LUNCHTIME CONCERTS
St Brendan's Church of Ireland, Oxmantown Mall, Birr
Thursday 7 August, 1.05pm
Birr Festival of Music is thrilled to be part of Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival 2025 with two special lunchtime concerts at St. Brendan's Church of Ireland this August.​
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Dermot Dunne and Ariel Hernandez stop off in Birr on their national reunion tour while acclaimed organist Thomas Charles Marshall will also perform with one of the leaders of the Contempo Quartet, Bogan Sofei.​
These concerts are kindly supported by
The JVM Trench Will Trust.
Tickets €10 (Children Free)
No booking required. Tickets can be purchased at the door each day. Please note: cash only.
Dermot Dunne accordian
Ariel Hernandez classical guitar & voice
Friday 8 August, 1.05pm
Thomas Charles Marshall organ
Bogdan Sofei violin
Dermot Dunne accordian
Ariel Hernandez classic guitar & voice
Many concert-goers will remember the duo of Argentinian guitarist and singer Ariel Hernandez with Irish accordionist Dermot Dunne who, between 2003-2010 brought the excitement and passion of Latin music to Irish audiences from the National Concert Hall to Belfast Opera House, Vicar Street, Farmleigh House, the Bray Jazz Festival, Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures and beyond.
Their duo intricately combined the soulful voice and playing of Ariel with the instrumental flair of Dermot in a range of styles from the familiar Tango to the lesser known Chacarera, Zamba and Chamamé.
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After returning to Argentina in 2010, Ariel relocated from his hometown of Buenos Aires to a remote town in the interior Carpinteria, a region is steeped in local tradition and art, where Latin influences blend with native styles, immersing himself in performing the music of the region with the finest local musicians, recording numerous albums and appearing at festivals throughout the region.
Thursday 7 August
1.05pm
Ariel and Dermot's first album 'P'al que se va' takes its title from a song in which the singer tells a young man heading off to see the world that the road which takes him away is also the road that will bring him back. Now after many years, Ariel takes to the road once again to visit the place he called home 15 years ago for a reunion tour with his duo partner which will delight Irish audiences and in addition to the dances and songs of Ariel's native land will also include well known classics from the baroque era to beloved cinema scores.
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Tickets €10 (Children Free)
Tickets can be purchased at the door
Please note: cash only
Thomas Charles Marshall organ
Bogdan Sofei violin
Thomas Charles Marshall is a graduate of Cambridge University, he studied organ with Shane Brennan in Mullingar, with Peter Hurford at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and with David Adams at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He is the Director of Music and Organist at St Ann’s Church, Dawson St. Dublin as well as director of the Dublin Male Voice Choir and Kildare Cathedral Singers.
Bogdan Sofei is the leader, violinist/founding member of the RTÉ ConTempo Quartet. He is also the concertmaster of Luminosa, Galway’s first professional permanent orchestra, founded in 2018. Bogdan has won numerous international awards as a chamber music practitioner and has performed over 2000 concerts in major venues in 42 countries.
Friday 8 August
1.05pm
​​Tickets €10 (Children Free)
Tickets can be purchased at the door
Please note: cash only