CD Launch 'Causeway' By Nos Núa

Nós Nua – Youth Folk Orchestra is excited to announce the release of “Causeway” on CD, performed by Nós Nua –Youth Folk Orchestra, composed in collaboration with Multi Award-Winning Scottish musician Mohsen Amini, who also produced and performs on the recording.

“Causeway”, is inspired by the story of the Giant’s Causeway, and celebrates the cultural connections between Scotland and Ireland. The suite comprises 10 movements which tell the story of the encounter between two fierce giants, Irish giant Finn McCool (or Fionn Mac Cumhaill) and Scottish giant Benandonner along with Finn’s wife Úna, the true hero of the story. Nós Nua, based in Dundalk, comprises youth musicians from across counties Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Cavan, Dublin, Armagh, Down and Fermanagh. The Causeway project was initially funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, through the Young Ensemble Scheme. The audio recording has been funded through the Creativity and Collaboration Fund which is co-funded by Music Generation/Arts Council and the Department of Education. The album was recorded by Marc Carolan & Peter Baldwin at Black Mountain Studios & Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording Studios and produced by Mohsen Amini. Nós Nua members are not only joined on the recording by Mohsen but also by Mohsen’s bandmate Benedict Morris (Talisk), along with local musicians, orchestra directors, Kay Webster & Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla and mentors Conal Duffy & Kerrianne McArdle. Nós Nua began in 2017 and is a joint initiative of Music Generation Louth and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann @ Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol. Nós Nua was the first folk orchestra to perform at the Festival of Youth Orchestras in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. They have performed on TG4’s Fleadh TV, at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Drogheda and Mullingar, on RTÉ’s John Creedon’s Atlas of Ireland and Up for the Match 2023. The young people have worked with artists and composers such as Zoe Conway, Ryan Molloy, Dónal Ó Connor, Martin Power, Lisa Canny, Niamh Dunne (Beoga) and Scottish based supergroup Ímar, where they first made the connection with Mohsen.

For further information you can contact Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla, Nós Nua Project Manager dnibhuachalla@lmetb.ie | 0863844202 Nós Nua is a joint initiative of Music Generation Louth and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann @ Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol.

Music Generation Louth is a music education service under the management of Louth Meath Education and Training Board that creates access to performance music education for children and young people. Established in 2011, it is part of Music Generation, a national partnership programme whose mission is to create inspiring experiences for children and young people through music. We are one of 25 Music Generation areas in Ireland. Though founded on the same shared values, each individual area has the flexibility to imagine and create a programme that responds to what is needed most by its local community. For us, performance music education means supporting children and young people to make and learn music in creative, diverse, inclusive ways, whether that’s writing and performing a song, playing an instrument, practising as part of an orchestra or jamming with a band. We believe that making and performing music should be a joyful experience that has the potential to transform children and young people’s lives in many possible ways. Nationally Music Generation is co-funded by U2 and the Ireland Funds with support from Bank of America and The Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Their philanthropic investment provided the seed funding to set up Music Generation programmes across Ireland. Our principal national government funder is the Department of Education and Skills. The Department provides 50% of the funding needed to sustain and support our programme long term. The remaining 50% of funding comes from financial support provided by Create Louth, Louth and Meath Education and Training Board and income derived from participation. Dundalk Institute of Technology provides support in kind.

Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol The Oriel Centre, based in Dundalk Gaol, is one of eight strategically placed regional resource centres under the auspices of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann www.comhaltas.ie servicing the five north eastern counties of Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Meath and Armagh. The Oriel Centre combines the role of a resource centre, a visitor attraction, a social and a performance space and provides facilities for teaching, archives, recording, rehearsal, performance and session playing. The Centre aims to support the work of Comhaltas branches within the region, whilst being fully available to any individuals, group or organisations interested promoting and developing our cultural traditions – music, song, dance, An Gaeilge, story telling and art/craftwork. The Oriel Centre will focus primarily on the provision of educational initiatives and work alongside other agencies with a number of target groups in raising awareness of local history, storytelling, An Gaeilge, songs of the region, music and dance. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is the largest group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. We’re a non-profit cultural movement with hundreds of local branches around the world, and as you can read in our history we’ve been working for the cause of Irish music since the middle of the last century (1951 to be precise). Our efforts continue with increasing zeal as the movement launches itself into the 21st century.