Artists perform together during the concert;
Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
On Tuesday 7 July 2026, the Embassy of Ireland in Luxembourg marked the beginning of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) with a special concert entitled "Réaltbhuíonta / Constellations" at the Théâtre des Capucins in Luxembourg-Ville.
The free public performance, presented by Culture Ireland in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland, brought together leading Irish traditional musicians and internationally acclaimed artists for a programme exploring Ireland's musical heritage.
Attracting a crowd of around 400 people, including diplomats, representatives of EU institutions, members of the Irish community and cultural organisations, the event featured a musical programme lasting more than an hour.
Welcoming the audience, Ireland’s Ambassador to Luxembourg Jean McDonald opened her address with greetings in the Irish language before highlighting the significance of the six-month presidency.
"The Presidency presents a wealth of opportunities to celebrate Ireland and our membership of the European Union," she said, noting that it also celebrated generations of Irish people who have worked in Luxembourg's EU institutions since 1973.
Introducing the concert, Nora Hickey M'Sichili, Director of the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, France, who curated the concert, explained that the title reflected the gathering of exceptional musicians, dancers and spoken-word artists who would perform in changing combinations throughout the evening. "This concert brings together music, stories and artists from different countries and continents who have chosen to make Ireland their home," she said.
The programme featured fiddler Aoife Ní Bhriain, pianist Cormac McCarthy, saxophonist Sam Comerford, bouzouki and mandola player Macdara Ó Faoláin, concertina player Cormac Begley, guitarist Niwel Tsumbu, multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, banjo player and singer Rhiannon Giddens, percussion dancers Sibéal Davitt and Stephanie Keane, as well as presenter and poet Ciara Ní É.
The performance opened with Ciara Ní É introducing the Irish language as a way of understanding both culture and landscape before presenting her bilingual poem Land, In Translation.
Throughout the evening, poetry and small introductions before songs blended seamlessly into music as performers joined and left the stage in different formations. Traditional Irish instruments were accompanied by the bouzouki (introduced into Irish traditional music in the 1960s) and the saxophone. Together with the other instruments, they created a performance in which fiddle melodies merged with contemporary percussive dance.
The evening concluded with all musicians and dancers joining together on stage for a series of traditional Irish reels and jigs.
Photo Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu;
Photo Caption: (L-R) Carin Lobbezoo, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Luxemburg; n/c; Jean McDonald, Ireland’s Ambassador to Luxembourg; n/c; n/c
