) , background = solo_singer , instrument = Vocals, surpeti, shruti box,

Irish whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...

, piano , years_active = 1977 – present , associated_acts = size2shoes

Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin (; 10 December 1950 – 7 November 2018) was an Irish musician, composer, academic and educationalist. Biography Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin was a pianist, composer, recording artist and academic; he held the Pro ...

, website
noirin.love
, origin = Caherconlish,

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

, Ireland , genre = Irish Traditional

Folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

Gregorian Chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

, label = Daisy Discs (Ireland)

Gael Linn Gael Linn (, "Gael-with-us") is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on the promotion of the Irish language and the arts. The organisation's funding includes government and lottery sources. History Gael Linn was founded in Ma ...

(Ireland)
Sounds True Inc. (United States) Nóirín Ní Riain (born 12 June 1951) is an Irish singer, writer, teacher, theologian, and authority on

(plainchant,

plainsong Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgy, liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in La ...

). She is primarily known for spiritual songs, but also sings

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerab ...

, sean-nós and Indian songs. Nóirín plays an Indian harmonium (surpeti),

shruti box A shruti box (sruti box or surpeti) is an instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, that traditionally works on a system of bellows. It is similar to a harmonium and is used to provide a drone in a practice session or concert of In ...

and feadóg (whistle). She was Artist-in-Residence for

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

and

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medi ...

. She performs with her sons

Eoin Eoin (, or ) is an Irish name. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is () and both are closely related to the Welsh . It is also cognate with the Irish . In the Irish language, it is the name used for all Biblical figures known as ''John'' in Engli ...

and

under the name A.M.E.N. and gives workshops about "Sound as a Spiritual Experience".

Biography

Born in Caherconlish,

, Ní Riain began singing lessons at age seven. She later studied music at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...

(UCC), specialising in religious music for post-graduate work. She developed as a performer, focusing particularly on religious, Irish traditional, and international religious music. She has performed extensively worldwide. Notable events include: the International Peace Gathering at Costa Rica to introduce the XIV

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

in 1989, the United Nations summit at Rio de Janeiro 1992, the European Cultural Month at Kraków, Poland 1992, the UN Earth Summit in Copenhagen 1995, The 40th

Eurovision Song Contest 1995 The Eurovision Song Contest 1995 was the 40th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 13 May 1995 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (RTÉ) and presented by ...

, and the World Women Summit in Beijing 1995. She has performed in the Royal Festival Hall with

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...

, with the American composer

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

, with the sons of

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

(

Markus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl� ...

and Simon), with

Paul Winter Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...

at summer and winter solstice concerts in the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, and with the Scola Gregoriana of Notre Dame University, Indiana, where she performed the leading role in ''Anima'', by

Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

. She sang several times in India as a delegate of the Irish government, and performed in war-torn Sarajevo. She was married to the pianist and composer

. The Cork singer and teacher at UCC, Pilib Ó Laoghaire (1910–1976), was a great influence. He persuaded her to become a singer instead of studying law, and taught her Irish traditional sean-nós singing. At UCC, she studied under

Aloys Fleischmann Aloys Fleischmann (13 April 1910 – 21 July 1992) was an Irish composer, musicologist, professor and conductor. Life Fleischmann was born in Munich to Ireland-based German parents. Both were musicians, both graduates of the Royal Academy of Mu ...

and

Seán Ó Riada Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971), was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...

. As a child, Ní Riain often visited Glenstal Abbey in

Murroe Murroe (), officially spelled Moroe, is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. Environs Murroe is located in the north-eastern part of County Limerick, approximately 15 km from Limerick City and close to the County Tipperary border. ...

to listen to the chants of the Benedictine monks. Later she performed and made several recordings with them, under which the trilogy: ''Vox Clamantis in Deserto (Caoineadh na Maighdine)'', ''Vox Populi (Good People All)'' and ''Vox de Nube (A Voice from the Cloud)''. She has a PhD in theology, from

Mary Immaculate College Mary Immaculate College (Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál), also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with the Univ ...

(

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 ...

). Her thesis was
The Specificity of Christian Theosony
', an in-depth study and representation of sounds — primarily vocal sounds — as a means to religious experience from a Christian perspective.Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Department of Theology and Religious Studies. On 29 July 2017, she was ordained as the Rev Nóirín Ní Riain, minister in the One Spirit Inter Faith Seminary Foundation and performs wedding, naming and divorce ceremonies.

Theosony

Discography

Solo albums

* 1978 – ''Seinn Aililiú'', Gael-Linn. * 1980 – ''Caoineadh na Maighdine'', Gael-Linn. * 1982 – ''Darkest Midnight'', Glenstal Records. * 1988 – ''Stór Amhrán'', Ossian Publications Ltd. * 1989 – ''Vox de Nube'', Gael-Linn. * 1990 – ''Nóirín Ní Riain with The Monks of Glenstal Abbey'', CBS Records. * 1993 – ''Soundings'', Ossian Publications Ltd. * 1996 – ''River of Stars'', Audio Book, Sounds True Inc. * 1996 – ''Celtic Soul'', Earth Music Productions. * 1997 – ''Gregorian Chant Experience'', The O'Brian Press Ltd. * 2004 – ''Mystical Ireland'', Sounds True Inc. * 2004 – ''Biscantorat: Sound of the Spirit from Glenstal Abbey'' (CD), Hummingbird Records. * 2004 – ''Biscantorat: Sound of the Spirit from Glenstal Abbey'' (DVD), Hummingbird Records.

