Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair

Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair (30 September 1900 – 27 December 1982) was an Irish composer, and a major representative of the conservative side in Irish art music. Life Ó Gallchobhair (anglicised “O’Gallagher”) was born in Dundalk, County Louth, and studied music in Dublin at the Leinster School of Music and the Royal Irish Academy of Music (1927–1935). During 1948–1949 Ó Gallchobhair briefly conducted the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra (today the RTÉ Concert Orchestra). In 1962, he succeeded Seán Ó Riada as conductor of the Abbey Theatre ensemble until it was dissolved after a few years. During this time, he is said to have lived on Pembroke Road. Ó Gallchobhair was a composition teacher for students including John Kinsella. In old age he lived with his wife for parts of the year in Spain and Italy. He died in Alicante (Spain). Music Ó Gallchobhair was a prolific composer and arranger of Irish traditional music for a wide range of instrumentations. He played in a number of orchestras and chamber ensembles for which he frequently wrote or arranged music. Many of these were very popular during his lifetime and were frequently performed or broadcast. Between 1935 and 1942 he wrote eleven “Dan