Ina Boyle was one of the few woman composers of her time, she trained with Vaughan Williams in London and was in the Proms in 1923 and had many of her works performed to public audiences, but circumstances for women at the time held her back. World War Two and sickness in her family meant that Ina stayed at home, rather than relocating to London.
Ina’s promise of becoming a composer was therefore forgotten by the public, something that typified the experience of women of that generation. She wrote music all of her life from her home in Enniskerry Co Wicklow, which inspired such pieces as “The Wild Geese”, “Elegy”, and “Glencree Symphony no 1”. All her music is preserved in the library of Trinity College Dublin awaiting rediscovery.
The Ina Boyle Society Limited is a cultural organisation newly registered in Britain. Formerly as the Ina Boyle Development Committee, it has successfully championed and promoted the forgotten Irish composer, Ina Boyle, through the development of Anglo–Irish cultural partnerships. This has led to the recognition of Ina Boyle as one of Ireland’s most important and prolific Irish women composers of the early 20th Century, and to the growth of performances, broadcasts and recordings of her music.
The organisation plans to develop its mission of promoting the music of Ina Boyle to other neglected Irish composers, particularly women. Katie Rowan, founder and Chair of the Ina Boyle Society, has a background in project development in the voluntary sector. Since retiring, she has become more dedicated to her passion for music, and specifically to giving a platform to other Irish women who have been historically underrepresented in the industry.
The organisation is in the process of organising the recording of the first CD of Ina Boyle’s songs at the Wigmore Hall, that Ina never heard performed in her lifetime. Katie hopes that this important project will finally give Ina a chance and allow her music to live on through a new generation.
‘I think it is most courageous of you to go on with so little recognition. The only thing to say is that it does come finally.
— Letter from Ralph Vaughan Williams to Ina Boyle, 4 May 1937
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