Born on Dublin's Northside in 1975, Damien Dempsey is the quintessential Irish singer songwriter. Damien's fanatical audience identify with a singer who has emerged from the working-class streets of Dublin's Northside with his powerful self-belief intact, and a storyteller's eye for detail in the writing and delivery of his songs.

His concerts can be almost spiritual occasions - with fans singing along to every word. Described by The Times as "the Bob Marley of Ireland" and by the Irish Examiner as "one of the most important and evocative singers of all time" his stage presence was nurtured by the legendary folk singer Christy Moore who, in mentoring a shy young Dempsey, advised him, "if you're nervous, tell the audience you're nervous". And Dempsey himself says: "The audience has always been with me. They feel what I feel."

Prices: €35, €30, €25, €20 (Choir Balcony)
Concessions: €31.50, €27, €22.50, €18 (Choir Balcony)
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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103 years and still on the road! From village parties in the early 1900's to bigger dances in the Thirties, broadcasts in the Forties, commercial recordings in the Fifties, foreign tours in the Sixties right down to their current international profile, each new generation slots into the groove of their forebears.
The Kilfenora features fiddles, bass, cello, flutes, banjo, concertina and accordion, with what Folk Roots magazine called "one of the tightest rhythm sections in the world". They have performed at Glastonbury twice and in 2009 headlined there on the Acoustic Stage. The band has also performed concerts in Milwaukee, Lincoln Centre New York and throughout Europe, UK and USA.

For this performance they will be joined by special guests, singer Don Stiffe (runner up in Ireland's Got Talent) Michael Donnellan (lead dancer in Riverdance) and the energetic West Clare Set Dancers.

Prices: €35, €30, €25, €15
Concessions: €31.50, €27, €22.50, €13.50
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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Finbarr Clancy: Guitar, banjo, vocals
Martin Furey: Guitar, banjo, bouzouki, whistles, vocals
Darren Holden: Accordion, vocals
Brian Dunphy: Bodhran, vocals

Ireland's Folk Band of the Year, The High Kings, are the most exciting Irish ballad group to emerge since the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. As their last names suggest, the band members come from royal pedigrees in the world of Irish music and are steeped in a lifelong tradition of the ballad. Playing 13 instruments between themselves, and with voices that were the leads in Riverdance and in Broadway productions, The High Kings live up to their reputation as a phenomenal live act.

Prices: €35, €30, €25, €20
Concessions: €31.50, €27, €22.50
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Coorey, conductor
Louis Lovett, narrator

Mark-Anthony Turnage: Ceres
John Williams: Star Wars Suite
Philip Glass: Icarus at the Edge of Time

A futuristic reimagining of the Greek myth, Icarus at the Edge of Time is a mesmerising tale set in outer space about a boy who challenges the awesome might of a black hole. This stunning, full-orchestral multimedia work brings a powerful modern twist to the classic myth, taking audiences of all ages on a whirlwind voyage through space and time, to the very edge of understanding.
Icarus is adapted by physicist Brian Greene and Tony-Award winning playwright David Henry Hwang from Greene’s young people’s book of the same title and features an original orchestral score by American composer Philip Glass and animated film directed by British filmmakers Al+Al. It will be performed by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Coorey, narrated by actor Louis Lovett of Theatre Lovett, and introduced by Brian Greene.
The concert presented as part of Dublin City of Science 2012 at The National Concert Hall, will also feature the Star Wars Suite by John Williams and Ceres by Mark-Anthony Turnage.

Prices: €32, €28, €24, €18
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall and Young Maestros

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Rónán Ó Snodaigh: bodhrán, djembe, congas, bongos, guitar & vocals
Rossa Ó Snodaigh: tin whistle, low whistle, clarinet, bouzouki, mandolin, bones & vocals
Colm Ó Snodaigh: flute, tin whistle, guitar, saxophone, percussion & vocals
Seanan Brennan: guitar, mandola & vocals
Brian Hogan on bass, double bass & vocals
Eoin Dillon on uileann pipes, tin whistle, low whistle, shakers & vocals
Dee Armstrong on fiddle & hammered dulcimer

Playing together for nearly 20 years, Kíla are one of Ireland’s most innovative, creative and exciting bands. The members come from different musical backgrounds and share a passion for creating great music with an ability to absorb influences from across the globe. Kíla’s music features strong percussive like singing, gorgeous melodies and daring harmonies which are driven by a serious rhythmical undercurrent.

Prices: €28, €24, €20
Concessions: €25.20, €21.60, €18
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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Bernard Reilly - Conductor
Cinetheatre Ensemble

Willy Reilly and his Colleen Bawn is one of few surviving Irish feature films from the silent era. Directed by John MacDonagh, brother of the executed 1916 leader Thomas MacDonagh, the film is set in in 18th century Ireland and tells the story of Willy Reilly, a Catholic gentleman in love with Helen Folliard - the "Colleen Bawn". She loves him in return but she is also the daughter of the local Protestant squire and their love is repeatedly thwarted by the plotting of the film's villain, Sir Robert Whitecraft.
The film is celebration of tolerance and of the triumph of love across the sectarian divide and was released on the fourth anniversary of the Easter Rising. Score composed and conducted by Bernard Reilly and performed by the Cinetheatre Ensemble.

