The Sligo Early Music Festival epitomises many of the challenges facing early music in Ireland. Much progress has been made in recent years, partly because of amateur organisations such as the Sligo Early Music Ensemble. Yet amateurs' aspirations do not always blend with those of professionals, and vice versa.

The concert given on Sunday evening in Calry Church could have held its head up anywhere. (Saturday's events were reviewed yesterday.) Marjolijn van Roon (recorders), Maaike Roelofs (cello) and Malcolm Proud (harpsichord) are the members of Ensemble Mirac. They played Baroque music plus several solo-recorder pieces written in the last 25 years.

A different category of concert was on offer on Sunday lunchtime. Ensemble Arion is a newly-formed, Dublin-based group of five players, some fully-fledged professionals, others students in their early careers. Given the inevitable mix of abilities and experience, their lively, muscular performances in an all-Telemann programme were encouraging.

In the late-night concert, songs and lute music by Dowland were heard as the audience tucked into one of the buffet meals which are a satisfying feature of this festival. Laurence Cummings is a professional harpsichordist, but on this occasion he was moonlighting as a countertenor. His voice was pleasing, but not as secure as his keyboard playing had been earlier that day. The highlight of this event was the shapely lute playing of young Richard Sweeney.

This festival's mix of professional, amateur and student concerts, workshops and discussion groups can be stimulating. But it also needs categorisation, both in the design of the programme book and in the timetable. Amateurs and students should mingle with long-established professionals; but it is the latter whose standards should be set up as a target for all to see.