Mary Dillon (born 1964) is an

Irish folk 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 ...

singer from Northern Ireland, known for her work with the traditional band

Déanta Déanta is an Irish traditional music band from Northern Ireland. The name of the band is the Irish word for ''done'' or ''made''. The band was formed in the late 1980s in County Antrim and played until 1997, then regrouped in 2008. The band comp ...

. She launched her solo career in 2010 with the release of an EP entitled ''

Army Dreamers "Army Dreamers" is a 1980 song, the third and final single to be released from the album ''Never for Ever'', by Kate Bush. It was a UK top 20 hit in October 1980. Background "Army Dreamers" was released on 22 September 1980 and peaked at numbe ...

''. She is the sister of singer

Cara Dillon Cara Elizabeth Dillon (born 21 July 1975, in Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish folk singer. In 1995, she joined the folk supergroup Equation and signed a record deal with Warners Music Group. After leaving t ...

Early life

Mary Dillon was born in

Dungiven Dungiven () is a small town, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the main A6 Belfast to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the B ...

, where she still lives with her two children, a son and a daughter. She was raised in a musical household and one of her five siblings is fellow folk singer

. She has never pursued singing as a full-time career and currently works as an English teacher at

St Cecilia's College St Cecilia's College is a secondary school located in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is a Catholic-maintained girls' school with an enrolment of 947 pupils aged 11–18 and is located in the Creggan area of Derry. It has 60 teaching staff. The co ...

in Derry.

Music career

Mary Dillon started singing at an early age and by her mid-teens, she had twice won the All Ireland Singing Competition at

Fleadh Cheoil The Fleadh Cheoil (; meaning "festival of music") is an Irish music festival run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ), a non-profit organisation. The festival includes live music events as well as competition. Each year a single town or city ...

na hÉireann. In the 1990s, she recorded three albums with the Irish traditional band

. In 2010, she released a digital-only EP containing covers of ''

'' by

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

, ''Undone in Sorrow'' by

Ola Belle Reed Ola Belle Reed (August 18, 1916 – August 16, 2002) was an American folk singer, songwriter and banjo player. Early life Reed was born Ola Wave Campbell in the unincorporated town of Grassy Creek, Ashe County, North Carolina, to Arthur Camp ...

and ''

Streets of Philadelphia "Streets of Philadelphia" is a song written and performed by American rock musician Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 film ''Philadelphia'', starring Tom Hanks, an early mainstream film dealing with HIV/AIDS. Released as a single in 1994, the song ...

'' by

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 ...

. In 2012, she joined fellow Irish folk singers

Niamh Parsons Niamh Parsons (born in Dublin, Ireland) is a singer of contemporary and 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. I ...

and Tíona McSherry to form an a cappella group called Sí Van.Irish Masters at Ulster Fleadh 2012
Retrieved 12 November 2012.

Discography

Solo

* ''

'' (EP) (2010) * ''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

'' (Album) (2013)

As a member of Déanta

* ''Déanta'' (1993) * ''Ready for the Storm'' (1994) * ''Whisper of a Secret'' (1997)

Collaborations and guest appearances

* Cara Dillon – ''

'' (2001) * Cara Dillon – ''

Sweet Liberty ''Sweet Liberty'' is a 1986 American comedy film written and directed by Alan Alda, and starring Alda in the lead role, alongside Michael Caine and Michelle Pfeiffer, with support from Bob Hoskins, Lois Chiles, Lise Hilboldt, Lillian Gish, and La ...

'' (2003) * Eamon Friel – ''Waltz of the Years'' (2003) * Various Artists – ''Boys of the Island'' (2005) * Cara Dillon – '' After the Morning'' (2006) * Cara Dillon – ''

The Redcastle Sessions ''The Redcastle Sessions'' is a DVD featuring live performances by folk artist Cara Dillon of songs from her first three solo albums, as well as previously unreleased songs and songs for inclusion on her fourth solo studio album. The DVD was fil ...

'' (2008) * Eamon Friel – ''Smarter'' (2009) * Sullem Voe – ''All Naked Flames'' (2009) *

Krista Detor Krista Detor is a singer-songwriter and pianist from Indiana whose music has been featured on NPR and with Mike Harding on the BBC. Musical career Her second album, ''Mudshow'', established Krista Detor on the world stage. Working with partne ...

– ''Barely'' (2015)

Notes and references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Mary 1964 births Living people Folk musicians from Northern Ireland Women singers from Northern Ireland People from Dungiven Musicians from County Londonderry