Prices: €28, €24, €20
Concessions: €25.20, €21.60, €18
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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Multi award-winning Irish family band Clannad make a rare live appearance in Dublin at The National Concert Hall on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th July. The shows will feature music spanning their 40-year career, from the simple beauty of their early traditional arrangements up to the groundbreaking worldwide hits such as the ever-haunting 'In a Lifetime' along with some of their television and film soundtrack successes such as the theme from Harry's Game, 'I Will Find You' (from Last Of The Mohicans), and a selection of music from the Robin of Sherwood series, with which the band are indelibly linked.

Clannad's rich heritage is as deep as their own roots in rugged, secluded Donegal, the most northwestern county in Ireland, and their hometown of Gaoth Dobhar. They were originally known as An Clann as Dobhar, 'the family from the townland of Dore,' which was compacted to Clannad. The five-member group comprises the three Brennan siblings, Moya, Ciaran and Pol along. with their twin uncles, Padraig and Noel Duggan.

Prices: €35, €30, €25, €20
Concessions: €31.50, €27, €22.50
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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2012 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the foundation of Anúna, Ireland's National Choir. Founded in 1987 by Dublin composer Michael McGlynn, one of the choir's stated aims has been to define and develop a new and unique choral voice for Ireland. Their work is acclaimed all over the world. Since 1994 they have brought their compelling and original performances to twenty-two countries, from Morocco to Argentina, from China to Canada.

Tonight's performance will feature Anúna's trademark combination of movement and elegant staging with the choir using the entire space of the National Concert Hall in their performance. All music will be written or arranged by Michael McGlynn, and will include his beautiful arrangement of the classic “Danny Boy”, the ethereal “Jerusalem” (as featured in on the soundtrack of The Tudors) and his unique composition on the classic Irish text “Dúlamán”, which is by far the most popular choral piece written by an Irish composer today. Anúna's singers are drawn from a pool of approximately forty and come from all walks of life. While the vast majority of them are from this island, they also come from France, Canada the USA and the U.K. Approximately 250 singers have passed through the group since its foundation.

Prices: €35, €30, €25, €20
Concessions: €31.50, €27, €22.50
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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Celtic Thunder Star Paul Byrom returns home to The National Concert Hall after his recent success in America. His latest album, This is the Moment reached no. 1 on the World Billboard Charts and this was followed by his first solo tour of America and Canada.

With performances for President Barrack Obama and many dignitaries alike, we are sure this tenor's performance will be a highlight in your calendar. 'Ave Maria', 'Nella Fantasia', 'All By Myself' and 'From a Distance' are just some of the familiar classics that Paul will perform with the orchestra... an evening to remember.

Prices: €28, €24, €20
Concessions: €25.20, €21.60, €18
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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Padraig Rynne, Concertina - Tola Custy, Fiddle - Sylvain Barou, Flutes/Uilleann pipes
Paul McSherry, Guitars - Karol Lynch, Bouzouki / Banjo - Brian Finnegan, Flutes / Whistles
Ian Stephenson, Guitar - Jim Goodwin, Drums - Aidan O' Rourke, Fiddle
Geoffroy Tamisier, Trumpet / Bugle - Janick Martin, Accordion - Jacques Pellen, Guitar
Etienne Callac, Bass - Alyth McCormack, Vocals - Theo Dorgan, Poetry

DÁN featuring Guidewires (Ireland), Kan (Scotland, England), Breton Quartet (France) and Alyth McCormack (Scotland), is a specially commissioned touring project that brings together some of the world's most respected traditional and jazz musicians in a highly anticipated concert series.

Spearheading a new wave of traditional music DÁN is dedicated to an entirely new, suspense-charged relationship between the traditional and the modern. Brainchild of the highly accomplished Irish group Guidewires, the project brings together figureheads of the tradition to form an extraordinary ensemble for a musically charged experience that redefines brilliance. The impressive 14 member ensemble will present a programme of original, traditional, re-arranged and shared material, demonstrating the interconnectedness of music from the Celtic Fringe. Through a powerful fusion and an enchanting musical journey, DÁN will push tradition to the edge of its boundaries.

This project has been made possible through the support of the Arts Council's Traditional Arts touring award.

Prices: €20
Concessions: €18
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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The work of Iconic artists such as Janis Joplin, the Doors, Robert Johnson, the Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, the Bunnymen, Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana are interpreted by the Irish multi-platinum selling vocalist Jack Lukeman in his spellbinding new show The 27 Club.

Jack Lukeman interweaves their legacy not through a vale of tears but in a rip-roaring musical celebration of life itself.

Combining Jack's own legendary live performance band along with interactive audio-visuals,The 27 Club is a dramatic and unforgettable explosion of song.

Prices: €35, €30, €20
Concessions: €31.50, €27, €18
10% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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In what is set to be a musical highlight of the summer, Horslips play two nights accompanied by the Orchestra of the National Concert Hall with stunning new arrangements by Golden Globe nominee Brian Byrne.

"Horslips songs fuse rock with traditional airs and Brian's arrangements pick up and highlight those airs" says band flautist and keyboard player Jim Lockhart. "On songs like 'I'll be Waiting' and 'Sideways to the Sun' the orchestra adds huge power to the traditional themes at the heart of the song: the effect is really striking".

The concert will feature extended excerpts from two of the band's best known albums, The Táin and The Book of Invasions along with tracks chosen from the ten studio albums they released during their epoch defining run in the Seventies, when they brought their heady blend of traditional Irish airs and gritty classic rock to Ireland and further afield.

Prices: €49, €42, €35, €25 (Choir Balcony)
Concessions: €44.10, €37.80, €31.50, €22.50 (Choir Balcony)
15% discount for Groups of 10 or more
20% discount for Friends of the National Concert Hall

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