Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the

Irish folk 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. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...

band Altan, which she co-founded with her late husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Today, Mairéad is recognised as a leading exponent in the Donegal fiddle tradition, and she is often considered one of the foremost singers in the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

, her native tongue. She was part of the Irish supergroup

T with the Maggies T with the Maggies are an Irish traditional supergroup from County Donegal, Ireland. The group first performed together in 2007 at a tribute concert to folk singer and guitarist Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, older brother of Triona and Maighread, and ...

who performed in January 2009 at

Temple Bar TradFest TradFest Temple Bar is an annual music and culture festival that takes place in late January in Dublin, Ireland. Founded by the Temple Bar Company, a not-for-profit organisation who work on behalf of businesses in the cultural quarter of Temple ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

their first ever two concerts under that name and who released in October 2010 their debut (and to date only) album. After nearly 22 years with Altan, Mairéad released in February 2009 her debut solo album ''

Imeall ''Imeall'' ( Irish Gaelic for "''Edge''", "''Rim''", "''Threshold''") is Irish musician Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's debut (and to date only) solo album, self-produced on her own label "Moon" and released physically as a (numbered) limited edition i ...

''. After 29 years with Altan, Mairéad released in October 2016 her alternate band

Na Mooneys NA, N.A., Na, nA or n/a may refer to: Chemistry and physics * Sodium, symbol Na, a chemical element * Avogadro constant (''N''A) * Nucleophilic addition, a type of reaction in organic chemistry * Numerical aperture, a number that characterizes a ...

' debut album ''

''.

Background

Ní Mhaonaigh grew up in

Gweedore Gweedore ( ; officially known by its Irish language name, ) is an Irish-speaking district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some from Glasserchoo in the north to Croll ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrcon ...

, on the northwest coast of Ireland. Her father,

Proinsias Ó Maonaigh Proinsias Ó Maonaigh () or Francie Mooney (28 April 1922 – 28 March 2006) was a fiddler from Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair), County Donegal, Ireland. He is known for his distinguished fiddle playing and his unique and vast contribution to Irish musi ...

, who got married in 1954, taught her to play the

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 ...

. She received tuition from fiddler Dinny McLaughlin, who was a frequent visitor to the home when she was young. Ciarán Tourish, who would later join Altan, was also a frequent visitor to the family home and also received tuition from McLaughlin.Robinson Ní Mhaonaigh has two siblings: *Her brother Gearóid Ó Maonaigh was an executive in an office for long years, played guitar for Ragairne (a short-lived band formed by Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy, of which singer

Enya Enya Patricia Brennan (; ga, Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin; born 17 May 1961), known professionally by the mononym Enya, is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician known for modern Celtic music. She is the best-selling Irish solo arti ...

was a member), appeared on the album ''

Ceol Aduaidh ''Ceol Aduaidh'' (Irish Gaelic for "''Music from the North''") is the first studio album by Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (who would go on to found the Irish band Altan), originally released in 1983 on the Gael-Linn Records label. ...

'', and organised the

Frankie Kennedy Winter School Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy ("Frankie Kennedy Winter School") was a traditional music winter school held annually in Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland starting December 1994 in memory of Belfast flautist Frankie Kennedy (from Irish folk mu ...

. *Her younger sister Anna Ní Mhaonaigh was going from job to job, mostly in film and being PA to various TV projects, has contributed backing vocals to several albums and was a member of the (all female) group Macalla.O'Regan She met Frankie Kennedy at a session at age 15. Kennedy was inspired to learn to play and soon became a talented flute player. They married in 1981.

Career

The early 1980s: Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh & Frankie Kennedy duo, Ragairne

One evening, during a session in

(

), fifteen-year-old

player Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, daughter of the session's leader

, met with

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

-born eighteen-year-old Frankie Kennedy during his summer trip to the

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...

