Sinéad Madden (born in

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 ...

, Ireland) is an Irish singer-songwriter and

fiddle player The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/compose ...

, best known as a member of the

Moya Brennan band 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 ...

. She also teaches at Waltons New School of Music in

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 ...

.Staff
Walton's New School of MusicSinéad Madden biog
Moya Brennan's website

Early life

Sinéad Madden was born in County Galway, but moved to

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

aged 6. At the age of 7 she began playing

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

fiddle. As a young adult, Madden went on to study both

classical piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and violin while performing at

sessions Sessions may refer to: * Sessions (surname), a surname * Sessions (clothing company), an American apparel company * Sessions Clock Company, an American clock manufacturer in the early 20th century Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Sessions' ...

in local pubs.Sinéad Madden
MySpace

Introduction to professional music

Sinéad moved to

in 1994 to experience college life and the rock scene in the city at the time. It was in that year that she met Ewan Cowley who had worked with

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 f ...

and

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 ...

. In the summer of 1998, Madden met Moya through Cowley and has been a member of her live band since. Madden has also performed alongside

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

frontman

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...

, Peter Baxter and is also a member of Irish-Australian band Tyrella.

Solo career

As well as recording alongside the aforementioned artists, Madden released her début album, ''Honey Promises'' in May 2009. The album features

and

Cormac de Barra Cormac de Barra is a harpist, singer and television presenter and is part of the Moya Brennan Band. Biography De Barra comes from a family of traditional musicians and singers from Dublin with roots in County Cork. He studied Irish harp with his ...

.Sinéad Madden's upcoming album launch
Northern Skyline Sinead also played live with

Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), a ...

in 2012.

Discography

Solo albums

*2009 – '' Honey Promises''

Moya Brennan

*2003 – ''

Two Horizons ''Two Horizons'' is the fifth solo album by Irish singer Moya Brennan. It is her first full-length release under the name ''Moya Brennan'', as opposed to ''Máire Brennan''. The album was predominantly recorded in her home studio in Dublin and wa ...

'' *2005 – '' Óró - A Live Session'' *2005 – ''

An Irish Christmas ''An Irish Christmas'' is a music album by Irish musician Moya Brennan. According to Moya, the idea for the album first came to her some time ago: "I've been involved in number of other people's Christmas projects in recent years," explains Moya ...

'' *2006 – ''

Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

'' *2007 – '' Signature Special Tour Edition'' *2008 – '' Heart Strings''

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial MySpace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madden, Sinead Living people Irish women singers Irish fiddlers Musicians from County Galway Musicians from County Mayo People from Galway (city) 21st-century violinists Year of birth missing (living people)