past three years to create original compositions and new arrangements of traditional music for their debut album.

Available on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes, its liner notes can be downloaded (opens in a new window)here. 

Following the launch of their debut album, the ensemble was (opens in a new window)invited to perform on RTÉ's flagship traditional Irish music radio show, Céilí House.

By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations

To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie