Cillian Vallely is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

musician, born in

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. He plays

traditional Irish music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

on the

uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their ...

and

low whistle The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Make ...

, and studied at the Armagh Pipers Club with his mother and father, Brian and Eithne, and then with the late Armagh piper Mark Donnelly. His brothers,

Niall Niall is a male given name of Irish origin. The original meaning of the name is unknown, but popular modern sources have suggested that it means "champion" (derived from the Old Irish word ''niadh''),. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early an ...

and Caoimhín, also play traditional music. Since 1999, he has been a member of the band

Lúnasa Lughnasadh or Lughnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called , in gd, Lùnastal, and in gv, ...

with whom he has recorded seven albums. He has also performed and toured with

Riverdance ''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Je ...

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first se ...

, Tim O'Brien & Mary Chapin-Carpenter in The Crossing, New York-based Whirligig, and the Celtic Jazz Collective with Lewis Nash and Peter Washington. In the past couple of years, he has worked on various collaborations between traditional and classical music, along with his brother Niall and the composer Micheal O’Suilleabhain. He has recorded on over 40 albums including ''Callan Bridge'' with his brother Niall, ''On Common Ground'' with Kevin Crawford and various guest spots with Natalie Merchant, Alan Simon’s ''Excalibur'' project with Fairport Convention and Moody Blues, ''GAIA'' with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, and singer Karan Casey. He has recently recorded on two movie soundtracks, ''

Irish Jam ''Irish Jam'' is a 2006 comedy film starring Eddie Griffin. The plot is centered on an African American who wins an Irish public house in a raffle, and has to save the village from the clutches of an evil landlord. Despite the bulk of the film bein ...

'' and ''

The Golden Boys ''The Golden Boys'' is a romantic comedy, set on Cape Cod in 1905, about three 70-year-old retired sea captains who try to lure an attractive middle-aged woman into marriage. Developed under the working title ''Chatham'', the film is an adaptat ...

'' and played uilleann pipes on the BBC’s ''Flight of the Earls'' soundtrack. In January 2014, he played uilleann pipes, low whistle and tin whistle on the

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

album '' High Hopes'', which topped the charts in 14 countries.

Discography

;Solo * ''Raven's Rock'' (BallyO Records, 2016) ;With Lúnasa * ''

The Merry Sisters of Fate ''The Merry Sisters of Fate'' is an album by Irish Celtic band Lúnasa that was released in 2001 on Green Linnet Records. It is the band's third major release, and first with pipe player Cillian Vallely. The record is characterised as particular ...

'' (Green Linnet, 2001) * ''

Redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affini ...

'' (Green Linnet, 2003) * ''

The Kinnitty Sessions ''The Kinnitty Sessions'' is an album by Lúnasa that was released in 2004 on Compass Records. It is their fifth major release, and their first on Compass Records. The album was recorded in Kinnitty Kinnitty () is a village in County Offaly, I ...

'' (Compass Records, 2004) * '' Sé'' (Compass Records, 2006) * '' The Story So Far...'' (Compass Records, 2008) * ''

Lá Nua ''Lá'' (Irish for "Day"; later known as ''Lá Nua'', Irish for "New Day") was an Irish-language daily newspaper based in Belfast. It was the first daily newspaper in Ireland to be published in Irish. ''Lá Nua'' belonged to the Belfast Media Gr ...

'' (Lúnasa Records, 2010) * ''

Lúnasa with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra ''Lúnasa with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra'' is a collaboration album between Irish traditional Celtic music band Lúnasa and the Irish RTÉ Concert Orchestra, recorded in 2012 and released in April 2013 by Lúnasa Records. The collaboration came ...

'' (Lúnasa Records, 2013) ;With others * Aine Minogue: ''To Warm the Winter's Night'' (Evergreen, 1996) * John Whelan: ''Come to Dance'' (Narada, 1999) * Susan McKeown, Robin Spielberg & Aine Minogue: ''Mother'' (North Star, 1999) * Druidstone: ''The Vow'' (North Star, 1999) * Whirligig: ''Spin'' (One-Eight Hundred, 2000) *

Susan McKeown Susan McKeown (born February 6, 1967) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. Early years Susan McKeown was born on February 6, 1967 in Terenure, Dublin, Ireland. She briefly attended the Municipal College of Music, Chatham ...

: ''

Lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

'' (Green Linnet, 2000) * Niall & Cillian Vallely: ''Callan Bridge'' (Crow Valley Music, 2002) * ''Live From The Katharine Cornell Theater: Traditional Irish Music'' (KCT Concerts, 2002) *

Karan Casey Karan Casey (born 1969) is an Irish folk singer, and a former member of the Irish band Solas. She resides in Cork, Ireland. Early years Casey was born in Ballyduff Lower, Kilmeaden, County Waterford, Ireland. Her family encouraged her to si ...

: ''Distant Shore'' (Shanachie Records, 2003) * Alan Simon: ''GAIA'' (BMI, 2003) * ''Live Recordings from the William Kennedy Piping Festival'' (Armagh Pipers Club, 2003) * Patrick Ourceau and Friends: ''Live at Mona's'' (Celtic Grooves, 2004) *

Dale Ann Bradley Dale Ann Bradley is an American bluegrass musician. She is a six-time (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2021) Female Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year, a distinction given by the International Bluegrass Music Association. She has released music b ...

: ''Catch Tomorrow'' (Compass, 2006) * Lunasa & Tim O'Brien: ''Hands Across the Water'' (Compass, 2006) * Alan Simon: ''Excalibur II'' (BMI, 2007) * Armagh Pipers Club: ''40th Anniversary Album'' (Armagh Pipers Club, 2008) * Karan Casey: ''

Ships in the Forest ''Ships in the Forest'' is a studio album by Irish traditional singer Karan Casey, and the first to be released primarily on her own label. The album features much of Casey's live band, as well as her brother-in-law and husband, both members of ...

'' (Compass Records, 2008) * Cillian Vallely & Kevin Crawford: ''On Common Ground'' (BallyO Records, 2009) * Buille: ''Buille 2'' (Crow Valley Music, 2009) * Natalie Merchant: ''

Leave Your Sleep ''Leave Your Sleep'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant. Produced by Merchant and Andres Levin, the double concept album is "a project about childhood" and is a collection of music adapted from 19th and 20th ...

'' (Nonesuch Records, 2010) * Niall Vallely: ''Beyond Words'' (Crow Valley Music, 2012) * Bruce Springsteen: '' High Hopes'' (Columbia Records, 2014) * Caoimhin Vallely: ''Strayaway'' (Caoimhin Vallely, 2016) ;With various artists, including Lúnasa * ''Untamed - Next Generation Celtic'' (Narada, 2001) * ''The Leitrim Equation 1 - Featuring Lúnasa'' (Leitrim County Council, 2009) ;Film soundtracks * ''

'' (2006, various artists) * ''

'' (2008, various artists)

References

External links

Official Lúnasa profileVallely Music homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallely, Cillian Musicians from County Armagh Uilleann pipers from Northern Ireland Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Armagh (city) People educated at St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh Lúnasa (band) members