Upbeat: Dublin secrets

HOWEVER feted at home, Irish composers seem to establish themselves on the Continent faster than in Britain - Gerald Barry is the notable recent example. The point was brought home last month when Opera Theatre Company came to London with a bill of short works that caught the imagination. Where do you find out more about their authors?

For those in the know the source has been the Contemporary Music Centre in Dublin. Now the centre has published a directory, Irish Composers, which makes the vital details immediately available for some 25 of them from both sides of the border, with established figures such as Brian Boydell and Frank Corcoran appearing alongside a majority who were born in the last 40 years. It's available for pounds 5 from the CMC (010 353 661 2105).