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Máire Breatnach is an Irish
fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...
,
violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regula ...
and
viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...
player. She also sings in Irish on some of her albums. Since the early 1990s, she has recorded five solo albums, participated in many collaborations, and developed didactic material for children, mostly in Irish.


Early life

Born in Dublin, Máire Breatnach obtained a B.A., B.Mus. and M.A. degrees at UCD, in Dublin where she lectured, as she also did in the College of Music, DIT before starting a freelance career as a performing musician. She later obtained a further M.A., in Ethnomusicology, from the
University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...
, and a Ph.D. from
Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...
in 2013.


Music career

Breatnach is best known for her
fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...
playing, and has been a prolific solo player as well as participating in a number of traditional and neo-traditional groups. She sings in Irish on some of her albums, and her composition ''Éist'' was an award-winning single. She has worked with the bands of
Sharon Shannon Sharon Shannon (born 8 June 1968) is an Irish musician, best known for her work with the button accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 debut album, '' Sharon Shannon,'' was the best-selli ...
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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 ...
(of
Clannad Clannad () is an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan. They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history, including ...
), and
Mary Black Mary Black (born 23 May 1955) is an Irish folk singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both traditional folk and modern material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland. Background Mary Black was born into a m ...
, and features on albums by musicians as diverse as
Dolores Keane Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the group De Dannan and has since embarked on a solo career. Background Keane was born in a small village called Sylane (near T ...
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Alan Stivell Alan Stivell (; born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a French, Breton and Celtic musician and singer, songwriter, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specificall ...
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, Matthias Kiebling,
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Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career sta ...
, John Renbourn, and
The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymou ...
. In the mid-1990s, Máire was the original fiddle player in the Bill Whelan-composed stage show ''
Riverdance ''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions ...
'', and subsequent soundtrack album. The show's main theme was performed (and was a huge hit) at the 1992
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pri ...
, representing Ireland. She can be seen and heard playing on the original ''Riverdance'' DVD/VHS, starring
Michael Flatley Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is an Irish-American dancer. He became known for Irish dance shows '' Riverdance'', '' Lord of the Dance'', '' Feet of Flames'', and '' Celtic Tiger Live''. Flatley's shows have played to more than 60 m ...
and Jean Butler. Máire has also played on the Celtic arrangement album '' Final Fantasy IV: Celtic Moon'', and with
Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese composer, musician, and sound producer. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the '' Chrono'', '' Xeno'', ''Shadow Hearts'', and '' Inazuma Eleven'' franchises, among various others. Mitsuda began composing m ...
on the arranged soundtrack to ''
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'', titled '' Creid'', as well as featuring on albums by Chiaki Ishikawa and Mimori Yusa. Her collaboration with Thomas Loefke and Norland Wind is recorded on the CDs ''Norland Wind'', ''Atlantic Driftwood'', ''Northern Isles'' and ''Departures''. Máire's TV and film credits include '' Glenroe'', '' Tinteán'', and ''Voyage'' (part of the ''
Waterways A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...
'' series), all on
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...
; '' A Freezing Summer'' (Japan), ''
Angela Mooney Dies Again ''Angela Mooney Dies Again'' is a 1997 American-Irish film. The executive producer was John Boorman. Cast *Mia Farrow * Patrick Bergin *Brendan Gleeson Production The script was awarded a grant in 1989. Filming took place in July 1996. it was s ...
'', '' In the Name of the Father'', ''
The Secret of Roan Inish ''The Secret of Roan Inish'' is a 1994 independent fantasy-adventure film written and directed by John Sayles. It is based on the 1957 novel ''Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry'', by Rosalie K. Fry. It is centered on the Irish and Orcadian folklor ...
'', '' Rob Roy'' and '' Moondance''.


Writing and academic career

Breatnach has written a traditional/folk music column for the Irish language weekly newspaper '' Anois'' and later for the monthly magazine '' Comhar''. Since 2007, Breatnach has been involved in the preparation of CDs and books to accompany a range of Irish language material aimed at the Naíonra (pre-school) and early-reading age groups. Máire has produced, composed incidental music and performed on a range of instruments for more than 40 titles, as well as narrating many of them. Her first book, ''Vera agus a Veidhlín'', a children's musical story, illustrated by Robert Ballagh, was published in Dublin by
An Gúm An Gúm (, "The Scheme") was an Irish state company tasked with the publication of Irish literature, especially educational materials. The agency is now part of Foras na Gaeilge.
in 2008. In 2013, she was conferred with a Ph.D. by Dublin City University for her study, undertaken in St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, of the acquisition and transmission of
sean-nós singing Sean-nós singing ( , ; Irish for "old style") is unaccompanied traditional Irish vocal music usually performed in the Irish language. Sean-nós singing usually involves very long melodic phrases with highly ornamented and melismatic melod ...
, ''Iomramh Aonair na nAmhrán: Sealbhú agus Seachadadh Thraidisiún an tSean-nóis i gComhthéacsanna ‘Neamhthraidisiúnta’''.''ibid'', Graduate Dissertations 2011-2014
. Retrieved 21 January 2015.


Selected discography


Solo

* ''Angels' Candles'' (1993) * ''The Voyage of Bran'' (1994) * ''Celtic Lovers'' (1997) * ''Angels' Candles/Coinnle na nAingeal'' (1999) * ''Dreams and Visions in Irish Song / Aislingí Ceoil'' (2002) * ''Cranna Ceoil / In Full Measure'' (2009)


Collaborations

* '' Riverdance: Music from the Show'' (1995) * ''Tarraing Téad / Pulling Strings'' (with Cormac De Barra) (2010)


References


External links

*http://www.mairebreatnach.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Breatnach, Maire Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century Irish women singers Irish fiddlers Irish-language singers Alumni of University College Dublin Alumni of the University of Limerick Alumni of Dublin City University 21st-century Irish women singers 21st-century violinists