Éabha McMahon (pronounced ''AY-va'') is an Irish singer and a former member of the ensemble Celtic Woman. In 2020 she began recording music under the name AVA.

Early life

Éabha was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland on 9 December 1990. She is a fluent Irish speaker and was brought up singing and speaking Irish at home in Dublin. English was not spoken at home until Éabha was 6 years old. Éabha attended an Irish speaking primary school. When she was 5 years old, she was inspired by her teachers to become a member of the local Sean Nos choir. Éabha holds a Human Rights degree from

NUI Galway The University of Galway () is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Galway" (UCG) () from 1908 to 1997 and as ...

. She was a member of the musical society at NUI Galway. After graduating, Éabha spent time in Vietnam and Mongolia. There, she worked with Christina Noble and the Christina Noble Children's Foundation.

Career

Éabha began her singing career in 1998 when, at the age of 9, she was chosen by Veritas to record an album for ''Beo go Deo'', a children's book. She then began singing in sean-nós, a traditional style, taught by such singers as

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 ...

, Máire Ní Choilm, Íde Mac Mathúna, and Séamus Mac Mathúna. At the age of 15, Éabha won the under-18 All Ireland Oireachtais final. From age 13 to 17, she was the reigning

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

champion in the Irish music competition Fleadh Ceoil. Between the ages of 14 and 18, she was the

champion in the Fairview Feis Ceoil 5 times. Éabha joined Anúna at the age of 15. In 2008, she recorded the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

holiday special ''Anúna: Christmas Memories'', released that year on DVD and CD. In 2015 she featured as a soloist on the song ''Fill, Fill a Rún'' on the Anúna album ''Revelation''. In 2015, Éabha headlined a sold-out solo show in New York City, in aid of

Kylemore Abbey Kylemore Abbey () is a Benedictines, Benedictine Monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The Abbey was founded for Benedictine nuns who fled Belgium in World War 1. Today, Kylemore Abbe ...

. Luke Kavanagh, a former college classmate of Éabha's, saw a video on YouTube of her singing ''Just Cry'', one of her songs. Luke referred the video to his father David Kavanagh, the then-chairman and chief executive of Celtic Woman Ltd. Éabha was subsequently invited to audition for Celtic Woman. Éabha joined Celtic Woman in July 2015. Éabha replaced

Lisa Lambe Lisa Lambe is an Irish singer, actress, songwriter and folklorist. She was born in Dublin, the youngest in a family of ten children. Acting career Lambe graduated with a degree in acting from Trinity College Dublin. She was nominated for a Bes ...

in the ensemble. She remained in the group until 22 January 2020, when it was announced she was taking a leave to pursue her own projects. In 2020, Eabha began releasing new solo music under the name "AVA." In April, 2021, she released her first album, "Wildflower", on CD and streaming platforms.

Personal life

Éabha married Irish physician John Gaffney in August 2018. On 5 December 2021, Éabha announced that she is expecting her first child, a girl.

Discography

; As AVA * ''Wildflower'' (2021) ; With Anúna * ''Christmas Memories'' (2008) * ''Revelation'' (2015) ; With Celtic Woman *'' Celtic Woman: Destiny'' (2015) *'' Celtic Woman: Voices of Angels'' (2016) *'' Celtic Woman: The Best of Christmas'' (2017) *'' Celtic Woman: Homecoming Live from Ireland'' (2018) *'' Celtic Woman: Ancient Land'' (2018) *'' Celtic Woman: The Magic of Christmas'' (2019)

References

External links

Celtic Woman: ÉabhaÉabha McMahon's WebsiteFacebook artist page for AVA music
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMahon, Eabha Celtic Woman members Living people 1990 births 21st-century Irish singers Musicians from Dublin (city) Irish-language singers 21st-century Irish women singers