Nóirín Ní Riain (born 12 June 1951) is an Irish singer, writer, teacher, theologian, and authority on

Gregorian Chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

(plainchant,

plainsong Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ; ) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text. Plainsong was the exclusive for ...

). She is primarily known for spiritual songs, but also sings

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celts (modern), Celtic people of Northwestern Europe (the modern Celtic nations). It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and ...

, sean-nós and Indian songs. Nóirín plays an Indian harmonium (surpeti),

shruti box A shruti box (sruti box, shrutibox, srutibox or surpeti) is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, that traditionally works on a system of bellows. It is similar to a Indian harmonium, harmonium and is used to prov ...

and

feadóg The tin whistle, also known as the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, a class of instrument which also includes the recorder and Native American flute. A tin whistle player is called a whistl ...

(whistle). She was Artist-in-Residence for

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

and

Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

. She performs with her sons

Eoin Eoin () is a masculine Irish-language given name. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is Eòin () and both are closely related to the Welsh language, Welsh . It is also cognate with the Irish and English John (given name), John. In the Irish language, ...

and

Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin (; 10 December 1950 – 7 November 2018) was an Irish musician, composer, academic and educationalist. Biography Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin was a pianist, composer, recording artist and academic; he held the Pr ...

under the name A.M.E.N. and gives workshops about "Sound as a Spiritual Experience".

Biography

Born in

Caherconlish Caherconlish () is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is in a townland and civil parish of the same name. Location The village of Caherconlish is located 16 km southeast of Limerick City in east County Limerick. It is one half of th ...

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

, Ní Riain began singing lessons at age seven. She later studied music at

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 ...

(UCC), specialising in religious music for post-graduate work. She developed as a performer, focusing particularly on religious, Irish traditional, and international religious music. She has performed extensively worldwide. Notable events include: the International Peace Gathering at Costa Rica to introduce the XIV

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

in 1989, the United Nations summit at Rio de Janeiro 1992, the European Cultural Month at Kraków, Poland 1992, the UN Earth Summit in Copenhagen 1995, The 40th

Eurovision Song Contest 1995 The Eurovision Song Contest 1995 was the 40th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 13 May 1995 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (RTÉ), and presented by ...

, and the World Women Summit in Beijing 1995. She has performed in the Royal Festival Hall with

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 ...

, with the American composer

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

, with the sons of

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

( Markus and Simon), with

Paul Winter Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...

at summer and winter solstice concerts in the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, and with the Scola Gregoriana of Notre Dame University, Indiana, where she performed the leading role in ''Anima'', by

Hildegard von Bingen Hildegard of Bingen OSB (, ; ; 17 September 1179), also known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and as a medical writer and practitioner ...

. She sang several times in India as a delegate of the Irish government, and performed in war-torn Sarajevo. She was married to the pianist and composer

. The Cork singer and teacher at UCC, Pilib Ó Laoghaire (1910–1976), was a great influence. He persuaded her to become a singer instead of studying law, and taught her Irish traditional sean-nós singing. At UCC, she studied under

Aloys Fleischmann Aloys Fleischmann (13 April 1910 – 21 July 1992) was an Irish composer, musicologist, professor and conductor. Early life and education Fleischmann was born in Munich to Ireland-based German parents. Both were musicians, both graduates of the ...

and

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 ...

. As a child, Ní Riain often visited

Glenstal Abbey Glenstal Abbey is a Catholic Church, Catholic Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation located in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. In July 2024, Col ...

Murroe Murroe (), officially spelt Moroe, is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. Environs Murroe is in the north-eastern part of County Limerick, surrounded by the Slieve Felim Mountains. It is around 15 km east of Limerick city and close ...

to listen to the chants of the Benedictine monks. Later she performed and made several recordings with them, under which the trilogy: ''Vox Clamantis in Deserto (Caoineadh na Maighdine)'', ''Vox Populi (Good People All)'' and ''Vox de Nube (A Voice from the Cloud)''. She has a PhD in theology, from

Mary Immaculate College Mary Immaculate College (''Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál''), also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with 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 ...

). Her thesis was
The Specificity of Christian Theosony
', an in-depth study and representation of sounds – primarily vocal sounds – as a means to religious experience from a Christian perspective.Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Department of Theology and Religious Studies. On 29 July 2017, she was ordained as the Rev Nóirín Ní Riain, minister in the One Spirit Inter Faith Seminary Foundation and performs wedding, naming and divorce ceremonies.

