Geraldine O’Grady, the internationally renowned classical violinist who was the first woman leader of the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra (now the national symphony orchestra) has died following a long illness.

The Dublin-born musician also performed as a soloist with several American orchestras including the Boston Pops, the Kansas City Philharmonic and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

With her sister, Eily O’Grady, she recorded albums of Irish airs (such as My Favourite Irish Melodies). And during the 1980s, Geraldine and Eily O’Grady toured the United States with Eily’s husband, the tenor, Frank Patterson.

In the 1990s and 2000s, O’Grady performed violin duos and made recordings (such as Heartstrings in Harmony and The Lark in the Clear Air) with her daughter, Oonagh Keogh, violinist with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and director of Ceol na Mara Summer School for Strings in Co Galway.

Many noted composers such as Philip Martin, Brian Boydell, Gerard Victory, John Kinsella and James Wilson wrote works for O’Grady. Throughout her long and illustrious career, she played these classical pieces – alongside the Irish airs that she so valued – accompanied by pianists such as Veronica McSwiney, Margaret O’Sullivan, Philip Martin and Charles Lynch.

Many of these Irish airs were arranged by the Irish composer, teacher and conductor, Thomas C Kelly. These included The Lark in the Clear Air, a recording of which by Geraldine and Eily O’Grady became the signature tune of Ciarán Mac Mathúna’s RTÉ radio programme, Mo Cheoil Thú for 35 years.

[ Noted violinist Geraldine O’Grady dies at age of 93Opens in new window ]

A regular performer on RTÉ television and radio, O’Grady shared her love of violin music with audiences on her own prime time RTÉ One television series, Strings in the Air (1988).

Guests on this show included the Chieftains, John Sheahan and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. She also performed on Frank Patterson’s For Your Pleasure on RTÉ television in the 1970s.

She was also one of the first Irish classical violinist with multi-album recording deal with the EMI/Phillips label. These included Two Sonatas by Ernest John Moeran and Howard Ferguson with Charles Lynch in 1975.