BILL WHELAN COMPOSES NEW WORK FOR THE IRISH CONCERTINA ORCHESTRA
‘Aboard the West Clare’
Aboard the West Clare is a vibrant and cinematic composition by Bill Whelan written especially for the Irish Concertina Orchestra. Inspired by the historic West Clare Railway and the spirit of travel along Ireland’s Atlantic coast, the piece captures a sense of motion, landscape, and musical energy, blending orchestral colour with the distinctive voice of the concertina. Whelan’s composition brings together traditional Irish musical sensibilities with his signature sweeping orchestral style, creating a work that feels rooted in tradition and expansive in scope.
Arranged by Bill Whelan and Cormac McCarthy, the recording was captured at the world-famous Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin in the late summer of 2025. The performance brings together the Irish Concertina Orchestra with NOTIFY (Pádraig Rynne, Tara Breen, Adam Taylor, Hugh Dillon, Rory McCarthy, and Davie Ryan) and the MGCE Concert Orchestra, under the baton of Cormac McCarthy.
Produced by Brian Whelan, Alex Borwick and Pádraig Rynne, the recording stands as a landmark collaboration between some of Ireland’s leading traditional and orchestral musicians and a new generation of young concertina players.
The Irish Concertina Orchestra will perform a landmark headline concert at glór, Ennis, on 23 May 2026.