A brief history of the Ina Boyle Society Ltd

The Ina Boyle Society was formally established as a limited company in 2020 and a registered charity in 2022 in the UK, though work really began on fostering the revival of interest in Ina Boyle’s music in 2015 when Katie Rowan convened what she called the ‘Ina Boyle Development Committee’ at a meeting in Dublin.

This comprised of a prestigious group of musicians and academics from both the UK and Ireland including the late Dr. Ita Beausang (a key figure in the Irish music education world and the biographer of Ina Boyle), Dr. Kerry Houston (Director of Studies at Trinity University Dublin), Ian Fox (Author, Opera Critic and RDS and RIAM trustee) Jonathan Grimes (Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin) Kenneth Baird (Director of the European Opera Centre), the late Ronald Corp (British conductor and composer, responsible for the first commercial recording of Ina’s music with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra), Dr. Emma O'Keeffe (TUD), with vital support for its work provided by Roy Stanley (former Music Librarian at TUD) and the Boyle family.   

The Development Committee embodied the Anglo-Irish partnership approach that has since informed the establishment of an Artistic Advisory Committee and underpinned the burgeoning worldwide renaissance of interest in Ina Boyle’s life and music.  

Early Milestones

·       The vesting of all Ina Boyle’s manuscripts and papers at the Library of TCD.

·       Registration of IB’s music with the Irish Musical Rights Organisation.

·       Premieres of key IB compositions at St Paul's Cathedral London and St Patrick's Cathedral Dublin.

·       Performances of IB’s 1923 orchestral tone poem ‘The Magic Harp’ at events making the Irelands presidency of EU.

·       Inclusion of IB’s music in the film and publication ‘Composing the Island - Celebration of Irish composers 1916- 

        2016’.

·       First Orchestral Recording BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Ronald Corp.

Establishment of the IBSL as a UK Charity

In 2019, with the number of performances, broadcasts, and recordings of Ina’s music increasing rapidly around the world, and interest in her life and music, it became clear that establishing the IBSL as a legal entity was essential. The original intention was for this to be an Irish organisation, but despite considerable efforts in Ireland and the UK, this did not prove possible so, by necessity, the Ina Boyle Society Ltd was registered as a limited company in the UK in 2020 and a UK charity in 2022. 

Key Achievements

·       Thanks to the work of John Gilhooley CBE and Iain Burnside, a premiere recording of a selection of IB’s songs was

made at the Wigmore Hall and released.

·       The Ina Boyle Songbook was produced by the IBSL and launched at an Irish Heritage recital in November 2023.

·       The premiere recording of Ina Boyle’s String Quartet E Flat by Piatti Quartet received a Presto Music Award in 2023. 

IBSL Funding and Administration

The IBSL was founded and continues to be powered by the efforts of enthusiastic and committed volunteers, led by the redoubtable Katie Rowan. Initially funded by individual donations, the work of the IBSL has largely been sustained over recent years by the generosity of the Boyle Family. Their decision to devote the income derived from royalties to support the IBSL has enabled us to employ a vital part-time coordinator.

The Future

The IBSL is about to enter a very exciting stage in its history with confirmation of a high profile recital of Ina Boyle’s songs, ‘Ina Boyle: A Rediscovery’ at the iconic Wigmore Hall, and an accompanying IBSL reception to mark the concert and Katie Rowan’s appointment as the IBSL’ President, in London in early 2026; and, more recently, the appointment of Dr Michael Boyle, a composer, academic, and relative of Ina, as the new Chair of the IBSL.