Utilising real recordings and soundscapes from the front lines of conflict - from Belfast's peaceline to Gaza - this evocative new show connects audiences with the everyday horrors of conflict and challenges audiences to confront themes of division and connection whilst reflecting on the restorative lessons that post-Troubles Ireland can teach in healing division in a time of modern global conflict.
Peaceline Perspectives: Voices from a Divided City is described as "a hard-hitting commentary on global conflict which aims to confront themes of division and connection" when it makes its Irish premier in the coming weeks.
Inspired by Eduard Zatriqi’s ‘War Games’, the dramatic finale which centres around global conflict and humanity’s unwillingness to learn from past mistakes, Peaceline Perspectives was composed as a musical commentary on current world conflict and the restorative lessons that post-Troubles Ireland can teach in healing division.
Featuring a powerhouse of composers united in musical voice by their Northern Irish heritage, Peaceline Perspectives is centred around seven haunting pieces which combine, for the very first time, a repertoire of highly evocative compositions reflecting the trauma of the Troubles whilst drawing parallels with modern global conflict.
Interweaving modern composition with voices and soundscapes captured at Belfast’s Peaceline, the programme aims to champion the visceral, lived experiences of a society still navigating the echoes of its divided past.
The Peacelines—imposing barriers separating nationalist and loyalist communities—serve as the literal and metaphorical starting point for a series of soundscapes commissioned by composer Robert Coleman.
By integrating field recordings and the voices of a society still enveloped in the legacy of conflict, the programme creates a continuous narrative and dialogue connecting the audience to the physical landscape of Belfast and the emotional wounds inflicted upon it through the lived memories of its people.
From the brutal and tense exploration of the use of informers (or ‘touts’) during Northern Ireland’s Troubles stirring up a sense of mistrust, danger and deceit withinGreg Caffrey’s ‘Tout’,to the haunting voice tracks of victims, survivors and displaced families affected by current world conflict providing a juxtaposition to the delicate instrumental duos of Elaine Agnew’s ‘I Want to Tell You’, the use of real audio from the ‘front lines’ connects audiences with the everyday, lived horrors of conflict.
In ‘Hunted’, composer Úna Monoghanconnects the memories of her Belfast childhood, soundtracked to the jarring whirr of helicopter blades, to the present-day discord in Gaza, a city enveloped by the noise of drones in the sky.
"There was usually the thrum of a helicopter around Belfast at that time. Later of course, I learned what the daily helicopters over west Belfast were actually doing. The helicopters were hunting. Now I’m reading about drones. About soldiers returning from the front line in Ukraine who are terrified when a fan starts up in a restaurant, because they are traumatised from evading drones. Constant drones in Gaza. Quiet is impossible. This is a piece about a familiar soundscape, and a memory, but about how sound can impact and be interpreted very differently. And it’s about some of the things that are happening at the moment: people being watched, trapped, controlled, displaced, deceived. Hunted.”, explained Úna.
In contrast to these tensions, the programme offers moments of profound tranquility. Áine Mallon’s Cállan and Ryan Molloy’s Gortnagarn provide meditative reflections on the shared beauty of the Irish landscape—the River Callan and Co. Tyrone in particular —suggesting a common ground that exists beneath the divisions and the importance of connection to the land, its beauty and ability to heal its war wounds through understanding and dialogue.
Many of the pieces have already been met with international acclaim by audiences from Beijing to Warsaw and beyond.
In Berlin, audiences drew immediate parallels between the Belfast Peacelines and their own fallen wall, whilst in Santiago the deep resonance for Chile’s Palestinian community—the largest outside the Middle East – deeply moved audiences.
Following a landmark debut at London’s Southbank Centre in 2025, the ensemble is set to bring Peaceline Perspectives to hundreds of Irish fans over the coming weeks as the tour takes in locations across Limerick, Galway, Dublin, Maynooth and Derry.
Aisling Agnew, Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble Artistic Director and world-class flautist.
Aisling Agnew, Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble Artistic Director and world-class flautist said: “Peaceline Perspectives is a powerful programme of seven individual works that delve into the themes of conflict and division set against a backdrop of beauty and harmony, reflecting the complexity of global issues affecting us today.
"It’s very important, particularly in these times, that we engage with difficult elements of our past in order to move forward in a more positive way. Through this performance, we champion lived experiences and different viewpoints from people across a divided society and, by exploring this theme of conflict and lived experience and giving it life through a concert platform, we can connect with wider audiences and open up what can often be a difficult discussion.
"The individual works that make up Peaceline Perspectives have been received extremely well so far by international audiences and I think that’s down to the fact that it resonates with people in many places - parallels can be drawn in almost every corner of the world.
"It’s really exciting to now bring these seven pieces together, woven through with an incredibly powerful soundscape narrative developed specially for this performance.
"Not only does this new show blend some of the most exciting, virtuosic and beautiful music we have ever performed, but it challenges people to confront difficult themes and consider grave situations in a new context while also learning from a deeper awareness of our own past.”
Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble’s mission is to give a platform and visibility to the vibrant community of creative musicians in Northern Ireland and in recent years the ensemble has worked with several partners on shared island projects, funded by Creative Ireland.
In addition to the Peacelines Perspective performance, as part of Hard Rain’s dedicated outreach and talent development initiatives, audiences in Derry, Limerick, Galway and Maynooth can participate in ‘Piece Lines’ - free interactive workshops which explore the ideas behind the music and how those themes are brought to life, aimed at children and young adults of various ages.
