26 July 2026 at 20:00

Gerard Gillen

Gerard Gillen is titular organist emeritus of Dublin's St Mary's Cathedral and professor emeritus of music at Maynooth University. He has given over 1,000 recitals in a career that has taken him to four continents, acting as a member of a number of international competition juries, and performing at many of the world's most prestigious recital venues. He was responsible for commissioning this Rieger organ for St Michael's and gave one of the inaugural recitals on the instrument in June 1974; and he has performed here every year since then.

Gerard Gillen was founder-chairman of the Dublin International Organ & Choral Festival (now Pipeworks) of which he was artistic director from 1980 to 1986 and again from 1990 to 2000. He has been honoured by the Vatican and by the governments of France, Belgium and Austria. Other honours include the John Betts Visiting Fellowship at Oxford (1992), the award of the title of doctor honoris causa by the Pontifical University of Maynooth, and election to honorary fellowship of the RIAM.