The Contemporary Music Centre’s award for the best performance of an Irish work at the Feis Ceoil has been won by a guitarist from Dublin.

Damien Kelly played Lough Allen from Ciarán Farrell's The Shannon Suite and Etude No. 1 for guitar by Benjamin Dwyer. He was awarded the Contemporary Irish Music Cup presented by Feis Ceoil and a monetary prize from CMC on 11 March 2008.

Kelly, a student of Marian Hyland at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, is a third year music student at Dundalk Institute of Technology.

The competition also included solo performances for harp and soprano saxophone and the adjudicator, Ivan Andrews, was very impressed with the overall standard of the performances.

Posted: 21 March 2008