Seán Ó Riada: Nine major milestones in the life of Cork's great composer 

Seán Ó Riada passed away at a tragically young age, but left an incredible legacy as one of 20th Century Ireland’s most significant cultural figures. To mark his 90th birthday, which would have been on Sunday, August 1, we look at some of the highpoints of his prolific yet fleeting career

Born in Cork in 1931, Seán Ó Riada went on to become a household name, presenting radio shows, lecture series, writing a play, becoming a university lecturer, founding a choir, making 700 arrangements of songs and dance music, and composing a body of classical work. 

In a career spanning less than two decades, Seán Ó Riada spearheaded a reimagination of Irish traditional music, composed the first Irish language Mass, and created Mise Éire’s iconic film score. 

Born in Cork on August 1, 1931, he went on to become a household name, presenting radio shows, lecture series, writing a play, becoming a university lecturer, founding a choir, making 700 arrangements of songs and dance music, and composing a body of classical work.