The songwriting competition, Comórtas Cuimhneacháin Sheáin Eoin Uí Shúilleabháin is an important one for songwriters in the Irish-language. Held during the Oireachtas na Samhna cultural festival every year, the goal of the competition is to encourage new songwriters and singers to produce new work on a regular basis.

This collection Leabhar Nua na nAmhrán (The New Book of Songs) gathers close to one hundred of these compositions together in one volume for the first time. The goal of the collection of songs in this book is to bring the songs to a wider audience.

It’s well worth the effort as these songs feature a wealth of beautiful writing ranging from the comedic to the sublime and to read the collection and sing the songs is a richly rewarding experience.