. They were attracted to each other, and Kennedy wrote to her regularly after leaving Donegal. Kennedy was advised by a friend that he should learn an instrument if he intended to court Ní Mhaonaigh, and so he got a

whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a lar ...

and taught himself to play. Later he learned the flute, a somewhat louder instrument, so that he could hear himself in sessions. His love for Ní Mhaonaigh coupled with perfectionist tendencies turned him into a well-respected flute player. Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh married in 1981. The new couple continued to play at sessions in Donegal, and this formed the basis for their musical partnership. They made their recording debut on Albert Fry's

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous record in 1979 and later formed a short-lived group called Ragairne which also included Gearóid Ó Maonaigh, Ní Mhaonaigh's brother, on guitar, Donal O'Hanlon from Newry on guitar, vocals and cittern and was rejoined in 1981 by singer Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, later known as

. Joined by

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

player Ciarán Curran and Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, now known as

, on synthesizer, Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh released a recording entitled ''

'' on

Gael-Linn records 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 ...

in 1983. At the time, Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh were earning their living by teaching at St. Oliver Plunkett National School in

Malahide Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of over 17,000. Malahide Castle dates from th ...

, north

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

. But live performances in 1984 and 1985, particularly in the United States, convinced them that there was an audience for "no-compromise traditional music played with heart and drive," and they were persuaded to give up teaching. During this time, the group added guitarist Mark Kelly and released in 1987 a record called '' Altan'', named after a lake in Donegal, although the name Altan wasn't used for the band on that release. ''Altan'' was produced by

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays left-handed guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozai ...

, who subsequently appeared as either a producer or guest musician on every Altan album which followed.

1987–present: Altan

Forsaking their jobs as teachers, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy formed the band Altan during the late 1980s. Kennedy's death from cancer in 1994 put the band's future in question, but she decided to continue at Kennedy's explicit request. As well as her work with Altan, Ní Mhaonaigh over the years has presented traditional music programmes on radio and television, including the radio show, ''The Long Note'' and the television series, ''The Pure Drop''.

2005–present: String Sisters

Ní Mhaonaigh is a member of the fiddle ensemble

String Sisters String Sisters (or The String Sisters) are a folk supergroup made up of six of the world's leading female fiddlers. History Formation In January 1998 at the world-renowned Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, Scotland, Shetland fiddler Catrio ...

active as a band since 2005.

2007–present: T with the Maggies

Ní Mhaonaigh along with friends

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 ...

, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill and

Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is an Irish traditional singer, keyboard player, and composer, considered one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. She is famed for her work with traditional Irish groups such as Skara ...

came together as

in 2007, and released their debut album ''

'' in October 2010.

2007–present: Solo work & solo live performances

In 2007/08, Ní Mhaonaigh recorded ''

'', her debut (studio) album in the home studio of her friend and musician/co-producer

Manus Lunny Manus Lunny (born 1962) is an Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist from County Donegal, Ireland, best known as a member of Celtic supergroup Capercaillie. He is the brother of multi-instrumentalist and producer Dónal Lunny.County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrcon ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. On 28 December 2008, at the Frankie Kennedy Winter Music School in

, Ní Mhaonaigh premiered live some songs from the album in an intimate concert with Lunny. For this occasion, she also released a small number of copies of the album. On 12 February 2009, the album was officially launched in

and released worldwide. Only 3000 physical copies were pressed and made available worldwide from her website. The title is Irish for 'Edge' or 'Threshold' and the album features traditional/folk songs as well as new compositions by Ní Mhaonaigh. Ní Mhaonaigh previously performed two special concerts in January 2008 at the Temple Bar TradFest with long-time friends

, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill and

. It was the second time the four musicians ever performed together. It was also the first time Ní Mhaonaigh performed live some songs from her then yet-to-be (worldwide) released solo album ''Imeall''. For the occasion, she was joined by special guests who spent the last few years recording with her. Since February 2009, Ní Mhaonaigh (fiddle, lead vocals) has toured solo and (mostly) as a trio with Manus Lunny (bouzouki) & James Higgins (percussions). She has also guested a few times with other musicians such as French flutist Sylvain Barou (in June 2013 in

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and in April 2014 in L'Île-d'Yeu, France) and French violinist

Didier Lockwood Didier Lockwood (11 February 1956 – 18 February 2018) was a French violinist. He played in the French rock band Magma in the 1970s, and was known for his use of electric amplification and his experimentation with different sounds on the electri ...

(also in June 2013 in Calais). Mairéad also contributed a track, ''Má Théid Tú Chun Aonaigh'' to the Irish charitable album ''

Ceol Cheann Dubhrann ''Ceol Cheann Dubhrann'' is an album supporting Scoil Naisiúnta Rann na Feirste, a National school and Áislann Rann na Feirste, a community centre in Ranafast in the Gaeltacht of County Donegal, Ireland. The album was recorded, mixed, produced ...

