Together with T. C. Kelly and Éamonn Ó Gallchobhair, (James) Redmond Friel was one of the most prominent representatives of the conservative side of Irish art music after circa 1940, concentrating on arranging traditional music for various forces and composing original music in a similar vein. He studied privately with the Northern Irish composer Norman Hay (1889–1943) and at St Mary’s College of Education, London. He was headmaster of the Waterside Boys’ School and member of the music staff at St Columb’s College, Derry. Among his orchestral music is a Symphonic Movement (1949) and a ballet and concert suite on The Children of Lir (1950).
Axel Klein, with permission from Greenwood Press
