Maria McCool (born 23 May 1974) ( ga, Maria Nic Cumhaill) is an Irish singer from

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

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 Tyrconne ...

. She is well known for performing old Irish songs in her native Irish and in English. Her albums include ''Ailleog'' and ''Doagh'', on which she

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

such songs as "Ar Éirinn Ní Neosfainn Cé Hí" and "Song For Ireland". She has received numerous awards at

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 ...

festivals in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the UK. In 2007, McCool was married and worked as a national school teacher in Dunshaughlin in

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

. McCool grew up as a member of the choir at St. Mary's church in Gweedore, singing alongside

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 ...

Aoife Ní Fhearraigh Aoife Ní Fhearraigh (), or simply Aoife, is an Irish singer. A well-known interpreter of Irish Gaelic songs, she released her first recording in 1991 and worked with Moya Brennan to produce her much acclaimed 1996 album ''Aoife''. She reached int ...

, Moya Brennan and other members 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 f ...

who are also members. Her music teacher at Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair was Baba Brennan, the mother of Clannad and Enya. McCool took part in the Eurosong competition on '' The Late Late Show'' on 24 February 2012, where she performed "Mistaken", written by

Edele Lynch Edele Claire Christina Edwina Lynch (born 15 December 1979) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is the lead singer of the Irish girl group B*Witched, of which her twin sister Keavy is also a member. In 2013, Lynch wo ...

. She finished in fifth place.

Discography

*''Oíche Chiúin'' (1995) *''Ailleog'' (1997) *''Doagh'' (2009) *''Shenandoah'' (2018)

References

1974 births Living people Irish fiddlers Irish folk singers Musicians from County Donegal People from Gweedore 21st-century Irish singers 21st-century Irish women singers 21st-century violinists {{Ireland-singer-stub