'' which was released in December 2009 to raise funds for two projects in Ranafast, a

area from which Mairéad has collected songs. Mairéad performed live on 28 January 2018 at Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin, Ireland. Along with her daughter Nia Byrne and her long-time fellow friend, neighbour and producer Manus Lunny, she performed live (before a backstage audience) a (39:50) set of tunes and songs on 3 October 2020 at the Cork Opera as part of the Cork Folk Festival. The live performance was filmed and the stream video was made available through the Cork Folk Festival Facebook page. On 17 January 2021, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh announced that "

he'd A contraction is a shortened version of the spoken and written forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters and sounds. In linguistic analysis, contractions should not be confused with crasis, abbreviations ...

been really busy composing music for the An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny, Co Donegal", to be part of this year's Letterkenny Trad Week 2021. The song for the suite she composed is entitled "Ré an tSolais" which means "The Time of Light". ''Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Friends Full Concert'' was held as a live stream on Sunday evening 24 January 2021 (at 8pm GMT) (€10 per household) during Letterkenny Trad Week 2021 at the An Grianán Theatre. Benefits were due to go to Donegal Cancer Flights and Services and Donegal Hospice. On 5 March 2021, Mairead announced that her new music piece "Ré an tSolais" would be broadcast on TG4 as part of a show due to be performed on

St Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

2021 (at 9:30pm GMT). Indeed, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh teamed up with friends for this televised concert on TG4 on 17 March 2021, also called "Ré an tSolais". Along with this new composition, the show featured other new Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh music like "An Grianstad" / "The Halting Sun" (2020) and "Scread na Bealtaine" (2020), and some of her original music pieces. Mairéad was joined by special guests including

Manus Lunny Manus Lunny (born 1962) is an Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist from County Donegal, Ireland, best known as a member of Celtic supergroup Capercaillie. He is the brother of multi-instrumentalist and producer Dónal Lunny.Na Mooneys NA, N.A., Na, nA or n/a may refer to: Chemistry and physics * Sodium, symbol Na, a chemical element * Avogadro constant (''N''A) * Nucleophilic addition, a type of reaction in organic chemistry * Numerical aperture, a number that characterizes a ...

fellow band member) Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, and the Harrigan and McGrory families (as openers).

2013–present: Na Mooneys

On 7 January 2016, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh announced on her Facebook page that the new band called

that she had formed (along with her nephew Ciarán Ó Maonaigh and her siblings Anna Ní Mhaonaigh and Gearóid Ó Maonaigh) two years earlier (during the last

where they performed their first ever show) were in the process of recording their debut family album. On their Facebook page (created on 7 January 2016), the band describe themselves as «a family of musicians & singers from the Donegal Gaeltacht» playing Irish traditional music. On 6 February 2016, the new band Na Mooneys announced that they were just near the end of the recording of their debut album in

Manus Lunny Manus Lunny (born 1962) is an Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist from County Donegal, Ireland, best known as a member of Celtic supergroup Capercaillie. He is the brother of multi-instrumentalist and producer Dónal Lunny. On 4 June 2016, Na Mooneys took part in the "Féile Ceoil" event ("music festival" in Irish Gaelic) in

, Ireland. On 30 June 2016, Na Mooneys announced that they are due to perform on 12 July 2016 at Ionad Cois Locha,

Dún Lúiche Gweedore ( ; officially known by its Irish language name, ) is an Irish-speaking district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some from Glasserchoo in the north to Croll ...

, Ireland, during the Trad Trathnona ("Trad Afternoon"),

's Summer of traditional Sessions (to occur each Tuesday in July & August). On 9 September 2016, Na Mooneys announced that they are due to perform their Dublin debut show on 29 January 2017 at St. Michan's Church during the

. On 19 September 2016, Na Mooneys announced the (then forthcoming) release on 6 October 2016 of ''

'', their debut (eponymous) album «of Irish traditional music and song from the Donegal Gaeltacht», revealed its 15-track list and made available a streaming audio version of the first track from it, "Dónal na Gealaí". The album line-up includes Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh on fiddle & song, Gearóid Ó Maonaigh on guitar, Anna Ní Mhaonaigh on whistle & song and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh on fiddle & octave fiddle with special guests Nia Byrne on fiddle & song, Manus Lunny on bouzouki & keyboards and Caitlín Nic Gabhann on concertina, foot percussion & dance.

