Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill (; born 1955) is an Irish traditional singer from

Kells, County Meath Kells (; ) is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. Along with other towns in County Meath, it is within the commuter belt for Dublin, and had a population of 6,608 as of the 2022 ce ...

. She is known for her work with the short-lived, but very highly regarded Skara Brae and her collaborations with her sister Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, as well as other traditional musicians. She has recorded and performed with the West Ocean String Quartet (WOSQ). With her sister, Moya Brennan and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, she is part of the Celtic supergroup T with the Maggies, which has released a CD in October 2010.

Background

Ní Dhomhnaill was brought up in Kells. In the 1930s, some Irish-speaking families were relocated to Meath as part of a government scheme to create a new

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

area near

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

). Her father's family were native Irish-speakers from Rann na Feirste, County Donegal and she was therefore brought up speaking the language, along with her sister Tríona and brothers Éamonn,

Mícheál Micheal is a masculine given name. It is sometimes an anglicized form of the Irish names Micheál, Mícheál and Michéal; or the Scottish Gaelic name Mìcheal. It is also a spelling variant of the common masculine given name '' Michael'', and is ...

and Conall. Ní Dhomhnaill comes from one of Ireland's best-known musical families. Her father was a well-known song collector and songwriter and her aunt, Néillí Ní Dhomhnaill, was a collector of traditional songs.

Musical career

Ní Dhomhnaill first came to prominence as a member of Skara Brae. The other members of the group were Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (her brother), Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (her sister) and Dáithí Sproule from Derry. The group's only recording remains a classic. "They were the first traditional songs done to guitars – it was the first time the pop music thing was brought to the Irish language. It would be lovely if people knew where it all started. I pressurised Gael Linn to reissue the album. I was on a mission." The songs on her solo albums are mostly sung in Irish. Mícheál and Triona accompanied her on the albums ''No Dowry'' and 'Idir an da Sholas'. Her first album was issued in 1976 under the name ''Mairéad Ní Dhomhnaill'', but since then she has reverted to the original spelling of her first name, "Maighread". She has also previously used the spelling "Maighréad", but has removed the accented ''e''.

Personal life

Ní Dhomhnaill studied nursing and raised a family, giving up music for a while. She looked after her two children in Dublin, and worked part-time on nights as a theatre nurse in Mount Carmel hospital in Dublin. "I loved theatre," she said. Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill is married to Cathal Goan, the former Director-General of Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

Discography

Solo albums * '' Maighréad Ní Dhomnaill'' (1976) * '' Gan Dhá Phingin Spré (No Dowry)'' (1991) * '' Idir an Dá Sholas'' with Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and Dónal Lunny (1999) * '' Ceol Cheann Dubhrann'' (Various artists, 2009) * '' Ae Fond Kiss '' with the West Ocean String Quartet * '' T with the Maggies'' (2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ni Dhomhnaill, Maighread 1955 births 20th-century Irish women singers 21st-century Irish women singers Irish-language singers Living people Musicians from County Meath Sean-nós singers Skara Brae (band) members T with the Maggies members 1960s in Irish music 1970s in Irish music 1980s in Irish music 1990s in Irish music 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music 2020s in Irish music