A regular at the festival, Lisa Hannigan was back this year at Sounds From A Safe Harbor to deliver a unique performance at the Cork Opera House, designed specifically for the event.

Alongside the prestigious Irish national channel’s RTÉ National Symphonic Orchestra, and Aaron Dessner, a multi-instrumentalist from the American group The National, the Irish guitarist, local fame and rising star of folk, had fun revisiting the titles from her discography. With sumptuous arrangements signed, among others, by Aaron’s twin, Bryce Dessner, a member of The National and hyperactive musician whose projects – in contemporary music and classical music – continue to multiply.

The opportunity to rediscover in another light the sublime voice and compositions of Damien Rice’s collaborator and author of film soundtracks (including Neil Jordan’s Ondine, with Colin Farrell) magnified by the brass sections and strings of the orchestra. An exceptional musical moment that only the festival Sounds From A Safe Harbor could create.