Na Fianna

Na Fianna are an Irish ballad group, comprising John Walsh, Lee Campion, Ross Hennessy and Damian Walsh. They were the runners-up of second series of RTÉ reality talent show The All Ireland Talent Show in 2009–2010, coming second to Chloe Coyle.

They have toured in The UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. They are now under the management of Darren Farrell and have recently signed a recording contract with Dolphin Music Group. They have further tours planned of Germany and The USA in the summer of 2011.

History

The All Ireland Talent Show

Na Fianna have been playing together since March 2007 and are continuously building on their reputation as great entertaining balladeers. The lads are all highly skilled musicians and powerful singers too. Over the past four years they have travelled and played in many noted venues all over Ireland as they embrace the songs and stories of the past whilst succeeding in making each one their own.

They have toured in The UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. They are now under the management of Darren Farrell and have recently signed a recording contract with Dolphin Music Group. They have further tours planned of Germany and The USA in the summer of 2011.

In 2009, Na Fianna entered the All Ireland Talent Show to rapturous applause. With an average viewing audience of 700,000 people and four live performances on National Television, Na Fianna finished in 2nd Place out of over 6,000 competitors.

This catapulted them onto both a national and international platform, further increasing their ambition for continued achievement.

Since then...

They recorded a live Album and live DVD which will be available online from their website in March 2011. They signed to a new record company Dolphin music group in January 2011 and in February 2011 they released their Debut single "Last One" which is available on iTunes.

Na Fianna are full-time musicians and hope to extend their global audience via a major recording contract with Dolphin music Group and a US Tour in the Autumn of 2011.

Members

John Walsh

John was raised, along with brother Damian, on the songs and stories of their local heritage and when, at the age of fourteen, Damian bought John his first guitar he amazed his family with his instrumental ability and was astounding audiences playing solo by the age of sixteen. In tandem with his musical prowess, his passion for sport has brought success after success. After captaining the all-Ireland 2004 Winners St Kieran's College in hurling, John has since been the recipient of the 2007 Fitzgibbon All-Star Award and has had the great honour of leading his local team as captain throughout 2008 and 2009. He recently ceased playing for the Laois Senior Hurling team to focus on his musical accomplishments with Na Fianna.^[1]

Lee Campion

The youngest of the Na Fianna four, Lee began playing music at the age of six and as a member of the Camross Ceoltas he won many County, Provincial and National titles for his proficiency on the piano accordion whilst touring both at home and abroad. He also played locally with his family band, ’The Celts’. At thirteen, Lee experimented musically with other genres forming a rock band and developing his talent on bass guitar, however his love for traditional music continued. An enthusiast for sports, Lee is involved in soccer, hurling and Gaelic football having played soccer with Kilkenny City and represented Laois in Gaelic football. His cites his greatest sporting achievement though, as winning his local egg and spoon race! His love of sport opened the doors for Na Fianna as it was through this he met the band and joined the line up in 2007 where he has risen to success ever since.^[2]

Ross Hennessy

The only band member from the medieval city of Kilkenny, Ross began singing at an early age and was a leading figure in many school productions. A fluent Irish speaker, he attended Colaiste Pobaile Osrai and maintains his love for the language to this very day. He took to the mandolin and banjo at the age of fourteen and participated with friends in the many music sessions held in Kilkenny. Like the others, Ross is driven by his love for sport and as well as being a Leinster Handball Champion he has won numerous hurling medals with his local Club, James Stephens of which he credits his Uncle, All Ireland Kilkenny Winner Joe Hennessy, as being a major influence. Ross is credited himself as being a founding member of Na Fianna and his contributions to the band ensure its continuing success.^[3]

Damian Walsh

The eldest of the Walsh brothers, Damian hails from Ballinakill in County Laois. He established himself on the music circuit as a founding member of the popular ballad group Uisce Beatha, who he played with for two years, before embarking on a solo career which saw him playing at noted venues across Ireland. An avid sports player, Damian has a keen interest in rugby and Gaelic games, winning a Leinster Senior Hurling Medal with St Kieran's College, Kilkenny and a Leinster Minor Football Medal with Laois. He is also proud to have represented Laois at Senior County level in hurling. Damian recently left his teaching post to concentrate fully on his role within Na Fianna and is enjoying his pursuance of a full time music career.^[4]

Discography

Singles

External links

• http://www.nafiannamusic.com

References