(b Templeglantine, Limerick, Dec 19, 1951). Irish composer. His earliest musical studies were accordion and flute lessons. After moving to Dublin in 1969, he studied composition with A.J. Potter at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Subsequent studies were with James Wilson, also at the Royal Irish Academy, and Alun Hoddinott at Cardiff University. After receiving a composer's scholarship from the Arts Council of Ireland in 1982, he was able to devote himself to composition full-time. In 1984 he was elected to Aosdána, Ireland's state-sponsored academy of creative artists. He is the founder of the Ennis Composition Summer School which provides training for young Irish composers. Buckley's compositions are carefully tailored to suit the demands of their performers, resulting in what can be described as a practical musical style. Maynooth Te Deum, written to celebrate the bicentenary of Maynooth University, exemplifies Buckley's approach. The work is scored for a professional symphony orchestra with optional organ, four professional soloists and the combined resources of a large amateur chorus, an amateur chamber chorus and an amateur chorus of male voices. The eight movements of the work fuse the various performance capabilities of the individual ensembles in a variety of musical styles. A rich harmonic palette, vibrant rhythms and the assimilation of aleatoric techniques give Buckley's music a freedom that complements the flamboyant orchestration of works such as the Symphony no.1 and the Organ Concerto. His characteristic blend of lyrical melodies and brittle sonorities can be heard in ...