Iarla Ó Lionáird (born ) is an Irish singer and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

. He sings in the traditional sean-nós style. He was a member of the

Afro Celt Sound System Afro Celt Sound System are a European and African 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 ...

and is a member of the Irish-American supergroup

The Gloaming The Gloaming is a contemporary Irish/American music supergroup. Its members are fiddle player Martin Hayes, sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, hardanger fiddle player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, and pianist Thomas Bartlett. Guitarist Denni ...

. He has recorded several solo albums for

Real World Records Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. A majority of the works released on Real World Records feature music recorded at R ...

. He appeared in the 2015 film ''

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

'' singing an

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

version of the Irish song "Casadh an tSúgáin".

Early life

Ó Lionáird was born and raised in Baile Mhúirne in the West Cork Gaeltacht, a primarily Irish-speaking region. His father was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and his mother and grandmother were singers in the traditional sean-nós style. Elizabeth Cronin, whose singing was recorded by

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...

, was Ó Lionáird's great-aunt. Ó Lionáird was one of twelve children in his family. Ó Lionáird first sang publicly at the age of five, and made his first radio broadcast at seven. At the age of twelve he recorded the traditional song "Aisling Gheal" for Gael Linn Records. He joined

Seán Ó Riada Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971) was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...

's male voice choir Cór Chúil Aodha as a child and sang in the choir, directed after Sean Ó Riada's death by his son Peadar, until he was in his early twenties. Ó Lionáird earned a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

degree at

Carysfort College Our Lady of Mercy College, Carysfort (commonly known as Carysfort College) was a ''College of Education'' in Dublin, Ireland from its foundation in 1877 until its closure in 1988. Educating primary school teachers, and located in a parkland cam ...

in Dublin and was employed as a primary school teacher for seven years before making a career as a singer.

Musical career

Ó Lionáird collaborated with

Tony MacMahon Tony MacMahon (18 April 1939 – 8 October 2021) was an Irish button accordion player and radio and television broadcaster. MacMahon's chief early inspiration, accordionist Joe Cooley, was a frequent caller at the MacMahon home in Ennis, Co. C ...

and Noel Hill on ''Aislingí Ceoil – Music of Dreams'', a live album of traditional Irish music recorded in Dublin in 1993 and released in 1994 by Gael Linn. Ó Lionáird performed three songs in sean-nós style with piano accompaniment. Seeking a way to combine his role as a "culture-bearing" traditional singer with musical creativity in order to "make new music", Ó Lionáird was drawn to

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...

for its "capacity to accept ornate styles of music as part of its matrix". He has said that hearing

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997), also known by his initials NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. Khan was primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devot ...

singing on

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

's album ''

Passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

'' was a "light bulb moment" which made him think that sean-nós could also "inhabit this ambient soundscape". Ó Lionáird wrote to Peter Gabriel asking for a chance to record on Gabriel's

. Gabriel invited him to a "recording week" at his studio, which led to his membership in the

. Ó Lionáird joined the session in July 1995 at which '' Volume 1: Sound Magic'' was recorded. He appeared on the group's five subsequent studio recordings. He also sings on the

album '' OVO''. Ó Lionáird has released three solo albums on the Real World Records label. ''The Seven Steps to Mercy'' (1997) was produced by

Michael Brook Michael Brook (born 1951) is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, music producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores. His collaborations with musicians around the worl ...

. The production incorporated sampled nature sounds Ó Lionáird had recorded himself. The album includes a recording of the fourteen-year old Ó Lionáird singing "Aisling Gheal" in 1978. It was followed in 2005 by ''Invisible Fields'', which Ó Lionáird produced himself, and in 2011 by ''Foxlight'', which was produced by

Leo Abrahams Leo Matthew Abrahams (born 28 November 1977) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with Brian Eno, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina Spektor, Jon Hopkins and Paul Simon. After attending th ...

. His 2000 album ''I Could Read the Sky'', also on Real World Records, is the soundtrack to the 1999

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

of the same name. He sings on '' Áilleacht'', a 2005 album by

Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin is an Irish singer, songwriter, and academic writer from Ireland.Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...

and

Donnacha Dennehy Donnacha Dennehy (born 17 August 1970) is an Irish composer and leader of the Crash Ensemble specializing in contemporary classical music. According to musicologist Bob Gilmore, Dennehy's "high profile of his compositions internationally, togeth ...

