Mayo traditional musician announced as commissioned artist for OnSight Live!

Mayo traditional musician and composer Emer Mayock has been announced as the commissioned artist for OnSight Live! 2026–2027, a partnership between Mayo County Council Arts Service, the National Museum of Ireland – Turlough Park and Mayo Artsquad.

The latest edition of the long-running OnSight project will focus on music, with Mayock developing new compositions inspired by the Irish Folklife Collection at Turlough Park.

Through an open call held earlier this year, professional musicians and composers were invited to propose original work responding to the collection, while also involving young musicians in the creative process.

As the selected artist, Mayock will work with young musicians aged 13 to 18 from across Mayo. Together, they will explore traditional arts and country life through the museum’s collection and develop a series of collaborative compositions.

Mayock will also create a suite of new works informed by research into the Irish Folklife Collection.

The project will culminate in a live performance at the National Museum of Ireland – Turlough Park, alongside sound installations and recordings throughout the museum’s galleries. The aim is to allow visitors to experience the collection through music, voice and storytelling.

Speaking about her appointment, Mayock said she was “delighted and very grateful” to have been awarded the commission.

She said the Irish Folklife Collection provides valuable insight into how people lived, worked and expressed themselves, adding that the project would offer an opportunity to explore traditions of music, song, dance and storytelling through the collection.

Mayock said she was looking forward to working with young musicians from Mayo and hearing the new ideas and perspectives they would bring to the project.

A multi-instrumentalist, Mayock specialises in flute, uilleann pipes, whistle and fiddle and has an international reputation for her work in Irish traditional music and cross-genre collaboration.

She is also the founder and director of Music of Mayo, a major cultural initiative focused on preserving and promoting Mayo’s musical heritage.

The OnSight project has evolved over the years across a range of artistic disciplines, including visual art, installation, performance and poetry.

The 2026–2027 commission will place music at the heart of the project, bringing together Mayo’s emerging musicians, traditional culture and the National Museum’s extensive Irish Folklife Collection.