IRELAND’S radio station dedicated to classical music and arts celebrates its 25th birthday this week.
RTÉ lyric FM, based in the heart of Limerick City, turned 25 on Wednesday (May 1), having first started broadcasting on May 1, 1999.
The celebrations will be marked by a gala concert in Limerick featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, conducted by David Brophy, as well as newly-commissioned pieces by well-known musicians.
Limerick composer and Cranberries drummer Fergal Lawler will debut his new piece, commissioned by RTÉ, at the gala concert.
Entitled ‘The Curragower Falls‘, the piece reflects on a childhood growing up by the river Shannon.
Ann-Marie Power, group head of Arts and Culture, said that “lyric FM is at heart of RTÉ’s arts and cultural offering for Irish audiences sitting alongside our TV programming, RTÉ Radio 1’s Arena”.
“As the national public service media organisation, RTÉ is proud to provide a unique range of arts and cultural content and is delighted that audiences have connected and grown with lyric FM over the past 25 years and look forward to it continuing to flourish into the future.”
Head of RTÉ lyric FM Sinéad Wylde added that “RTÉ lyric FM emerged from a chorus of birdsong on May 1st, 1999 and the celebration of our 25th birthday is a very nostalgic time for me, having been part of the original RTÉ lyric FM team. On behalf of everyone at lyric FM, I would like to thank our listeners on this special anniversary.”
