Musical Director Simon O’Reilly introduces Slí na Samhlaíochta/The Way of Imagination, a live performance coming to the National Concert Hall this October that brings together spoken word, music, and visual art in an exploration of the concept of Tír na nÓg through the work of the late author, traveller, broadcaster and documentary maker Manchán Magan.
Slí na Samhlaíochta began at the Hedge School Festival in Doolin in 2023, an event I co-founded to bring musicians, writers and visual artists together to create new work.
For the closing performance, Manchán Magan brought a spoken-word piece inspired by Tír na nÓg and An Saol Eile, the Otherworld of Irish tradition. Myles O’Reilly and I created a live score around his words, while Crosby Dunkley developed the visuals that accompanied the performance.
None of us expected the response. From the opening moments there was a stillness in the room that is difficult to describe. The audience seemed completely immersed and, afterwards, many spoke about how deeply they had been affected. I came away feeling we had created something that deserved another life.
Lisa O’Neill is one of the contributors to Slí na Samhlaíochta/The Way of Imagination,
We only performed the work twice more before Manchán’s untimely passing. Like everyone who knew him, I struggled to imagine it continuing without him.
Some months later I went back to the original recordings. Listening with fresh ears, I realised the performance held something we hadn’t fully explored. It wasn’t simply a live event; it was the beginning of a much larger piece. With the support of Manchán’s wife, Aisling, his brother Ruán, the encouragement of Myles O’Reilly, and the commitment of Claddagh Records and Universal Music Ireland, I began shaping it into an album.
What began as one evening’s collaboration has become a way of celebrating Manchán’s work and the friendships that made this project possible.
Manchán’s recorded voice remains at the centre of the work, leading us through Irish mythology, language and the Otherworld. Around those recordings, I invited an extraordinary group of musicians, many of them close friends of Manchán, to become part of the project. Lisa O’Neill, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Crash Ensemble, Branwen Kavanagh, Méabh McKenna, Ultan O’Brien, Neil Ó Lochlainn and Myles O’Reilly have each brought something unique to the music.
Crosby Dunkley’s visuals have grown with the project. They are not simply a backdrop but another voice within the performance, responding to the music and the spoken word, drawing on the landscapes and imagery that shaped Manchán’s imagination.
A recording of Slí na Samhlaíochta is released this October
One of the oldest voices heard this evening comes from a Bronze Age horn, an instrument more than 3,000 years old. Its sound reaches back to a time before written history, reminding us that stories once travelled through music, ritual and memory.
When we first performed Slí na Samhlaíochta in Doolin, I never imagined where it would lead. What began as one evening’s collaboration has become a way of celebrating Manchán’s work and the friendships that made this project possible. I hope it draws you into the same sense of wonder that we experienced when we first created it.
Slí na Samhlaíochta/The Way of Imagination will be performed at National Concert Hall, Dublin on Monday 5th of October 2026, with performers including Lisa O’Neill, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Crash Ensemble, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Méabh McKenna, Myles O’Reilly, Branwen Kavanagh, Neil Ó Lochlainn, Ultan O’Brien and visual artist Crosby Dunkley. – find out more here.
Slí na Samhlaíochta the album is released on the same day, via Claddagh Records