The Benedictine nuns of Kylemore Abbey and Celebrated Composer Patrick Cassidy Unveil The Kylemore Magnificat

The Benedictine nuns of Kylemore Abbey are pleased to share the release of "The Kylemore Magnificat," a new and evocative setting of the Magnificat commissioned by the nuns from internationally renowned, Irish composer, Patrick Cassidy. 

This remarkable work was commissioned by the Benedictine Community as an expression of gratitude for the support of friends and benefactors who have helped to bring to fruition their long-held vision of a monastery and a place for education and spiritual encounter at Kylemore. 

Known worldwide for his richly textured compositions, and with his strong West of Ireland connection, Patrick Cassidy was a most fitting composer to create a setting for The Magnificat, which would communicate the warmth, beauty, and serenity associated with Kylemore Abbey. The brief given to Cassidy was to weave together the timeless plainchant associated with the Benedictine Order and the serene beauty of Kylemore Abbey into a singularly moving setting for the Magnificat, the Virgin Mary's song of praise.

This setting of the Magnificat was commissioned by the Benedictine Nuns of Kylemore Abbey to mark the historic blessing of their new monastic home, the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception Gratia Dei. 

Known as The Kylemore Magnificat it is dedicated to all benefactors who have helped to build the first Benedictine women’s monastery in Ireland for over 400 years.

This plainchant version of the psalm is a new setting of the ancient Marian prayer by internationally-renowned Irish composer, Patrick Cassidy.  

The Magnificat, also known as the Song of Mary, is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns. The text is taken from the Gospel of Luke (1:46–55) where it is spoken by Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin, Elizabeth. The Magnificat is most often sung or recited during Vespers, the main evening prayer service.

Speaking about the composition, Composer Patrick Cassidy reflected “My setting of the ‘Magnificat’, for the Benedictine nuns at Kylemore Abbey, is written in the style of traditional plainchant. In this antiphon the lines alternate between the cantor and congregation of nuns. Although the use of plainchant in the liturgy has declined, the beauty of this ancient form has not lost its allure. It is the inspiration for this new composition ‘The Kylemore Magnificat’.

The composition was created as a gift to the world… an expression of thanks to those who have brough this vision to fruition. Over the decades, the vision of establishing a permanent monastery at Kylemore Abbey has been a focus for the community, culminating in the recent completion of their new monastery. "The Kylemore Magnificat" now stands as a symbol of the Community's journey, faith, and the friendships which allowed them to fulfil a century-old vision. 

Sr. Karol O’Connell OSB, co-leader of the Benedictine Community at Kylemore and well-known music teacher, expressed her deep appreciation for Cassidy's work, stating, "Patrick Cassidy has created a piece that resonates with the spiritual and natural beauty of Kylemore Abbey. 'The Kylemore Magnificat' serves not only as a reflection of our gratitude but also a marker of this wonderful occasion, an occasion that celebrates the prayerful resilience and belief demonstrated by the Benedictine Community today and the many generations of our community who have gone before us.

This piece of music, composed and based on mode VI of the Gregorian chant is like a golden melodic thread that draws together the ancient and the new, indeed fitting for any Benedictine. How privileged we are to sing this beautiful setting of the Magnificat." 

The piece was performed for the first time on August 17th by the fifteen members of the Benedictine Community in the Monastic Church at Kylemore Abbey as part of a Mass and Blessing of the new monastery by the Archbishop of Tuam, Rev. Francis Duffy.

Attended by friends and supporters of the Benedictine Community, this significant day, which serendipitously fell on the Feast Day of our Lady of Knock, was the ideal opportunity to share this beautiful composition for the first time. The Benedictine nuns look forward to continuing to share this moving composition with the wider world, offering a musical experience that shares the ethereal serenity of Kylemore Abbey globally. 

A recording of "The Kylemore Magnificat", Directed by David Harris was recorded at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles with Christopher Bull on The Great Organs of First Church with vocalists Laurel Irene (Soloist), Molly Pease, and Tiffany Ho, and is now available for streaming through major music platforms.