“I think it is most courageous of you to go on with so little recognition.
The only thing to say is that it sometimes does come finally.”
Who was Ina Boyle?
Ina Boyle was a pupil of the British composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). She lived quietly with her family in Co. Wicklow and would travel regularly to London for lessons with Vaughan Williams, who thought highly of his Irish student. Despite his encouragement, Boyle would not relocate to London and instead lived all of her life in the family home caring for her parents and sister who needed her, while still composing every day, drawing inspiration from the beautiful countryside around the family home. As a result of her isolation from musical life in London, early success was not followed through and performances of her music dwindled.
Her huge body of work including, symphonies, choral, vocal and chamber music, in addition to an opera and various stage works, remain largely unperformed and are preserved in manuscript form in the Library of Trinity College Dublin awaiting rediscovery. It is particularly poignant that Ina Boyle heard so little of her music performed in her lifetime. Modern audiences now have the opportunity of hearing and enjoying her music being performed for the first time.
IBSL Latest news
Treasurer Needed
Promote the Legacy of Ina Boyle
The Ina Boyle Society seeks a volunteer Treasurer.
Do you have the financial expertise to support a small but rapidly growing charity?
The Ina Boyle Society Ltd., committed to promoting Irish composers past and present, especially Irish women composers, seeks a dedicated Treasurer to join our team.
If you're passionate about music and making a difference, we encourage you to apply!
Full job description and application details here!
Want to share Ina Boyle's music?
Here's what you need to know before you start to make any arrangements to do so:
· Permissions are essential: Whether performing, recording, streaming, or using Ina Boyle's music in any other way, permission is usually required. Please review our Copyright Guide – it should answer most of your usage-related questions.
· Give us plenty of notice: As a small organisation, we need as much notice as possible to try and get you a response. Two weeks minimum is politely requested. You must not just assume permission will be granted.
· Provide detailed information: When contacting us, please provide as much information as possible about your proposal. This includes details such as the date, time, venue, performers, and any organisation or record/tv/film producer involved and any other relevant information such as any proposed edition or arrangement. The more information you give us, the better we can try to assist you. Simply complete this form.
· Any questions? Email inaboylecomposer@gmail.com. Please note this inbox is monitored part-time.
Thank you for considering the amazing music of Ina Boyle – we look forward to hearing from you!
INA BOYLE selected SONGs
The Ina Boyle Selected Songs songbook was launched on 11th Oct 2023 by the Ina Boyle Society in collaboration with Irish Heritage. The launch took place in the surrounds of Marylebone Church NW1, where talented young Irish Heritage musicians performed a selection of the songs.
INA BOYLE SONGBOOK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW FROM CHIMES BARBICAN.
INA BOYLE SONGBOOK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW FROM CHIMES BARBICAN.
LISTEN TO INA BOYLE
“For anyone interested in getting a more intimate portrait of Boyle’s musical imagination, this CD is an absolute must.”
Journal of Music - Adrian Smith
The Ina Boyle Society are delighted that the most recent CD of Ina’s songs has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and has enjoyed repeat broadcasts on BBC Northern Ireland, Lyric FM and Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ programme.
ABOUT THE INA BOYLE SOCIETY
The Ina Boyle Society Limited is a cultural organisation registered in the UK. Formerly as the Ina Boyle Development Committee, we have successfully championed and promoted the forgotten Irish composer, Ina Boyle, through the development of Anglo-Irish cultural partnerships. This has led to the recognition of Ina Boyle as one of Ireland’s most important and prolific Irish women composers of the early 20th Century, and to the growth of performances, broadcasts and recordings of her music. We plan to develop our mission of promoting the music of Ina Boyle to other neglected Irish composers, particularly women whose music deserves to be heard more widely.
