Birr gets a Crash start and an operatic boost

Irish National Opera singers who will perform at Birr Music Festival, from left: Andrew Gavin (tenor), Rachel Croash (soprano), Amy Ni Fhearraigh (soprano) and Robert McAllister (bass-baritone)

The lovely Co Offaly town of Birr, an architectural jewel of the Georgian kind, made a great splash in 2014 by launching its highly rewarding Trench Award bursary of €7,000 for young artists in the midlands region.

This year it has added to that musical splash with a musical crash – Crash Ensemble, to be precise – when the internationally renowned new music group opens the weekend Birr Festival of Music (May 3-6).