UCC honours Cork musician Peadar Ó Riada 

CORK musician and composer Peadar Ó Riada has received an honorary Masters in Music degree at a UCC graduation ceremony this week in honour of his contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over the past 50 years.

Mr Ó Riada has been director of the Irish-language male voice choir Cór Cúil Aodha since the death of his father, Sean Ó Riada, in 1971.

Speaking at UCC this week, Mr Ó Riada recalled being a guest speaker at UCC a few years ago. 

“I said that day, there’s only two things in life I as a 68-year-old have discovered are important,” he said. “One of them is truth. The other is to always treat other people with respect.

“You argue with your friends, but you fight for the ball, not with them personally.”

An accomplished musician, Mr Ó Riada has collaborated with traditional fiddle players Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh in the group Triúr, and broadcasts a weekly traditional music show on Raidió na Gaeltachta.