|
Máire Breatnach
Máire Breatnach () is an Irish fiddle, violin and viola player. She also sings in Irish on some of her albums. Since the early 1990s, she has recorded five solo albums, participated in many collaborations, and developed didactic material for children, mostly in Irish. Early life Born in Dublin, Máire Breatnach obtained a B.A., B.Mus. and M.A. degrees at University College Dublin, in Dublin where she lectured, as she also did in the College of Music, DIT before starting a freelance career as a performing musician. She later obtained a further M.A., in Ethnomusicology, from the University of Limerick, and a PhD from Dublin City University in 2013. Music career Breatnach is best known for her fiddle playing, and has been a prolific solo player as well as participating in a number of traditional and neo-traditional groups. She sings in Irish on some of her albums, and her composition ''Éist'' was an award-winning single. She has worked with the bands of Sharon Shannon, M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maire Breathnach
Marie Bheag Breathnach is an Irish actress. Breathnach played the part of Mo Gilmartin on the Irish language drama, '' Ros na Rún'', from 2002 to 2021. She is a native of Cnoc Leitirmullen, in Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ..., and won the County football final with her local team. She has been an actress since working on a short film by Paul Mercier in 1998. She is now working as a floor manager in Ros na Rún since 2021. She recently worked as a stage manager with An Taibhdhearc with their new play Baile Beag Mór. See also * Breathnach External links Interview: 8 Questions with ... Marie Bheag Breathnach {{DEFAULTSORT:Breathnach, Marie Actresses from County Galway Irish soap opera actresses Living people Year of birth missing (living ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clannad
Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginning as an acoustic folk group mainly performing rearranged traditional Irish songs in Irish, they expanded their sound with original songs in English, vocal harmonies, electronic keyboards, and elements of rock, Celtic, new age, smooth jazz, and Gregorian chant. Initially known as ('Family from Dore'), they shortened their name to Clannad in 1973. By 1979 they had released three albums and toured Europe and the US. From 1980 to 1982 they operated as a six-piece with their sister and niece ( Enya). In 1982, they gained international attention with their single " Theme from ''Harry's Game''". They experimented with new age and pop-influenced sounds in the 1980s and 1990s and their music came to be defined as almost purely Celtic, maki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riverdance
''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Jean Butler, Michael Flatley and the vocal ensemble Anúna. Shortly afterwards, husband and wife production team John McColgan and Moya Doherty expanded it into a stage show, which opened in Dublin on 9 February 1995. As of 2025, the show continues to tour the world. Background Riverdance is rooted in a three-part suite of baroque-influenced traditional music called ''Timedance''. The suite was composed, recorded and performed for the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, which was held in Ireland. At the time, Bill Whelan and Dónal Lunny composed the music, augmenting the Irish folk band Planxty with a rock rhythm section of electric bass and drums and a four-piece horn section. The piece was performed, with accompanying dancers from Dubli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Whelan
William Michael Joseph Whelan (born 22 May 1950) is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, "Riverdance", was a seven-minute piece of original music accompanying a new take on traditional Irish stepdance that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze for Irish traditional music and dance. The corresponding soundtrack album earned him a Grammy. "Riverdance" was released as a single in 1994, credited to "Bill Whelan and Anúna featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra". It reached number one in Ireland for 18 weeks and number nine in the UK. The album of the same title reached number 31 in the album charts in 1995. Whelan has also arranged a symphonic suite version of ''Riverdance'', with its premiere performed by the Ulster Orchestra on BBC Radio 3 in August 2014. A studio recording was released on CD (on the RTÉ lyric fm label) in 2018. Biography Whelan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Chieftains
The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous with traditional Irish music. They are regarded as having helped popularise Irish music around the world. They have won six Grammy Awards during their career and they were given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Some music experts have credited The Chieftains with bringing traditional Irish music to a worldwide audience, so much so that the Irish government awarded them the honorary title of 'Ireland's Musical Ambassadors' in 1989. Name The band's name came from the book ''Death of a Chieftain'' by Irish author John Montague (poet), John Montague. Assisted early on by Garech Browne, they signed with his company Claddagh Records. They needed financial success abroad and succeeded in this. Career Origins Paddy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Renbourn