Ní Riain & Sons

Nóirín has released two albums with her sons Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin under the name 'Amen'. Ní Riain's sons are also well known as Irish pop band size2shoes. * 2007 – ''Amen'', Nóirín Ní Riain & Sons, The Daisy Label; RMG Chart Entertainment Ltd. * 2008 – ''Celtic Joy'', Nóirín Ní Riain with Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Gemini Sun label; Sounds True Inc., (US release of 'Amen') * 2013 – ''Hearth Sound, Ancient Songs from Ireland and the World'', Nóirín Ní Riain with Owen and Moley Ó Súilleabháin, NNR Recordings. (iTunes)

Guest roles / collaborations

* 1977 – ''Óró Damhnaigh,

, Gael-Linn.'' * 1984 – ''

James Last James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015), also known as Hansi, was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist (Last won the award for "best bassist" in Germany in each of ...

at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Polydor.'' * 1992 – ''Solstice Live, Paul Winter, Earth Music Productions.'' * 1994 – ''Sieben Psalmen, Meditation in Wort und Klang,

Simon Stockhausen Simon Stockhausen (born 5 June 1967) is a German composer. His parents are the artist Mary Bauermeister and the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen; the musician Markus Stockhausen is his half-brother. Life Born in Bergisch Gladbach, Stockhausen ...

, Pater Friedhelm Mennekes, EMI Classics.'' * 1996 – ''Lumen, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, European Song Contest, Virgin Records.'' * 1997 – ''Illumination, Richard Souther, Sony.'' * 1997 – ''Agnes Browne,

Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress and director. Known for often portraying eccentric and distinctive characters, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as no ...

, Hell's Kitchen Films/October Films.'' * 2001 – ''In deiner Nähe, Close to you, Markus Stockhausen, Aktivraum.'' * 2008 – ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

, Various Artists, Independent.''

Albums produced

* 2007 – ''In Praise of Mary, The Cistercian Nuns of St. Mary's Abbey Glencairn, The Daisy Label.''

Bibliography

* ''1985'' – ''The Female Song in the Irish Tradition in: Irish Women, Image and Achievement ed. Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Arlen House, p. 73–84.'' * ''1987'' – ''Im Bim Babaro, Rabhcáin do Leanaí, Children's Songs from the Irish Tradition, The Mercier Press.'' * ''1988'' – ''Stór Amhrán, A Wealth of Songs from the Irish Tradition, Ossian Publications Ltd. (reprint 2007)'' * ''1993'' – ''The nature and classification of traditional religious songs in Irish with a survey of printed and oral sources in: Music in the church, edited by Gerard Gillen & Harry White, Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Irish Academic Press.'' * ''1997'' – ''Gregorian Chant Experience, Sing and Meditate with Nóirín Ní Riain, The O'Brian Press Ltd.'' * ''1998'' – ''Sacred Moments, A Photographic Journey'' by Valerie O'Sullivan, 1998, Veritas Publications, p. 94–97. * ''1999'' – ''The Whoseday Book, A Millennium Journal, page 11.07.2000, The Irish Hospice Foundation.'' * ''1999'' – ''Digging for Sound in the Celtic Tradition, Nóirín Ní Riain, Celtic Threads, Exploring the Wisdom of Our Heritage, edited by Padraigín Clancy, Veritas Publications, p. 119–129.'' * ''2000'' – ''And Deep Things Are Song in Frankie Armstrong: Well-Tuned Women, The Women's Press.'' * ''2001'' – ''The Sound of God in Anáil Dé – The Breath of God (edited by Helen Phelan), Veritas, p. 177–189.'' * ''2005'' – ''Towards a Theology of Listening in Spirituality, Vol.2, No. 62, p. 286–290, Dominican Publications.'' * ''2006'' – ''Bringing It All Back Home: The Retrieval of Gregorian/Plainchant and the Forgotten Sense in: Time oChange (edited by Joseph Putti), Veritas, p. 170–186.'' * ''2009'' – ''The Ear of the Heart: Weaving a Tapestry of Transformative Listening in Song and Story in: Intimacy – Venturing the Uncertainties of the heart, Jungian Odyssey Series Volume I, Spring Journal, Louisiana, USA, p. 9–14.'' * ''2009'' – ''Listen with the Ear of the Heart: An Autobiography, Veritas Publications.'' * ''2011'' – ''Theosony, Towards a Theology of Listening, Columba Press.''

Sources

* ''Alive in God's World. Human Life on Earth and in Heaven as described in the Visions of Joa Bolendas'' (Lindisfarne Books, 1997), p. 21–22. * Mairéid Sullivan: ''Celtic Women in Music. A Celebration of Beauty and Sovereignty'' (Quarry Press, 1999), p. 159–169. * "Spiritual Memories by John O'Regan", in: ''Irish Music Magazine'' vol. 3 no 5 (December 1997/January 1998), p. 84–85. * "The Theology of listening by Michael Walsh", in: ''The Irish Eyes, spring 2006.

References

External links

Official Website
– Nóirín Ní Riain
BBC Religion & Ethics, Christianity. "Theosony: The Sound of God", 27 October 2003.

Radio4, Woman's Hour, December 24, 2004. ''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ni Riain, Noirin 1951 births 20th-century Irish women singers 21st-century Irish women singers Alumni of University College Cork Alumni of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick Alumni of the University of Limerick Folk pianists Harmonium players Irish bloggers 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians Irish-language singers Living people Musicians from County Limerick Sean-nós singers Irish women bloggers Women religious writers 21st-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists