Stanford Drawing On His Irish Heritage In His Irish Symphony

Saturday, 9^th of May 2026

#Stanford #IrishSymphony #BrianTheBrave #LetErinRemember  

I am enjoying learning Stanford’s Irish Symphony for the LRO session on Wednesday. When I scheduled it a few months ago, I didn’t expect that I would be writing something myself with the same Irish heart.  

Stanford uses two traditional tunes – Remember The Glories of Brian the Brave and Let Erin Remember The Days Of Old – and successfully retains their Irish character in a Romantic symphonic setting. The second movement rocks along with the vibrant rhythm of the slip jig. The third movement is a beautiful ballade, Irish style. The last movement ends with the rousing anthem Let Erin Remember The Days Of Old, which has been adopted as the regimental slow march by the Irish Guards.  

My style is neo-modal, so closer to the Irish modal harmony and my rhythmic writing has more in common with the sometimes accidental polyrhythms of an Irish session. I have even written a piece celebrating just this – Postcard From Milltown Malbay – written during a session in the Willie Clancy Week. 

Postcard From Milltown Malbay par Dominic McGonigal Partitions pour Orchestre d'harmonie: Flex-Band sur Sheet Music Direct 

Stanford Symphony No.3 - YouTube