Dónal O'Connor is an Irish multi-instrumentalist, producer and television presenter from Ravensdale, County Louth, Ireland. He is a member of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

-based Irish traditional groups

Ulaid Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...

& At First Light.

Early life

O'Connor was born into an Irish-speaking household. His father is fiddler Gerry O'Connor and his mother was singer and flute player

Eithne Ní Uallacháin Eithne Ní Uallacháin (; 1 January 1957 – 19 May 1999) was an Irish singer, songwriter, and former teacher

(d. 1999). His maternal grandparents were Pádraig Ó hUallacháin, a teacher, writer and song collector, and Eithne bean Uí Uallacháin. His paternal grandmother was fiddler and fiddle teacher Rose O'Connor. O'Connor is also the nephew of singers

Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin Pádraigín Máire Ní Uallacháin () is an Irish singer-songwriter, academic, and former newsreader

and Len Graham.

Career

1996–2005: Lá Lugh to festivals

O'Connor's first recorded fiddle work appeared on ''Brighid's Kiss'' in 1996, an album by Lá Lugh, his parents' group. That year, the album was voted ''Album of the Year'' by

Irish Music Magazine ''Irish Music'' is a monthly music magazine covering folk and traditional Irish music Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional musi ...

readers. In 2001, O'Connor was invited to join Mike McGoldrick, John McSherry and Paul McSherry to launch 'At First Light' VERTCD061 on a tour of Ireland and subsequently at Helsinki Folk Festival, Open House Festival, Return to Camden Town, Copenhagen Irish Festival and Dranouter Folk Festival in Belgium. That year, he produced Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin's ''Laoi Faoi'', which was nominated for the

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

/Réalt Song Contest. In 2003, O'Connor featured on ''

New Irish Hymns ''New Irish Hymns'' (released as ''In Christ Alone: New Hymns for Prayer and Worship'', or for short ''In Christ Alone'' in the US) is the first in a series of themed albums created and produced by Keith Getty. This album features vocalists Mái ...

'' (released as ''In Christ Alone'' in the United States) by

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

Margaret Becker Margaret Becker (born July 17, 1959) is an American Christian rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She has had twenty-one No. 1 Christian radio hits, won four Dove Awards, and been nominated for four Grammy Awards. Biography Becker was born ...

and

Joanne Hogg Joanne Hogg is a Northern Irish musician, best known for her work as the lead singer and songwriter with the Celtic Christian progressive rock and pop band Iona (named after the island Iona). Early life and education Hogg's father is a Presb ...

with compositions by

Keith Getty Julian Keith Getty OBE (born 16 December 1974) is a Northern Irish Christian singer and songwriter, best known for writing the modern hymn "In Christ Alone" in 2001 with veteran songwriter and worship leader Stuart Townend. Getty and his wif ...

and in the summer of that year presented the

BBC Radio Ulster BBC Radio Ulster ( ga, BBC Raidió Uladh) is a Northern Irish radio station owned and operated by BBC Northern Ireland, a division of the BBC. It was established on New Year's Day 1975, replacing what had been an opt-out of BBC Radio 4. It is ...

programme ''Cualán''. O'Connor acted as music teaching consultant on the 2003 film, '' The Boys and Girl from County Clare'', directed by

John Irvin John Irvin (born 7 May 1940) is an English film director. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the BBC adaptation of John le Carré's ''Tinker Tai ...

and starring

Andrea Corr Andrea Jane Corr MBE (born 17 May 1974) is an Irish singer, songwriter, musician and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon ...

Colm Meaney Colm J. Meaney (; ga, Colm Ó Maonaigh; born 30 May 1953) is an Irish actor known for playing Miles O'Brien in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He has guest-starred on many T ...

and

Bernard Hill Bernard Hill (born 17 December 1944) is an English actor. He is well recognized for playing King Théoden in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Captain Edward Smith in ''Titanic'', and Luther Plunkitt, the Warden of San Quentin Prison in the ...

. O'Connor performed with

Neil Martin Neil Martin (born 20 October 1940) is a Scottish former football player, who scored 100 league goals in both Scotland and England and won three full international caps for Scotland in the 1960s and 1970s. Known for his strength, power, bravery ...

's The West Ocean String Quartet on RTÉ's ''The Raw Bar'' in 2004 and with Gerry O'Connor on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

's ''Ceol i gCuideachta'' and on TG4's ''

Geantraí ''Geantraí'' () is an Irish television programme, presenting Irish traditional music. The name derives from ''Geantraí'', one of the three types of Irish music enumerated in the "three noble strains"; ''geantraí'' (joy music), ''suantraí'' ...

''. He again in 2004 featured on Irish-language television station TG4's broadcast of ''Sé Mo Laoch'', that year focussing on the life and work of his paternal grandmother Rose O'Connor. O'Connor appeared on Brian Kennedy's 2004 album ''On Song'' and on Gerry O'Connor's ''Journeyman'', which he also co-produced.