2018–present: The SíFiddlers

The SíFiddlers are a group of 13 female Donegal fiddlers including Na Mooneys (indeed, "The SíFiddlers" can be translated from Irish to English as "The She Fiddlers") who first came together in Summer 2018 during the

Earagail Arts Festival The Earagail Arts Festival () is an annual festival which takes place in County Donegal, Ireland, every June or July. The festival began in June 1988. The Festival includes parades, street performances and numerous plays, musical concerts and ...

. Their performance at the festival was a huge success, concluding with upwards of 30 fellow female fiddlers from

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

joining the SíFiddlers on stage for an epic finale celebrating the healthy state of female fiddling in Donegal at present. The 13 members are: # Denise Boyle from

Glenties Glenties () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated where two glens meet, north-west of the Bluestack Mountains, near the confluence of two rivers. Glenties is the largest centre of population in the parish of Iniskeel. Glenties has ...

# Tara Connaghan from Glenties # Liz Doherty from

Buncrana Buncrana ( ; ) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is beside Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula, northwest of Derry and north of Letterkenny. In the 2016 census, the population was 6,785 making it the second most populous town in ...

# Aisling Drost-Byrne from

Glencolmcille ''Gleann Cholm Cille'', anglicised as Glencolumbkille or Glencolmcille, is a small district on the Atlantic coast of southwest County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Named after Saint Colm Cille (Columba), it is also a ...

# Clare Friel (from The Friel Sisters) from Derrynamansher # Claire Gallagher from

Kilcar ''Cill Charthaigh'' (anglicised as Kilcar) is a Gaeltacht village on the R263 regional road in the south west of County Donegal in Ireland. It is also a townland of 233 acres and a civil parish in the historic barony of Banagh. The villa ...

# Brid Harper from Castlefinn # Melanie Houton from Malin # Theresa Kavanagh from

Gortahork Gort an Choirce or Gort a' Choirce (; meaning "oat field"), anglicised as Gortahork, is a village and townland in the northwest of County Donegal, Ireland. It is a Gaeltacht community, where the Irish language is the main language spoken in the a ...

# Eimear McColgan from Malin # Roisin McGrory from

Culdaff Culdaff () is a village on the Inishowen peninsula of County Donegal, Ireland. Known for its beach, it attracts tourists from all over Ireland. , the population was 237. The present village dates back to the 8th century and was originally the ...

# Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh from

Gaoth Dobhair Gweedore ( ; officially known by its Irish language name, ) is an Irish-speaking district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some from Glasserchoo in the north to Croll ...

# Clodagh Warnock from

Moville Moville (; ) is a coastal town located on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal, Ireland, close to the northern tip of the island of Ireland. It is the first coastal town of the Wild Atlantic Way when starting on the northern end. Locatio ...

On 3 September 2019, the Donegal fiddle music band The SíFiddlers announced, via their Facebook page, that they were recording their debut album. On 1 July 2020, The SíFiddlers released (first, on digital format, for download only) their (12-track) debut album, simply entitled ''Donegal Fiddle''. Physical copies were due to be available around the 5 July 2020. Siobhan Peoples (daughter of Tommy Peoples) warmly reviewed the album.

Fall 2022: Irish (& UK) concert tour with Cormac De Barra & Mark Redmond

On 4 September 2022, it was announced that Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (fiddle / vocals) would do a 9-date autumnal Irish (& UK) concert tour from 14 September to 2 October 2022 with harpist

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 ...

(harp / vocals) and piper Mark Redmond (uilleann pipes / flute / whistles) in

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...

Tinahely Tinahely () is a village in County Wicklow in Ireland. It is a market town in the valley of the River Derry, a tributary of the River Slaney. Location and access It is located on the R747 road which links the west Wicklow town of Balting ...

, Baile Mhúirne,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...

(

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Clifden Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...

Belmullet Belmullet (, IPA: �bʲeːlənˠˈwʊɾˠhəd̪ˠ is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of 1,019 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. It is the commercial and cultural heart of the barony of Erris, wh ...

, Newbridge,

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

(€5-€25).

Personal life

Ní Mhaonaigh had a daughter named Nia Byrne (Nia Ní Bheirn) (born on 8 October 2003) with fellow Altan musician Dermot Byrne, whom she married in October 1999. Ní Mhaonaigh and Byrne went separate ways before her first solo album in 2009.

