Michael McGlynn is predominantly known around the world for his choral music that reflects the traditional sounds of Ireland. The greater body of his compositions, however, fit into the contemporary choral genre and represent a sizable contribution to the choral music repertoire of Ireland. This essay begins with a discussion of McGlynn's life and work. Extensive interviews and rehearsal comments with the composer regarding compositional process and performance practice were conducted and are included. The musical history of Ireland and details regarding the harmonic and rhythmic language specific to the vocal music of the country are included to provide background information for the reader. Song comparisons from various sources detail the living nature of Ireland's traditional music. The Appendices contain a complete list of McGlynn's works, a discography, IPA pronunciation guides for McGlynn's Irish language compositions, reference scores for all compositions discussed, and programming details about Michael McGlynn's most frequently performed choral compositions.