THE Irish Chamber Orchestra is certainly managing to deliver a new deal to Irish composers. Its latest premiere, in Limerick last night, was of Raymond Deane's Dekatriad, with follow up performances in Castlebar, Ballinasloe and National Concert Hall in Dublin.

It's the follow ups that are making the difference. RTE scheduled just three concert performances of Irish works for the NSO between January and April (one of which, Ian Wilson's Rich Harbour, had to be postponed until June). The ICO, by contrast, scheduled seven, three of Jerome de Bromhead's Guitar Concerto, as well as the four of the new Deane.

Dekatriad will also he performed in Paris in June as part of L'Imaginaire Irlandais, and a new commission from Gerald Barry, to be premiered later this year, will subsequently go on a seven concert tour of the Netherlands.

Further good news from the Limerick based orchestra is the establishment of a short new summer festival in Killaloe, from Wednesday, July 3rd to Saturday, July 6th. Visiting soloists will be Franco Gulli (violin) and Bruno Giuranna (viola), who will play the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola in the closing concert, and there will also be a concert by the RTE Vanbrugh String Quartet.