The Choir

Cois Cladaigh is a mixed voice choir based in Galway and was founded in 1982. The name - Cois Cladaigh - is Irish and can be translated as "beside the Claddagh" which is a well-known area in Galway City. The choir specialises in European music from the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries and also performs a formidable repertoire of contemporary choral music, particularly from Ireland, but also from Scandinavia, Eastern European countries, and North America.

NEWS Flash

Cois Cladaigh on tour in Spain

Our recent concert tour of Andalucía was very successful with well attended performances in Case de Pilatos and the church of San Andras in Seville and in Circulo de Amistad, Córdoba.
We also gave a flash performance in the Mezquita which was a really great moment for us.

Cois Cladaigh at the Presidential Inauguration

While in Seville, we learned that Michael D. Higgins wanted us to sing at his inauguration as President of Ireland and this was a hugely exciting prospect. We had some time to rehearse the selected music and also had one Monday rehearsal in Ireland before heading up on a coach to Dublin Castle at 7.00 a.m. Friday morning. On the way up, we heard that Morning Ireland (Radio 1) had mentioned us a couple of times during the news and that gave us the first of many fillips that day. We rehearsed immediately with the composer Shaun Davey and singer Rita Connolly for the Deer’s Cry and then with the Army Band conducted by Mark Armstrong for the hymns "Be thou my vision", "Make me a channel of your peace" and the Irish National Anthem "Amhrán na bhFiann" before sound checking Eamon Murray’s Beannacht. Shaun, Rita and Mark were very easy to work with and we slipped through the checks without any trouble. We then headed off to get changed and were quickly brought back to St. Patrick’s Hall where we saw the event starting – dignitaries of all sorts and political heavy hitters were in abundance and the sense of the occasion started to unfold. The inauguration ceremony was very dignified and we are delighted to be part of it, realizing that we probably would never do such an enormous event ever again or have such a high media profile. After the ceremony, we mingled with the guests and were delighted at the positive response the audience had to all the music but they particularly liked Eamon’s piece and The Deer’s Cry. We gave an impromptu performance in one of the halls later on which was very warmly received before getting back on the bus for Galway, beaming from cheek to cheek.

Engagements in 2011

Cois Cladaigh is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012!

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