On this date in 1749, one of George Frideric Handel’s most popular oratorios, “Solomon,” was first performed, at London’s Covent Garden Theater. Little did he dream that, 234 years later, the Irish folk band De Dannan would take his showstopping Act III sinfonia and give it a distinctly Irish twist, as “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (In Galway Bay).” I venture to guess even De Dannan didn’t realize “Solomon” received its debut on St. Patrick’s Day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB8NhXtgG_A

No doubt Handel would have approved. He spent nine months in Ireland in 1742 to raise money for charity. The most performed oratorio in the history of the world, “Messiah,” was introduced in Dublin, at the Great Musick Hall, on Fishamble Street, on April 13, 1742.