Mary McPartlan (8 January 1955 – 6 April 2020) was a traditional Irish singer and musician as well as a music director and producer.

Biography

Mary McPartlan was born in 1955 in

Drumkeeran Drumkeeran () is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland located at the junction of the R280 and R200 roads. It is situated in drumlin hills at the foot of Corry Mountain, just north of Lough Allen. History Throughout at least the 19th and 20th ...

, County Leitrim. She founded folk duo Calypso in the 1970s. McPartlan was also the founder of both the

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

singers club ''An Riabhóg'' and theater company ''Skehana''. She was also the administrator of Galway Youth Theatre. McPartlan worked as a lecturer for

University College Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

. She received a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...

in the City University of New York in 2013. She taught Creative Arts and Theatre. McPartlan also worked as an arts PR and consultant with her own company ''Mac P''. During the 1990s McPartlan worked with

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

to develop the Traditional Irish Music awards, Gradam Ceoil. She worked as a producer and director of musical projects including TG4 music show Flosc, the Arts in Action programme at NUI Galway and the opening of Glór, the national Irish music center in

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, Co Clare. McPartlan toured with the

Druid Theatre The Druid Theatre Company, referred to as Druid, is an Irish theatre company, based in Galway, Ireland. As well as touring extensively across Ireland, the company's productions have played internationally to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the ...

's Seán Tyrell productions of ''The Midnight Court''. In 2004 McPartlan released her debut album ''The Holland Handkerchief'' and followed it in 2008 with ''Petticoat Loose'' and then in 2016 with ''From Mountain To Mountain''. She was awarded the Ireland United States Association (IUSA) Distinguished Alumni Award for her contribution to culture, education and music. McPartlan was married to Paddy Noonan, with whom she had two daughters, Mairéad and Meabh. She was also stepmother to Niamh and David. She died on 6 April 2020 after a long cancer illness.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:McPartlan, Mary 1955 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Irish women singers Traditional musicians People from County Leitrim People from County Galway 21st-century Irish women singers