You may find yourself having ample opportunity to enjoy his name over the course of the next few weeks as the Irish contemporary music scene, of which this composer/innovator/teacher is a hub of virtually unrivalled importance, bubbles to the most exciting of crescendos.

Horizons 2007, the RT�? National Symphony Orchestra's annual new-music-from-Irish-composers concert series, is already in full swing, having brought programmes from Ed Bennett and Grainne Mulvey to the stage at the NCH. These free Tuesday lunchtime concerts, which are each preceded by introductory talks by the composers at 12.30pm, have attracted sizeable audiences and next week's episode, which features Donnacha Dennehy's chosen programme, will undoubtedly draw the largest yet.

Founding Ireland's most innovative contemporary music ensemble will earn one a dedicated following, as Dennehy did in 1997 when, with pianist Andrew Synott and clarinetist Andrew Seaver, he established the now internationally renowned Crash Ensemble. If the marathon day at last year's RT�? Living Music Festival, of which Dennehy was curator, is still a treasured memory for the thousands who attended some or all of the multitude of events that day, it is by virtue of the tireless efforts of the Crash Ensemble.

Dennehy gave me an insight into the theory behind a Crash performance. "One of the missions with Crash has been to present new music, and sometimes some very challenging music, in a way that doesn't turn off somebody who is just interested in the arts in general. We get our audiences because our concerts create the atmosphere of a real show."

Crash also take their enterprises further than the typical composed music concert venue, and have even performed in Dublin's Crawdaddy. "Crash are associated with a certain underground experimental rock and electronica scene so a venue like Crawdaddy isn't such a step out of the ordinary. We had an audience there ranging from 18 to 80."

The ensemble's next outing is already the subject of much excitement. Saturday, 10 February at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College is certainly a date for the diary, when sean-nós singer extraordinaire Iarla �? Lionáird teams up with the Crash team to premiere a new work by Dennehy, entitled "Grá agus Bás". The new work will complete a programme inspired by the sounds of ethnic music billed as Strange Folk, which also comprises pieces by Osvaldo Gollijov, Franghiz AliZadeh and Evan Ziporyn never before performed by the Crash ensemble. "Grá agus Bás" will be the focus when Crash makes its New York debut on 28 March, as invitees of WNYC Radio's New Sounds Live concert series.

As much as New York is an epicentre of musical experimentation, Dennehy has great faith in Ireland's composition scene. As course director to TCD's increasingly popular music technology masters, he has good reason to be positive.

"A part of the problem facing our contemporary scene here comes from Irish culture, which, in a way, doesn't take composed music seriously. The composition scene here is very healthy and is quite like New York in a way in terms of the interaction between different types or artists. This tag of inaccessibility has been put on contemporary music and it's completely overstated. If enough of an event is made out of a performance, the audience is there."

Though Dennehy is clearly a true leader, he never overstates the importance of his own music, which is performed worldwide. He cites John Cage as an icon, "for his benevolence", but there is something of this in Dennehy. John Cage is a good name too. I'm on to something here.