John Buckley is one of a group of highly talented and inspired composers from Ireland who have embraced today’s need for music which is rich and diverse, complex but accessible too. His considerable output includes chamber and vocal works as well as his exceptional choral music of which we have a selection here. From folk song adaptations to classic text settings and a range of serious, pastoral and witty pieces, the new album ‘To the Northeast’ is one that stands out from the crowd and is truly memorable. Also from Dublin, Mornington Singers are superbly conducted by Orla Flanagan, and provide a performance which in each work is totally in tune with the text and the setting. Most songs are in English, though the Five Two-Part Songs for Children are sung in Gaelic Irish.