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 6,135 as of the 2016 ...

. She is known for her work with the short-lived, but very highly regarded

Skara Brae Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Consisting of ten clustered houses, made of flagstones, in earthen dams t ...

and her collaborations with her sister

Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is an Irish traditional singer, keyboard player, and composer, considered one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. She is famed for her work with traditional Irish groups such as Skara ...

, as well as other traditional musicians. She has recorded and performed with the West Ocean String Quartet (WOSQ). With her sister,

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 ...

and

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her late husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Today, Mairéad is recognised as a leading exponent ...

, she is part of the Celtic supergroup

T with the Maggies T with the Maggies are an Irish traditional supergroup from County Donegal, Ireland. The group first performed together in 2007 at a tribute concert to folk singer and guitarist Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, older brother of Triona and Maighread, and ...

, 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 ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

area near

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

). Her father's family were native Irish-speakers from

Rann na Feirste Ranafast or Rinnafarset, officially only known by its Irish name Rann na Feirste () is a Gaeltacht village and townland in the Rosses region of northwest County Donegal, Ireland. Name Ranafast, or sometimes Rannafast or Rinnafarset, is the angl ...

, County Donegal and she was therefore brought up speaking the language, along with her sister Tríona and brothers Éamonn, Mícheál 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 Dáithí Sproule (born 23 May 1950) is a guitarist and singer of traditional Irish music. He is the grandson of Frank Carney and uncle of singer Claire Sproule. Biography Born and raised in Derry, Northern Ireland, at the age of 18 he moved t ...

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 A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a government ...

Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...

Discography

Solo albums * '' Maighréad Ní Dhomnaill'' (1976) * '' Gan Dhá Phingin Spré (No Dowry)'' (1991) * ''

Idir an Dá Sholas ''Idir an Dá Sholas'' (''Between the Two Lights'') is a music album by Irish musicians Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and Dónal Lunny. It was released worldwide in 1999. Track listing #"Spanish Lady" #"Liostail Mé le Sáirsi ...

'' with

and

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays left-handed guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozai ...

(1999) * ''

Ceol Cheann Dubhrann ''Ceol Cheann Dubhrann'' is an album supporting Scoil Naisiúnta Rann na Feirste, a National school and Áislann Rann na Feirste, a community centre in Ranafast in the Gaeltacht of County Donegal, Ireland. The album was recorded, mixed, produced ...

'' (Various artists, 2009) * '' Ae Fond Kiss '' with the West Ocean String Quartet * ''

'' (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