To play the uilleann pipes, the musician works a bellows with their elbow. The movement is discreet, allowing the melody to unfold without the player having to blow into the instrument. On Friday 13 November 2026, musician Muireann Ní Shé will bring the sound of these Irish pipes to Antalya, Türkiye, during a cultural evening organised alongside COP31.
Why Ireland is holding a concert at COP31
A cultural evening at the European Union and Irish Presidency pavilion
Entitled The World Is Indeed Beautiful, the evening was announced by RTÉ on 11 November. RTÉ lyric fm is presenting it with the Irish government department responsible for climate, while Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The concert will take place in the EU and Irish Presidency pavilion, alongside the negotiations. For the organisers, music is a way of speaking about our connection to the natural world.
The announced line-up includes cellist Ailbhe McDonagh and violinist Lynda O’Connor, alongside Piaras Ó Lorcáin on vocals, guitar and bouzouki, and Becky Ní Éallaithe, who combines singing, concertina and dance. Muireann Ní Shé plays the uilleann pipes and sings. One of the evening’s interests lies in bringing classical strings together with traditional instruments, offering the chance to hear several musical traditions practised in Ireland today.
How the elbow shapes the sound of the Irish pipes
A bellows that fills the bag while the fingers play
The elbow works the bellows, sending air into the bag. The other arm maintains the pressure, while the fingers play the melody on the pipe known as the chanter. For anyone discovering the instrument, the easiest way to understand it is to watch what the arms do as the fingers move through the notes. Our guide to the Irish pipes looks at the instrument’s different parts.
UNESCO inscribed uilleann piping on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. The recognition covers the skill and its transmission, notably from musician to student. It is a tradition best understood as much by watching someone play up close as by listening to a recording.
How to listen to the concert or discover the uilleann pipes in Ireland
An upcoming broadcast and an address in Dublin
RTÉ lyric fm plans to record the Antalya evening and broadcast it in the following months. The station has not announced a specific date or a live broadcast. In Dublin, the association Na Píobairí Uilleann, based at 15 Henrietta Street, organises gatherings and concerts devoted to this music. Check its calendar before your visit: hearing the instrument in a small venue also makes it possible to follow the movement of the bellows and the work of the fingers—details that are lost on the radio.
