Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh

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Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh

Mairéad performing with Altan at Mardis de Plouescat in 2013
Background information
Birth name Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Born (1959-07-26) 26 July 1959
Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland
Genres Irish traditional
Folk
World music
Occupations Singer
fiddler
Years active 1981–present
Labels Own label
Gael Linn
Virgin Records
Green Linnet
Compass Records
Associated acts Altan, T with the Maggies, String Sisters
Website Official website
Notable instruments
Fiddle

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (Irish pronunciation: [ˈmaɾʲed̪ nʲiː ˈwiːn̪i]) (born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish traditional band Altan, which she co-founded with her late husband Frankie Kennedy in 1985.[1] Today, Mairéad is recognised as the leading exponent in the Donegal fiddle style, and she is often considered as one of the foremost singers in the Irish language, her native tongue.[2] After 24 years with Altan, Mairéad released her first solo album Imeall, in 2009, and she was part of the Irish supergroup T with the Maggies, who released an album in 2010.[3]

Background

Ní Mhaonaigh grew up in Gweedore, County Donegal, on the northwest coast of Ireland.

Her father, Francie Mooney, taught her to play the fiddle. She received tuition from fiddler Dinny McLaughlin, who was a frequent visitor to the home when she was young. Ciarán Tourish, who would later join Altan, was also a frequent visitor to the family home and also received tuition from McLaughlin.[4]

Ní Mhaonaigh has two siblings. Her brother Gearóid played guitar for Ragairne (a short-lived band formed by Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy, of which singer Enya was a member), appeared on the album Ceol Aduaidh, and organises the Frankie Kennedy Winter School. Her younger sister Anna has contributed backing vocals to several albums and was a member of the group Macalla.[5]

She met Frankie Kennedy at a session at age 15. Kennedy was inspired to learn to play and soon became a talented flute player. They married in 1981.

Career

Altan

Mairéad with the short-lived band Ragairne on RTÉ television in the 1980s.

Forsaking their jobs as teachers, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy formed the band Altan during the late 1980s. Kennedy's death from cancer in 1994 put the band's future in question, but she decided to continue at Kennedy's explicit request.

As well as her work with Altan, Ní Mhaonaigh over the years has presented traditional music programmes on radio and television, including the radio show, The Long Note and the television series, The Pure Drop.

T with the Maggies & String Sisters

Mairéad along with friends Moya Brennan, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill came together as T with the Maggies in 2007, and released their debut album in October 2010. Ní Mhaonaigh is also a member of the fiddle ensemble, String Sisters.

Solo work

Mairéad performing with her father.

Ní Mhaonaigh's first solo album, Imeall, was released in 2009. It was recorded in 2007/08 and co-produced by Manus Lunny. The title is Irish for 'Edge' or 'Threshold' and features traditional/folk songs as well as new compositions by Ní Mhaonaigh.[6] Ní Mhaonaigh débuted songs from the album on 28 December at the 2008 Frankie Kennedy Winter School in an intimate concert with Lunny and also released a small number of albums. The album was officially launched in Dublin on 12 February 2009. She has only released 3000 physical copies worldwide from her website.[6]

Ní Mhaonaigh also performed two special concerts with long-time friends Moya Brennan and Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill at the Temple Bar TradFest in January 2008, the second time the four musicians performed together. It was the first time she performed songs from her forthcoming album and was joined by special guests who spent the last few years recording with her.[7][8] Mairéad also contributed a track, Má Théid Tú Chun Aonaigh to the Irish charitable album Ceol Cheann Dubhrann which was released in December 2009 to raise funds for two projects in Ranafast, a Gaeltacht area from which Mairéad has collected songs.[9]

Personal life

Ní Mhaonaigh was named Donegal Person of the Year in 2009.[10]

Discography

Solo albums

As Frankie Kennedy & Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh

With Altan

With String Sisters

  • 2007 Live (CD/DVD)

With T with the Maggies

Guest roles

External links

Footnotes

  1. "Altan Biography". Musicianguide.com. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
  2. RTÉ News http://www.rte.ie/tv/thefullset/presenter.html |url= missing title (help). 
  3. "T With The Maggies". The Irish Times. 11 November 2010. 
  4. Robinson
  5. O'Regan
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Official website". Mairead.ie. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
  7. "Folk Superstars to perform for Children". Clannad.org.uk. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
  8. "Temple Bar to come alive: Mairéad, Moya, Maighréad & Tríona in Concert". Clannad.org.uk. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
  9. "Moya Brennan on the songs of Rann na Feirste". Clannad.org.uk. 12 December 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
  10. http://www.inishowennews.com/06ALTAN0263.HTM
  11. T with the Maggies Web Site

References

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