The Sligo Early Music Festival is in its fourth successive year. As the Model Arts Centre is closed for renovation, this year's festival moved across The Mall to Sligo Grammar School and Calry Church.
The opening concert was given in the church on Friday night by Christ Church Baroque, and Saturday's events (Sunday's will be reviewed separately) started in the same pleasing acoustic with a recital by Sarah Cunningham (viola de gamba) and Malcolm Proud (harpsichord).
This accomplished duo did full justice to their specialist programme of suites by Marais. Cunningham's passionate, determined interpretation of these dances and character pieces - one described Marais's own gall-bladder operation! - was always absorbing and was often provocatively free-thinking.
Saturday's highlight, for me at least, came in Calry Church. John Elwes (tenor) and Siobhan Armstrong (baroque harps) presented vocal and instrumental music composed between the mid-16th and early-17th centuries, in Italy, Spain and England.
The singing had an impeccable balance between text and music, and that the continuo playing was relevant and purposeful.