2006–2010: Tripswitch and Six Days in Down

In April 2006, O'Connor released '' Tripswitch'', a collaboration with uilleann piper and

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, ...

co-founder

John McSherry John Patrick McSherry (September 11, 1944April 1, 1996) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1971 until his death. McSherry wore uniform number 9 when he entered the National League, then wore num ...

. Compositions by the duo and collaborators feature Irish, Celtic and Celtiberian musical influences. ''Tripswitch'' was well received by critics, with positive reviews in

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

, The Living Tradition,

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 ...

and

Songlines A songline, also called dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) within the animist belief systems of the Aboriginal cultures of Australia which mark the route followed by localised "creator-beings" in the Dr ...

. O'Connor and McSherry chose the name At First Light for their touring band, performing on TG4's ''

'' (and featuring on the CD/DVD recording of the 2006 series),

RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for th ...

's ''The Late Session'', BBC Radio Ulster's ''Blas'' and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta to promote the album. In Spring 2006, O'Connor presented

's 10-part music series, ''An Stuif Ceart'' and in 2007 appeared on ''Blas Ceoil'' (BBC Two) and BBC Radio Ulster's ''Arts Extra''. In 2008, O'Connor was commissioned to compose

idents Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, particularly in the ...

for BBC Radio Ulster's Irish language department whilst also touring extensively, including performances at

Temple Bar TradFest TradFest Temple Bar is an annual music and culture festival that takes place in late January in Dublin, Ireland. Founded by the Temple Bar Company, a not-for-profit organisation who work on behalf of businesses in the cultural quarter of Temple ...

, Return to Camden Town and William Kennedy International Piping Festival. 2009 saw O'Connor return with at First Light to Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival and World Folk Cultures Festival in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, also performing in Ireland and Paris. In 2010, he released '' Six Days in Down'' with John McSherry and American guitarist Bob Brozman. The trio appeared on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

Late Junction ''Late Junction'' is a music programme broadcast weekly on Friday nights by BBC Radio 3. Billed as "Experimental music for adventurous listeners.", the programme has a wide musical scope. It is not uncommon to hear medieval ballads juxtaposed wit ...

among others to discuss the album. The group performed in the UK an Ireland to promote the album. ''Six Days in Down'' was co-produced by O'Connor and featured traditional singer Stephanie Makem, niece of

Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo ...

. In 2009 O'Connor also performed with at First Light at

The Irish Festival of Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...

, Finland.

2011–present

In 2011, O'Connor was commissioned by

Louth County Council Louth County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Lú) is the authority responsible for local government in County Louth, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and com ...

to compose and record a suite of music. '' Gort na Glaise'' was performed as part of the Drogheda Traditional Music weekend alongside

and Michael McCague in an event also featuring writer and climber

Dermot Somers Dermot Somers (born 1947, Tremane, County Roscommon, Ireland) is an Irish mountaineer, explorer, writer, and broadcaster. He was educated in the Irish-speaking Coláiste Mhuire, Dublin, and graduated from University College Dublin with a BA an ...

. O'Connor was also commissioned that year by The Armagh Pipers Club to arrange and orchestrate a number of traditional tunes to be performed by an

Uilleann pipe 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 ...

orchestra of 45 players. The

orchestrations Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

were performed at the 18th William Kennedy Piping Festival and was recorded by the

Irish Traditional Music Archive The Irish Traditional Music Archive (or ITMA; ga, Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann), operating as a charity, is a "national reference archive and resource centre for the traditional song, instrumental music and dance of Ireland". Focusing on Irish t ...

. O'Connor received a second such commission in 2012. O'Connor produced, arranged and played on

singer Gráinne Holland's debut album, ''Teanga na nGael'', released in August 2011. In Autumn 2011, he released ''

Idir Idir may refer to: People * Ali Idir (born 1966), Algerian judoka * Idir (singer) (1949–2020), Algerian singer-songwriter and musician * Idir Khourta (born 1986), French-born Algerian table tennis player * Idir Ouali (born 1988), French-Alger ...

'', his band's debut album and first release since at First Light took their name to promote O'Connor and McSherry's ''Tripswitch''. The group toured extensively throughout Europe to promote the album, making their third appearance at the Celtic Connections festival. ''Idir'' was released in the United States by

Compass Records Compass Records is an independent record label founded in 1995 by musicians Garry West and Alison Brown that specializes in folk music, folk, bluegrass music, bluegrass, Celtic music, Celtic, jazz, and acoustic music. In 2006, Compass purchased t ...

in 2012. In August 2012, O'Connor produced Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin's album '' LET THE FAIRIES IN'', released on

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

night 2012. He was commissioned to compose the

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

for ''Shalom – Belfast'', a feature film produced which will be broadcast on Israel's Channel 8 in 2012, and will appear at major film festivals. O'Connor and John McSherry are annual performers at

The Soma Festival The Soma Festival ( sa, सोम, or ''sóma'', meaning ''drink of the Gods'', see Soma (drink); ) is an annual music, arts, and cultural festival. The festival includes concerts, musical performances, well-being activities, art exhibitions and ...

