Funding, Artists, Organisations

National Youth Choir Northern Ireland premieres thrilling new composition, based on Northern Ireland’s folklore and natural attractions, supported by The National Lottery

24th July, 2024

The National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland (NYCNI) recently premiered an exciting new composition, The Giant Folk & The Wee Folk, inspired by the folklore and natural attractions unique to Northern Ireland. The new work by Scottish composer, Claire McCue, was specially created for the National Youth Choir NI to mark their 25th anniversary and is supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s National Lottery Commissioning Programme.

A group of young people singing outdoors with trees in the background alongside a fiddle player.
Ruairidh Hunter, from Bangor, Mathew Indikuzhy, from Belfast, Saorise Hanna, from Antrim, fiddle player, Méabh Smyth from Armagh, Annabelle Doherty ( front left), from Belfast and Gabriella Watson, from Magherafelt

The dramatic new piece was performed by NYCNI’s Junior Choir to a sold-out audience during NYCNI’s summer course at Campbell College Belfast and is a song-cycle comprising of three new songs including, Respect the Wee Folk, Slieve Gullion, and Finn McCool vs Benandonner – a song inspired by the iconic Giant’s Causeway.

Alice Kennelly CEO, NYCNI, added,

The Commission is so exciting for us because anything new is always a fantastic thing. What the Arts Council’s National Lottery Commissioning Programme has done, it's allowed us to ask someone like Claire McCue, who's an incredibly accomplished composer, to create a work for our junior choir, especially for them. It's wonderful to have the children relate to the words they're singing, and they've really connected with it. This funding from The National Lottery through the Arts Council has been a game-changer in the creation of this amazing new composition that will have a lasting legacy as we look towards touring the piece in the future.”

The NYCNI Junior Choir comprises 90 girls and boys aged 11-14 years from all over Northern Ireland. Choir members were auditioned as part of the NYCNI nationwide Schools’ Workshop Programme and the choir is directed by renowned Scottish musician and conductor, Alison McNeill.

Alison McNeill commented, 

“It was really thrilling to perform the world premiere of Claire McCue's piece, The Giant Folk and the Wee Folk, and it's all based on the myths and legends of Northern Ireland. Each piece is quite different. Number one, it's all about the fairy forts and then we go on to Slieve Gullion, which is all about The Sleeping Giant, and then the third one is about a Scottish giant and the Irish giant, Finn McCool and Benandonner. In addition to singing and learning new singing skills, we’ve included lots of movement too and the children have also been learning about their local folklore and heritage – it’s been wonderful.”

Scottish composer, Claire McCue, has already had her work performed by the National Youth Choir's Boys’ Choir (aged 8 – 11 years) in their inaugural concert at Easter, 2023, when they performed her composition There’s a Dinosaur in my Garden, a work that was originally composed for The National Youth Choir of Scotland and also performed and recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Youth Chorus.

Image: The National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland's Junior Choir in rehearsals.

Composer, Claire McCue, said, 

As part of the commission, I was asked to base the songs around some of the legends, the landscapes, the folklore to do with Northern Ireland. I wanted the songs to feel authentic, and because I know it would mean something to the people, to the singers, to the audience, hopefully. But what's been really nice this week is to be over and working with the choir as well. You're able to see the piece emerge from start to finish. They've done so well, they've worked so hard, and they’ve brought so much energy to it."

Image: The National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland's Junior Choir in preparation for their performance of The Giant Folk & The Wee Folk

The Principal Funder of NYCNI is the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music and Opera, at the Arts Council said, “Young people are nurtured here in many ways, musically, socially, creatively, and personally, and they grow through the family of choirs at the National Youth Choir. We are so proud to be principal funder of the National Youth Choir and also to make funding available from our National Lottery Commissioning Programme to support this new composition. Covid was particularly devastating for singing and choral singing in particular, and so I'm delighted to see this organisation thriving once again.”

For the premiere, the NYCNI’s Junior Choir was joined by multi award-winning fiddler, Méabh Smyth from County Armagh. Méabh is the current 'TG4 Gradam Ceoil Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana’ (Young Musician of the Year) and a current Arts Council of Northern Ireland/BBC NI’s Young Musicians’ Platform Awardee.

Méabh Smyth, added, 

“The kids have been great fun. I love what Claire has done with it, the theme she's focused on, and in particular, the Slieve Gullion piece. I can relate to that. I come from South Armagh, and I remember my own days as a young musician - it was the group trips, and the performances like this that really made me enjoy music and made me stick at it. So I was just delighted to be involved.”

Image: Pictured (L-R) are Alison McNeill, Director NYCNI, Saorise Hanna, Ciaran Scullion, Arts Council NI, Mathew Indikuzhy, Alice Kennelly, NYCNI, Ruairidh Hunter, Claire McCue, composer, and Méabh Smyth, musician. 

For more information on the National Youth Choir of NI visit www.nycni.org