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Cathy Maguire is an accomplished singer, songwriter, model and TV presenter who was born in
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
,
County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, M ...
, Republic of
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, on 11 October 1981. At a young age Maguire became a child star, recording her first album at age twelve. At the request of several listeners, she was invited by
Gerry Ryan Gerard Ryan (4 June 1956 – 30 April 2010) was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). He presented '' The Gerry Ryan Show'' on radio station RTÉ 2fm each weekday morning from 1988 until ...
to perform a live set on his radio program, an opportunity that sparked a career that included numerous TV appearances and production of three albums by the time she was 17.


Education

Maguire attended Redeemer Girls Primary School in Dundalk, County Louth, the school which the three sisters of the internationally renowned band
The Corrs The Corrs are an Irish family band that combine pop rock with traditional Irish themes within their music. The group consists of the Corr siblings, Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Carol ...
attended. She then attended Dun Lughaidh Secondary School, an all-girls Catholic school also attended by The Corr sisters. After her college education, Maguire moved to the United States and went to work in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
as a songwriter. She released an album entitled ''Portrait'' on 17 April 2009, which was reviewed favorably by critics with ''
Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' magazine awarding the album four stars out of five. The album was released by Celtic Collections, the label behind the phenomenally successful ''Celtic Woman''. Three of the album's songs were co-written with Roger Cook, of the well-known song writing duo Cook and Greenaway. Maguire toured extensively with
The High Kings The High Kings is an Irish folk group formed in Dublin in 2008. The band consists of Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden, and Paul O'Brien. As of 2020, the group had released five studio albums, four live albums, and two live DVDs, an ...
, who are also on the Celtic Collection label. She opened for
Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and rel ...
on her Irish 2009 tour. Maguire holds a BA Hons Degree in
Ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...
and is studying for a master's degree. In 2006, Maguire signed to Dublin modeling agency, Morgan, exiting in 2010.


Cyber-bullying controversy

In 2006, Maguire became the victim of trolling by an anonymous blogger. The attacks attracted national media attention and sparked a national discussion on
cyber-bullying Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...
spearheaded by ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
''. Maguire took unprecedented legal action in previously uncharted legal waters and eventually the blog was shut down. Maguire declined to comment publicly when contacted by the Sunday Times and Irish Independent.


Television and film projects

In 2010, Maguire moved to New York City, where she is now based. In 2013, she hosted a music TV presentation, ''Ireland in Song'', which aired on PBS. She was commissioned by a New York film house to co-write a screenplay about traditional Irish music. In 2016, Maguire created and hosted ''The Sunnyside Sessions'' for Irish TV. Filmed in her New York garden, the show featured performances from prominent local music artists. The program launched at a reception hosted by Consul General Barbara Jones at the Irish Consulate in New York City. ''The Sunnyside Sessions'' aired in Ireland and the UK in September 2016. The first live show of ''The Sunnyside Sessions'' was performed on 6 April 2017, at the Irish Arts Center, in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan.


New albums

In December 2012, Maguire signed a deal with long-time mentor and friend, Hall of Fame inductee Cowboy Jack Clement. She recorded an album produced by Clement in his
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
studios. The album was completed in May 2013 and was the last album Clement was to produce. The release date of this album is still unknown. On 19 August 2013, Maguire also launched an Irish album entitled ''Ireland in Song'' in New York City. The album is a companion piece to her PBS TV program of the same name and explores the top ten most famous Irish ballads including unique interpretations of "
Danny Boy "Danny Boy" is a ballad, written by English songwriter Frederic Weatherly in 1913, and set to the traditional Irish melody of " Londonderry Air". History In 1910, in Bath, Somerset, the English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly initial ...
", "
Molly Malone "Molly Malone" (also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City") is a traditional song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become its unofficial anthem. A statue representing Molly Malone was unveiled on Grafton Street by then Lo ...
", and "
Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest ...
". In February 2014, ''Ireland In Song'' was nominated for Best New Irish Album award by The Irish Music Awards USA.


Awards and accolades

In Nov 2013, Maguire was honored by the Louth Society of New York for outstanding ambassadorship of County Louth, Ireland, where she was born. She was subsequently the guest of honor at the 107th Louth Society of New York Dinner, held in NYC and was the youngest recipient of the honor in its one hundred and seventh year history. In 2014, Maguire was named by ''
The Irish Echo ''The Irish Echo'' is a weekly Irish-American newspaper based in Manhattan in the United States. In 2007, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Irish businessman and publisher of the '' Andersonstown News'', purchased the paper. Founded in 1928, it bills i ...
'' in its Top 40 Under 40 Award. This hugely popular event is a celebration of leading Irish and Irish Americans who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields of work before reaching the age of forty. Maguire was also presented with the ''Irish Echo''s People's Choice Award, which was voted on by members of the public, recording a record number of votes in the award's history. In 2015, Maguire was inducted as a member of The Order of St.Patrick by Heritage Publishing upon the launch in Chicago's Irish Heritage Center of The Irish American Tradition. On 17 March 2017, she was invited by
Cardinal Timothy Dolan Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Dolan served as the president of the United S ...
to sing at the official St. Patrick's Day Mass in St. Patrick.s Cathedral. The performance went viral and was viewed over one million times in the following days. The collective views of this performance now number in excess of seven million across social media platforms. In 2017, Maguire curated the musical program for a Memorial Mass for Martin McGuinness, held in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, drawing considerable praise for her rendition of "Only Her Rivers Run Free," which she sang in memory of McGuinness. During the Mass, she also debuted "I See His Blood Upon The Rose," a piece that she had composed to the words of a poem by
Joseph Mary Plunkett Joseph Mary Plunkett (Irish: ''Seosamh Máire Pluincéid''; 21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist, republican, poet, journalist, revolutionary and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Joseph Mary Plunkett married Grace Gif ...
. The piece was written for voice,
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 thei ...
, organ and violin, and was arranged by Dr. Heather Martin Bixler.


References


External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maguire, Cathy 1979 births Living people Irish child singers Irish women singer-songwriters People from Dundalk Musicians from County Louth 21st-century Irish women singers