Castlewellan Castlewellan () is a small town in County Down, in the south-east of Northern Ireland close to the Irish Sea. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve C ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. In 2015 O'Connor joined longtime collaborator John McSherry and ''

Beoga Beoga ( Irish word for ''vivid'' or ''lively'') are an Irish folk band. They were formed in County Kerry in 2002 at the All-Ireland Fleadh although the original four members of the band hail from County Antrim and County Londonderry in Northern ...

''s Sean Óg Graham to record ''

''. A hefty touring schedule ensued and the trio have since collaborated with Mary Dillon of '' Deanta'', Liam Ó Maonlaí

Hothouse Flowers Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most successf ...

, Ríoghnach Connolly, and

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (born 1978) is a musician and singer from County Kerry, Ireland. Until 2016, she was the lead singer for the traditional music group Danú, and from that year on she has been half of the electronica duo Aeons. Biography ...

formerly of

Danú Danú is an Irish traditional music band. The founding members of Danú (Donnchadh Gough, Dónal Clancy, Daire Bracken, and Benny McCarthy) met in Waterford in Ireland in 1994, and consolidated as a band after performing in the Festival Interc ...

. In 2017 Ulaid & Belfast songster

Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...

joined forces to record a live record 'A Note Let Go'. Charting the story of Belfast through song they occasionally come together to perform live. O'Connor continues to produce records from his Redbox recording Studios in Belfast and also acts as producer and music supervisor on traditional music programmes for broadcasters in Ireland and the UK such as RTE, TG4, BBC NI and BBC Alba.

Discography

;Albums *2017 - A Note Let Go (Ulaid & Duke Special) *2015 -

- (John McSherry,Dónal O'Connor & Seán Óg Graham) *2012 –

(At First Light) *2011 – Gort na Glaise Dónal O'Connor *2008 – Six Days in Down (with Bob Brozman and John McSherry) *2006 – Tripswitch (John McSherry & Dónal O'Connor)

Further credits

;(Co-)Producer *2004 - Journeyman (Gerry O'Connor) *2010 - Beo: Live at Maddens (Various artists) *2010 - About Time (Stevie Dunne) *2012 - Teanga na nGael (Gráinne Holland) *2012 - Let the Faries in (Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin) *2013 - The sun, the moon, the stars... and other moving objects (David Dee Moore) *2013 - Celtic Psalms (Kiran Young Wimberly) *2014 - Bilingua (

Eithne Ní Uallacháin Eithne Ní Uallacháin (; 1 January 1957 – 19 May 1999) was an Irish singer, songwriter, and former teacher

) *2015 - Skorsa : The Riddle of the Earth - (Susan Grace Bates) *2015 - Boy in a Boat - (Barry Kerr) *2015 - Súile - (Clann Mhic Ruairí) *2015 - Crossroads - (Marco Fabri) *2015 - The Northern Concertina - (Jason O'Rourke) *2015 - Gaelré - (Grainne Holland) *2015 - Good Morning to Your Nightcap - (Paul Maguire, Ruadhraí O'Kane, Desy Adams & Ryan O'Donnell) *2015 - Ulaid - (John McSherry, Dónal O'Connor & Seán Óg Graham) *2016 - Clear Skies - (Réalta) *2016 - Tús Nua - (Gatehouse) *2017 - The Fox's Lament - (Martin Meehan) *2017 - A Note Let Go - (Ulaid & Duke Special) *2018 - Autumn Winds - (Niall Hanna) *2018 - Last Night's Joy - (Gerry O'Connor) *2018 - Up She Flew - (Steph Geremia) *2019 - Heather Down the Moor - (Gatehouse) *2019 - A Snapshot in Time - (Paula & Melanie Houton) ;Appearances *1996 - Brighid's Kiss (Lá Lugh) *2003 -

(

) *2004 - On Song ( Brian Kennedy) *2005 - Bye a While (Pádraig Rynne) *2010 - Soma (

) *2017 - Gossamer (Pauline Scanlon) *2018 - Foxglove & Fuscia (Muireann NicAmhlaoibh) *2019 - Swimming the Horses (Gerry O'Beirne) *2020 - Thar Toinn (Muireann NicAmhlaoibh) *2021 - Neadú (Muireann NicAmhlaoibh) Recording/Mixing * 2011 - Réalta – Open the Door for Three * 2012 - The Olllam * 2012 - Oirialla * 2013 - Ronan Le Bars Group – Lammadour * 2016 - Ronan Le Bars Group - An Erc'h Kentañ - The first snow (Coop Breizh) * 2018 - Stevie Dunne - Live at the Crosskeys * 2018 - Music in the Glen * 2019 - The Blackwater Céilí Band - Music in the Valley * 2019 - Joshua Burnside - Live at the Elmwood Hall * 2019 - Bene + Cormac - Wavelength *2020 - Ronan le Bars - Strink Mor

Footnotes

External links

Redbox Recording Studio
atfirstlight.net Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Donal Year of birth missing (living people) Irish folk musicians Folk fiddlers Irish fiddlers Irish record producers Living people Musicians from County Louth People from Dundalk Irish television presenters 21st-century violinists Vertical Records artists