Máiréad Nesbitt

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Máiréad Nesbitt is a celtic music performer, most notably as a fiddler, violinist and vocalist. She is currently the violinist with the touring group Celtic Woman.

She comes from a family with deep musical roots and was a fiddle player since the age of 6. Her musical talent is also influenced by artists like Itzhak Perlman, Liz Carroll, Michael Coleman and Andy McGann, Stephane Grappelli, Country player Alison Krauss and rock performers David Bowie, Sting, U2 and Björk.^{[citation needed]}

Besides being a part of Celtic Woman, Nesbitt has been associated with Celtic music group Coolfin and she was lead fiddle with Lord of the Dance from the premiere in 1996 until 2001. She is also a guest performer for the Bhangra fusion band TDF (The Dhol Foundation), featuring on their latest album Drum-Believable (2005). She provides her fiddle in the ambient "Simply H" and "After the Rain," one of the most exciting and involved songs on the album.

Nesbitt was a former all-Ireland fiddle champion^{[citation needed]}, and she has a long list of accomplishments. She hit her big break in 1996 when Michael Flatley hired her to peform in his new show, she was the lead fiddler for the Lord Of The Dance until 1998. From 1998 until 2001 she toured with Michael Flatley in his 2nd show Feet of Flames. In 2005 she left from touring in Michael Flatley's shows. Later in 2005 she was invited to play the violin in the Celtic Woman performances. She, with her band or her other groups, conducted a number of world tour performances in Europe, USA, Singapore and Japan. She even performed privately for HRH Princess Anne during her visit to Dublin in 2004. She came from Loughmore, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, from a family of musicians. She has four brothers and a sister, all of whom are active in musical career. Her parents, John and Kathleen are well known music teachers. Her mother wrote a book about playing the violin in Irish traditional songs. Her mother, her sister and two of her brothers were also involved in her solo album, Raining Up. The album was released in 2001, and contained a wide variety of styles, including a mix of traditional Irish and Scottish tunes. Some of the notable pieces in that album include "Raining Up", "Bovaglies Plaid", "Captain H", and "The Butterfly".

As a talented musician, she played piano when she was 4 and the violin when she was 6. She also plays other instruments such as flute and the pipes. She started her musical studies in Thurles, and continued her post-graduate studies in Waterford, Cork, and London. Her first professional career was as a violinist with the RTE Concert Orchestra in 1991. In addition to her talent, her captivating smile, her hair and her lively and energetic movements during her performances are winning many hearts among her audiences. The words "energy" and "beauty" fit perfectly for both her music performances and her personality (Ref.[1]). Her fans gave numerous attributes to her, ranging from "angel fiddler", "flying fiddler", "a gift from heaven", "dancing fairy", and many others (Ref.[2]).

Nesbitt's latest performance as a fiddler with the group Celtic Woman – A new Journey, was held at the Slane Castle in Ireland. This performance was aired in Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) in North America in December 2006. She and her Celtic Woman group will be touring the USA in early 2007. in 2006, they did a similar and successful tour program in the USA, promoting the Celtic Woman’s first album from the performance held at the Helix Park theatre, Dublin in 2004.