John Renbourn (8 August 1944 – 26 March 2015) was an English guitarist and songwriter. He was best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence (1967–1973). Several albums were credited to the John Renbourn Group. He worked later in a duo with Stefan Grossman. While most commonly labelled a folk musician, Renbourn's musical tastes and interests took in early music, classical music, jazz, blues and world music. His most influential album, ''Sir John Alot'' (1968), featured his take on tunes from the medieval period. Biography John Renbourn studied classical guitar at school and it was during this period that he was introduced to early music. In the 1950s, along with many others, he was greatly influenced by the musical craze of skiffle and this eventually led him to explore the work of artists such as Lead Belly, Josh White an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999 and he has recorded eleven albums. He gained worldwide attention when his single " When You Say Nothing At All" was featured in the film ''Notting Hill'' and reached number one in several countries. As a solo artist, Keating has sold over 20 million records worldwide alongside the 25 million records with Boyzone. In Australia, he is best known as a judge on '' All Together Now'' (2018), ''The X Factor'' (2010–14), and as a coach on '' The Voice Australia'' (2016, 2025). He has also served as a coach on '' The Voice Kids UK'' (2022–23) and ''The Voice of Germany'' (2023). He hosted a breakfast show on Magic Radio for seven years, ending in July 2024. Keating is active in charity work and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Kennedy (singer)
Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy (born 12 October 1966) is an Irish singer. He scored a number of hit singles and albums in the UK and Ireland during the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 and finished in 10th place. Brian is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy. Career Kennedy made his debut in 1988 as a chorus on the recordings of fellow Northern Ireland singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Kennedy came to prominence as one of Van Morrison's backing singers, appearing on a number of his albums, including '' A Night in San Francisco'', '' Days Like This'', '' The Healing Game'' and '' Back on Top'' and live in concert.Biography Brian Kennedy Around this time, he also scored a minor UK hit album of his own with ''The Great War of Words'' (1990). This album featured the lead single ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozaik, LAPD, and Usher's Island, he has been at the forefront of the renaissance of Irish traditional music for over five decades. In 2025 he was the recipient of the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. Lunny is the brother of musician and producer Manus Lunny. He had a son, Shane, with singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor; Shane was found dead on 7 January 2022, aged 17. Early life Lunny was born on 10 March 1947 in Tullamore. His father Frank was from Enniskillen in County Fermanagh and his mother, Mary Rogers, came from Ranafast in The Rosses in County Donegal; they raised four boys and five girls. The family moved to Newbridge in County Kildare when Dónal was five years old. He attended secondary school at Newbridge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anúna
Anúna (stylized in all caps) is a vocal ensemble formed in Ireland in 1987 by Irish composer Michael McGlynn under the name An Uaithne. Taking the current name in 1991,AllMusic Biography/ref> the group has recorded 18 albums and achieved a high level of international success, including a significant role in ''Riverdance'' from 1994 to 1996. Almost all of their repertoire is composed or arranged by McGlynn. Despite having been based in Ireland since their foundation and providing training to many Irish singers, McGlynn announced in December 2022 that the group would cease public performance in Ireland, while continuing in Northern Ireland and beyond. Musical style The original name of the group, An Uaithne, "is the collective description for the three ancient forms of Irish music ..the Goltraí (song of lament), Geantraí (song of joy) and Suantraí (the lullaby)". McGlynn reconstructed and arranged a substantial amount of early and medieval Irish music, as well as writing o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bryan Adams
Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), singles worldwide, placing him on the list of best-selling music artists. Adams was the most played artist on Canadian radio in the 2010s and has had 25 top-15 singles in Canada and over a dozen in the US, UK, and Australia. Adams released his Bryan Adams (album), eponymous debut album when he was 20 years of age. He rose to fame in North America with the 1983 top ten album ''Cuts Like a Knife''; the album featured its title track and the ballad "Straight from the Heart (Bryan Adams song), Straight from the Heart", which became his first US top-ten hit. His 1984 Canadian and US number one album, ''Reckless (Bryan Adams album), Reckless'' became the first album by a Canadian to be certified diamond in Canada and made him a global star with si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Stivell
Alan Stivell (; born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a Breton people, Breton and Celtic musician and singer, songwriter, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specifically Breton) harp and Celtic music as part of world music. As a Bagpipes, bagpiper and Bombard (music), bombard player, he modernized traditional Breton music and singing in the Breton language. A precursor of Celtic rock, he is inspired by the union of the Celtic nations, Celtic cultures and is a keeper of the Breton culture. Musical career Early life and career beginnings Alan Stivell was born in the Auvergnat town of Riom. His father, Georges Cochevelou, Georges (Jord in Breton) Cochevelou, was a civil servant in the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance, French Ministry of Finance who achieved his dream of recreating a Celtic or Breton people, Breton harp in the small town of Gourin, BrittanyJT Koch (ed). ''Celtic Culture. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
