For the second year in sucession the Chicago based Old St Pats Church will feature a Shaun Davey work as the centerpiece of their Siamsa na nGael festival. Following the outstanding success of The Pilgrim last year they will this year be featuring Shaun Davey's Granuaile.

The concert will be held at the Chicago Symphony Center and will feature the star of last year's concert Rita Connolly whose amazing voice won her many new fans in the Chicago area last year.

Tickets will go on sale from Old St Pats from February 9, 2004.

For more information see oldstpats.org.

About Granuaile
In the turbulent story of the 16th century Irish seafaring chieftain, Grace O' Malley - with all its passion adventure, drama and pain Shaun Davey found an ideal subject for his lyrical, evocative, highly human work.

In Rita Connolly, with a voice of the purity of crystal, he found the ideal Grace O'Malley. Together they have made the legend of 'Granuaile' (Grace O'Malley in Irish) come vividly to life. 'The Granuaile Suite' (1985) sets an episode of Irish history in the context of wider European history through a work which appeals to music lovers of all ages. One song in the cycle, 'Ripples in the Rockpools' quickly became a popular classic and is now in the official Irish school syllabus.

'Granuaile' distills the essence of this indomitable woman whose galleys ruled the seas off Western Ireland during the times of Elizabethan conquests. Curiously enough, no contemporary ballads celebrating her story have come down to us. The suite fills this gap in traditional musical history, portraying her defence of her territory, her seafaring exploits, he dismissal of her husband, the death of her lover in battle, her compassion for the men of the Spanish Armada who perished in the sea along the coast of Western Ireland. It tells of her persecution at the hands of the notorious Governor of Connaught and of her daring voyage to England to protest that persecution in a confrontation with Queen Elizabeth I.

The sound of 'Granuaile' is unique, produced by a chamber orchestra comprised of 35 classical musicians joined by uilleann pipes, acoustic guitar, Irish harp and percussion.