August 2026

Meitheal Announces Formation and Welcomes New Singers

Meitheal, the new chamber choir from Unhinged, is now forming in Galway and has opened its doors to singers.

Founded by Rob Partridge, with Oran Tobin as Artistic Director, the choir is built around a single ambition: exceptional unaccompanied choral music, rooted in place, community, and imagination. Its repertoire will draw on the breadth of the chamber choir tradition, from established sacred and secular works to contemporary compositions and Irish music, performed in churches, galleries, libraries, heritage sites, festivals, and the other spaces where people gather.

Meitheal is open to singers aged eighteen and over. No formal training or previous choral experience is required; the only prerequisites are enthusiasm, commitment, and a love of singing. Rehearsals will be led by Oran Tobin, whose work as a classical singer, conductor, and vocal coach has supported singers across the region.

Those wishing to join, or to learn more about rehearsal dates and forthcoming performances, are invited to contact the choir at hello@unhinged.ie, through the Contact page, or by leaving their details using the form below. Updates will be posted here and shared with everyone on the mailing list.

Looking to the Future

As the ensemble grows, Meitheal hopes to develop an annual programme of distinctive concerts and cultural events that celebrate Ireland's heritage while creating new traditions for modern audiences.

Future projects may include:

• Samhain vigils illuminated by candlelight, where audiences experience music exploring memory, ancestry, and the threshold between seasons.
• Winter Solstice concerts celebrating the return of light, with opportunities for audiences to quietly reflect, write hopes for the coming year, or take part in simple communal rituals inspired by Irish seasonal traditions.
• Lughnasa performances presented alongside harvest festivals, local markets, food producers, and community celebrations, reconnecting music with the rhythms of rural and urban Irish life.
• Outdoor performances in woodlands, ancient monuments, gardens, islands, and coastal landscapes where music is experienced within the places that inspire it.
• Collaborative projects with storytellers, visual artists, dancers, poets, schools, heritage organisations, and local communities.
• Free community performances and informal concerts that remove barriers to experiencing high-quality choral music.

Rather than recreating the past, Meitheal seeks to create meaningful new traditions that honour Ireland's cultural inheritance while speaking to audiences today.