Handel's Messiah Premieres in Dublin

April 13, 1742

George Frideric Handel, out of fashion in London and deep in debt, premiered his English-language oratorio at the New Music Hall on Fishamble Street. Dublin's audience was rapturous; ladies had been asked to leave their hoops at home to fit more listeners in. The 'Hallelujah' chorus would outlast every opera he ever wrote.