, have written works for Ó Lionáird. Bryars first wrote a song arrangement for voice and viols that appeared on the 2005 album ''Invisible Fields''. He went on to write a major work, ''Anáil Dé (The Breath of God)'' for Ó Lionáird and members of the Crash Ensemble. Ó Lionáird suggested the title and the texts for the piece, which is based on a collection of Irish prayers and poems. It was performed for the first time in Dublin in November 2008. Ó Lionáird collaborated with

during Dennehy's research for and composition of ''Grá agus Bás'', a work that "incorporates traditional sean nos singing within a contemporary music idiom". Commissioned by

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

, the work was first performed in Dublin in February 2007 by Ó Lionáird and the Crash Ensemble with Alan Pierson conducting. It had its United States premiere at the Merkin Concert Hall in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in March 2007, in what the New York Times called a "powerful account" of a "magnificently energetic, wildly cacophonous vocal work". Ó Lionáird sang the piece at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in May 2013 in a concert of Dennehy's music with the Crash Ensemble and

Dawn Upshaw Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is an American soprano. She is the recipient of several Grammy Awards and has released a number of Edison Award-winning discs; she performs both opera and art song, and her repertoire spans Baroque to contempo ...

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...

released a CD recording entitled ''Grá Agus Bás'' containing this and other works by Dennehy in May 2011. Along with fiddlers Martin Hayes and

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (born 28 August 1979) is a fiddler, born in Dublin, Ireland, who attended Trinity College Dublin, becoming a scholar in Theoretical Physics (1999) and earning a first-class BA degree (as the top student of his class) in 2001. He is known for d ...

, guitarist Dennis Cahill, and pianist

Doveman Thomas Bartlett (born October 13, 1981), also known as Doveman, is an American pianist, producer, and singer. He has released four solo albums as Doveman, four albums as a member of The Gloaming, duo albums with the composer Nico Muhly and the ...

, Ó Lionáird is a member of

, an Irish-American supergroup whose self-titled first album was released in 2014, winning the Meteor Choice Music Prize for Irish album of the year. From September 2016 Ó Lionáird appeared in The Hunger, an opera by

about the Great Famine.

Other work

In 2013,

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

appointed Ó Lionáird the School of Music and Theatre's first Traditional Artist in Residence. In that capacity he gave lectures and taught sean-nós singing, as well as performing. Ó Lionáird appears in the 2015 film ''

''. He has said that he was reluctant to take the role "because I'm not an actor" but that he decided to accept when he learned that

Colm Tóibín Colm Tóibín ( , ; born 30 May 1955) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, critic, playwright and poet. His first novel, ''The South (novel), The South'', was published in 1990. ''The Blackwater Lightship'' was short ...

, the author of the novel on which the film was based, had asked the film's director to ask him. Ó Lionáird plays Frankie Doran, a poor workingman who sings the traditional song "Casadh an tSúgáin" (Twisting the Rope) during Christmas dinner at a soup kitchen. In May 2015, Ó Lionáird hosted a five-part radio documentary series about singing entitled ''Vocal Chords'', which drew on "personal experience, academic contributions and a global cast of vocalists" including

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

and

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...

Personal life

Ó Lionáird earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

from the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

in 2003. He lives in

Inistioge Inistioge (; ) is a small village in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Historically, its name has been spelt as Ennistioge, Ennisteage, and in other ways. The village is situated on the River Nore, southeast of Kilkenny. Inistioge ...

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

with his wife Eimear and their three children.

Discography

Solo albums

* ''The Seven Steps To Mercy'', September 1997 * '' I Could Read the Sky (soundtrack)'', June 2000 * ''Invisible Fields'', August 2005 * ''Foxlight'', September 2011

Albums With The Afro Celt Sound System

* '' Volume 1: Sound Magic'' (1996) * '' Volume 2: Release'' (1999) * '' Volume 3: Further in Time'' (2001) * ''

Seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

'' (2003) * '' Pod'' (Remix album) (2004) * '' Volume 5: Anatomic'' (2005) * ''Capture: 1995–2010'' (2010) (compilation)

Other albums

* Tony MacMahon, Iarla Ó Lionáird & Noel Hill – ''Aislingi Ceoil / Music Of Dreams'' (Gael Linn, 1994) * Donnacha Dennehy – ''Grá Agus Bás'' (Nonesuch Records, 2011) * Cork Gamelan Ensemble – ''The Three Forges'' ( Diatribe Records, 2015) *

Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin is an Irish singer, songwriter, and academic writer from Ireland.Áilleacht'' (2005)

References

External links

Official website

Iarla Ó Lionáird at Real World Records

''Vocal Chords'' with Iarla Ó Lionáird

The Gloaming at Real World Records
* {{DEFAULTSORT:OLionaird, Iarla 1964 births 20th-century Irish male singers 21st-century Irish male singers Afro Celt Sound System members The Gloaming members Living people Sean-nós singers Real World Records artists Alumni of Carysfort College Musicians from County Cork People from Inistioge