Moore's centenary: music and politics in Dublin, 1879

Within the first weeks of 1879, plans were afoot in Dublin to mark the centenary of the birth of Thomas Moore. What eventually transpired in May of that year was a high profile, large-scale occasion at the Exhibition Palace (now the National Concert Hall). Along with a number of professional singers, a large chorus and band were assembled for two concerts which featured an oration and ode especially written for the occasion. Military bands marched in the evening, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin hosted a grand ball at the Mansion House. The press followed both the preparations and the centenary celebrations closely. Its reports demonstrate that the 1879 celebration of Thomas Moore was a microcosm of political, cultural and musical concerns. Indeed, the story of this one-day event unfolds against a background of issues relating to Home Rule, Irish culture and Moore's somewhat contentious position in Ireland's cultural and political landscape.