Accolades

Ní Mhaonaigh was named "Donegal Person of the Year" in 2009. Ní Mhaonaigh has been honoured on 14 December 2016 with the 2017 " Gradam Ceoil TG4" award for "Traditional Musician of the Year".

Discography

Solo albums

*2009 ''

As Frankie Kennedy & Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh

*1983 ''

'' *1987 '' Altan''

With Altan

*1989 '' Horse with a Heart'' *1990 ''

The Red Crow ''The Red Crow'' is the second studio album by Altan, released in November 1990 on the Green Linnet Records label. The title track, written by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh also features on her 2008 début album, '' Imeall''. Critical reception ''Th ...

'' *1991 '' Harvest Storm'' *1993 ''

Island Angel ''Island Angel'' is the fourth studio album by Altan, released in 1993 on the Green Linnet label. In 1995, '' Q'' included ''Island Angel'' in its publication "In Our Lifetime: Q's 100 Best Albums 1986–94", a list compiled to celebrate its ...

'' *1996 '' Blackwater'' *1997 ''

Runaway Sunday ''Runaway Sunday'' is the sixth studio album by Altan, released in July 1997 on the Virgin Records label. Track listing All titles arranged by Altan. # "Súil Ghorm" – 2:45 # "John Doherty's Reels" – 2:35 # "Caidé Sin Don Té Sin?" – 3 ...

'' *2000 '' Another Sky'' *2002 ''

The Blue Idol ''The Blue Idol'' is the eighth studio album by Irish traditional music, Irish traditional band Altan (band), Altan, released in February 2002 on the Narada Productions, Narada label. Overview ''The Blue Idol'' features guest artists such as D ...

'' *2005 ''

Local Ground ''Local Ground'' is the ninth studio album by Irish folk music group Altan, released in March 2005 on the Narada label. Recording For the recording of ''Local Ground'', Altan invited a few of their friends in music to play on the album. Form ...

'' *2010 '' 25th Anniversary Celebration'' (a compilation of studio re-recordings of previous material (plus one new song) with orchestral arrangements) *2012 '' Gleann Nimhe - The Poison Glen'' *2015 '' The Widening Gyre'' *2018 '' The Gap of Dreams''

With String Sisters

*2007 ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

'' (CD/DVD)

With T with the Maggies

*2010 ''

With Na Mooneys

*2016 ''

'' *2017 "Soilse na Nollag" (4:26), single released on 17 December 2017 by Na Mooneys and

Manus Lunny Manus Lunny (born 1962) is an Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist from County Donegal, Ireland, best known as a member of Celtic supergroup Capercaillie. He is the brother of multi-instrumentalist and producer Dónal Lunny.Francie Mooney Francie is a given name, often a shortened form of Francis (male) or Frances (female). The name may refer to: People: * Francie Barrett (born 1977), Irish boxer * Francie Bellew (born 1976), Irish Gaelic footballer *Francie Brolly (born 1947), Nor ...

and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (his daughter)

With The SíFiddlers

*2020 ''Donegal Fiddle''

Guest roles

*1991 ''Albert Fry'' (Albert Fry) *1991 ''Fiddle Sticks'' (various artists) *1993 ''The Holy Ground'' ( Mary Black) *1994 ''Lullaby: A Collection'' (various artists - Ní Mhaonaigh sings ''The Cradle Song'', wrongly attributed to Karan Casey) *2001 ''

Little Sparrow ''Little Sparrow'' is the thirty-eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on January 23, 2001, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album and " ...

'' (

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...

) *2001 '' Volume 3: Further in Time'' (

Afro Celt Sound System Afro Celt Sound System is a British musical group who fuse electronic music with traditional Gaelic and West African music. Afro Celt Sound System was formed in 1995 by producer-guitarist Simon Emmerson, and feature a wide range of guest artists ...

) *2008 ''Tráthnóna Beag Aréir'' (Albert Fry) *2008 ''The Original

Transatlantic Sessions Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...

'' DVD (various artists)

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ni Mhaonaigh, Mairead 1959 births 20th-century Irish women singers Living people Irish fiddlers Irish folk singers Irish-language singers Musicians from County Donegal People from Gweedore Altan (band) members T with the Maggies members String Sisters members 21st-century Irish women singers 21st-century violinists