Swan song for Terence MacSwiney - one of Cork’s revolutionary heroes

An American composer’s Cork connections inspired him to write an almost forgotten work dedicated to Terence MacSwiney. The piece is about to gets its first airing in the city, writes Marjorie Brennan

THE 150th anniversary of the birth of Irish-American composer and pianist Swan Hennessy falls on November 24 but it is an event that is unlikely to be heralded by big celebrations.

When he died in Paris in October 1929, French media hailed him as the “bard of Ireland” who had “saved the ancient Celtic melody” but he has largely been forgotten in musical circles.