Niall Vallely is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

musician, born 1970 in Armagh,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. In 1966 his parents, Brian and Eithne Vallely had founded the Armagh Piper's Club, but he chose to learn the

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

instead, from the age of seven. His brother Cillian plays the

uillean pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their ...

and

low whistle The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Make ...

, learning from Mark Donnelly. Another of his brothers, Caoimhin, plays classical piano,

tin 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 ...

and fiddle. In 1990, Vallely founded the group Nomos, which released two albums before breaking up in 2000. In 1992, Vallely completed a degree in 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 ...

. In 1998, Vallely released a solo album of contemporary and traditional tunes from Ireland and Scotland. He also produced and composed the tunes for

Karan Casey Karan Casey (born 1969) is an Irish folk singer, and a former member of the Irish band Solas. She resides in Cork, Ireland. Early years Casey was born in Ballyduff Lower, Kilmeaden, County Waterford, Ireland. Her family encouraged her to si ...

's album for children ''The Seal Maiden''. Niall and Karan married in

Barga Barga may refer to: People * Barga Mongols in the early 20th century Places * Barga (department), Burkina Faso * Barga, Tuscany Barga is a medieval town and ''comune'' of the province of Lucca in Tuscany, central Italy. It is home to around 10, ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 2007. He appears on some of her albums. In 1999, he released his debut solo album, ''Beyond Words'', and in 2003 ''Callan Bridge'' with his brother Cillian on uilleann pipes. Over the past few years Vallely has also been spending a lot of time writing new music. In 2007, he was commissioned by the BBC to compose music for a major TV series, The Flight of the Earls. The resulting piece was then premiered at the Grand Opera House in Belfast as part of the Belfast Festival at Queens and had a subsequent performance at the

Irish College Irish Colleges is the collective name used for approximately 34 centres of education for Irish Catholic clergy and lay people opened on continental Europe in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. History The Colleges were set up to educate Rom ...

Louvain, Belgium Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

, as part of their

Flight of the Earls The Flight of the Earls ( ir, Imeacht na nIarlaí)In Irish, the neutral term ''Imeacht'' is usually used i.e. the ''Departure of the Earls''. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí' and is sometimes seen. took place in Se ...

celebrations. In 2008, he composed an electro-acoustic piece entitled "Rakish" based on the music of travelling piper

Johnny Doran Johnny Doran (1908 – 19 January 1950)Sleeve notes compiled by Jackie Small and published with ''The Bunch of Keys'' audio tape, Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann (CBÉ 001), 1988 was an Irish uilleann piper. Life and family Johnny Doran was bo ...

which was premiered at the William Kennedy Piping Festival in Armagh. Recent commissions have included pieces for cellist Kate Ellis,

Zoë Conway Zoë Conway is an Irish violinist, trained in both classical music and traditional fiddle-playing. She is married to fellow Irish traditional musician John McIntyre. Early life Born in Dundalk in 1981, attended St Louis Secondary School, ...

, and the Vanbrugh String Quartet. In 2004 he formed Buille with his brother Caoimhín Vallely (piano) and guitarist Paul Meehan. They released their debut album in 2005 on the Vertical Records label. They released their second album in 2009, entitled ''Buille 2''. It featured a diverse range of guests including brother Cillian on uilleann pipes, Zoë Conway on fiddle, Cian O’Duill on viola, Kate Ellis on cello, Neil Yates on trumpet and flugelhorn, Ed Boyd and Paul Meehan on guitars and Brian Morrissey on bodhrán, percussion and banjo.

Discography

* 1995 - Áine Uí Cheallaigh - ''Idir Dhá Chomhairle/In Two Minds'' (Gael Linn) * 1995 - Various - ''River of Sound'' (Virgin CD + BBC Video) * 1995 - Nomos - ''I Won't Be Afraid Any More'' (Solid/Grapevine/Green Linnet) * 1997 - Nomos - ''Set You Free'' (Grapevine/Green Linnet) * 1997 - Various - ''Sult, Spirit of the Music'' (Hummingbird) (w. Nomos) * 1998 – ''Gael Force'' DVD (w. Nomos) * 1999 - Niall Vallely - ''Beyond Words'' (Beyond Records) ** 2012 - Niall Vallely - ''Beyond Words'' (Crow Valley Music) * 1999 - Various - ''Mega Celtique'' (w. Nomos) * 1999 - Paddy Keenan - ''na Keen Affair'' (Hot Conya Records) * 2000 - Karan Casey & Friends - ''The Seal Maiden'' (Music for Little People) * 2001 - Various - ''Celtic Christmas, Silver Anniversary Edition'' (

Windham Hill Records Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson (née McGilvray) in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The label wa ...

) * 2001 - ''Lewis Nash & David O'Rourke's Celtic Jazz Collective'' (Mapleshade) * 2001 - Tim O'Brien - ''Two Journeys'' (Howdy Skies/

Sugarhill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

) * 2001 - Karan Casey - ''The Winds Begin to Sing'' ( Shanachie) * 2002 - Niall and Cillian Vallely - ''Callan Bridge'' (Compass Records) * 2002 - Various - ''Live From The Katharine Cornell Theater'' * 2003 - Various - ''Celtic Compass'' (Compass Records) * 2003 - Karan Casey - ''Distant Shore'' (Shanachie/Vertical) * 2003 - Donal Donnelly and Brian Hanlon – Driven * 2004 - Various - ''Masters of the Accordion'' (Arc) * 2004 - Various - ''Very Best of Celtic Christmas'' (Windham Hill) * 2004 - Various - ''Live Recordings From The William Kennedy Piping Festival'' * 2004 - Various - ''Other Voices, Songs from a Room 2'' * 2005 - Karan Casey - ''Chasing the Sun'' (Shanachie) * 2005 - Caoimhín Vallely – ''Strayaway'' * 2005 - Barry Kerr – ''The World Looks Away'' * 2006 – Tejedor – ''Música na Maleta'' (Arís Música) * 2007 - Niall Vallely, Paul Meehan, Caoimhin Vallely - ''Buille'' (Vertical Records/Compass Records) * 2007 - Various - ''Excalibur II: The Celtic Ring'' (EMI) * 2007 - Various - ''Armagh Pipers Club 40th Anniversary'' * 2007 - Various - ''A Christmas Celtic Sojourn Live'' D and DVD* 2008 - Karan Casey – ''Ships in the Forest'' (Compass/Crow Valley Music) * 2008 - Various - ''Anglo International'' * 2009 – Buille – ''Buille 2'' (Crow Valley Music) * 2010 – ''

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 ...

4'' D and DVD(Whirlie Records) * 2010 - Daimh – ''Diversions'' ( Greentrax) * 2011 - ''Highland Sessions'' VD(Whirlie Records)

References

External links

Niall VallelyNiall and Cillian Vallely HomepageWedding in Barga between Niall and Karan (includes video of the whole family playing at the wedding ceremony
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallely, Niall Alumni of University College Cork Alumni of the University of Limerick Folk musicians from Northern Ireland Living people People educated at St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh People from Armagh (city) Musicians from County Armagh 1970 births