Theosony

Discography

Solo albums

* 1978 – ''Seinn Aililiú'', Gael-Linn. * 1980 – ''Caoineadh na Maighdine'', Gael-Linn. * 1982 – ''Darkest Midnight'', Glenstal Records. * 1988 – ''Stór Amhrán'', Ossian Publications Ltd. * 1989 – ''Vox de Nube'', Gael-Linn. * 1990 – ''Nóirín Ní Riain with The Monks of Glenstal Abbey'', CBS Records. * 1993 – ''Soundings'', Ossian Publications Ltd. * 1996 – ''River of Stars'', Audio Book, Sounds True Inc. * 1996 – ''Celtic Soul'', Earth Music Productions. * 1997 – ''Gregorian Chant Experience'', The O'Brian Press Ltd. * 2004 – ''Mystical Ireland'', Sounds True Inc. * 2004 – ''Biscantorat: Sound of the Spirit from Glenstal Abbey'' (CD), Hummingbird Records. * 2004 – ''Biscantorat: Sound of the Spirit from Glenstal Abbey'' (DVD), Hummingbird Records.

Ní Riain & Sons

Nóirín has released two albums with her sons Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin under the name 'Amen'. Ní Riain's sons are also well known as Irish pop band size2shoes. * 2007 – ''Amen'', Nóirín Ní Riain & Sons, The Daisy Label; RMG Chart Entertainment Ltd. * 2008 – ''Celtic Joy'', Nóirín Ní Riain with Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Gemini Sun label; Sounds True Inc., (US release of 'Amen') * 2013 – ''Hearth Sound, Ancient Songs from Ireland and the World'', Nóirín Ní Riain with Owen and Moley Ó Súilleabháin, NNR Recordings. (iTunes)

Guest roles / collaborations

* 1977 – ''Óró Damhnaigh,

, Gael-Linn.'' * 1984 – ''

James Last James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015) was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist, his trademark "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and ...

at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Polydor.'' * 1992 – ''Solstice Live, Paul Winter, Earth Music Productions.'' * 1994 – ''Sieben Psalmen, Meditation in Wort und Klang, Markus &

Simon Stockhausen Simon Stockhausen (born 5 June 1967) is a German composer. His parents are the artist Mary Bauermeister and the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen; the musician Markus Stockhausen is his half-brother. Life Born in Bergisch Gladbach, Stockhausen ...

, Pater Friedhelm Mennekes, EMI Classics.'' * 1996 – ''Lumen, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, European Song Contest, Virgin Records.'' * 1997 – ''Illumination, Richard Souther, Sony.'' * 1997 – ''Agnes Browne,

Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress, director and model. She is best known for playing Morticia Addams in the ''The Addams Family'' and '' The Addams Family Values'', as well as often portraying eccentric and distincti ...

, Hell's Kitchen Films/October Films.'' * 2001 – ''In deiner Nähe, Close to you, Markus Stockhausen, Aktivraum.'' * 2008 – ''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

, Various Artists, Independent.''

Albums produced

* 2007 – ''In Praise of Mary, The Cistercian Nuns of St. Mary's Abbey Glencairn, The Daisy Label.''

Bibliography

* ''1985'' – ''The Female Song in the Irish Tradition in: Irish Women, Image and Achievement ed. Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Arlen House, p. 73–84.'' * ''1987'' – ''Im Bim Babaro, Rabhcáin do Leanaí, Children's Songs from the Irish Tradition, The Mercier Press.'' * ''1988'' – ''Stór Amhrán, A Wealth of Songs from the Irish Tradition, Ossian Publications Ltd. (reprint 2007)'' * ''1993'' – ''The nature and classification of traditional religious songs in Irish with a survey of printed and oral sources in: Music in the church, edited by Gerard Gillen & Harry White, Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Irish Academic Press.'' * ''1997'' – ''Gregorian Chant Experience, Sing and Meditate with Nóirín Ní Riain, The O'Brian Press Ltd.'' * ''1998'' – ''Sacred Moments, A Photographic Journey'' by Valerie O'Sullivan, 1998, Veritas Publications, p. 94–97. * ''1999'' – ''The Whoseday Book, A Millennium Journal, page 11.07.2000, The Irish Hospice Foundation.'' * ''1999'' – ''Digging for Sound in the Celtic Tradition, Nóirín Ní Riain, Celtic Threads, Exploring the Wisdom of Our Heritage, edited by Padraigín Clancy, Veritas Publications, p. 119–129.'' * ''2000'' – ''And Deep Things Are Song in Frankie Armstrong: Well-Tuned Women, The Women's Press.'' * ''2001'' – ''The Sound of God in Anáil Dé – The Breath of God (edited by Helen Phelan), Veritas, p. 177–189.'' * ''2005'' – ''Towards a Theology of Listening in Spirituality, Vol.2, No. 62, p. 286–290, Dominican Publications.'' * ''2006'' – ''Bringing It All Back Home: The Retrieval of Gregorian/Plainchant and the Forgotten Sense in: Time oChange (edited by Joseph Putti), Veritas, p. 170–186.'' * ''2009'' – ''The Ear of the Heart: Weaving a Tapestry of Transformative Listening in Song and Story in: Intimacy – Venturing the Uncertainties of the heart, Jungian Odyssey Series Volume I, Spring Journal, Louisiana, USA, p. 9–14.'' * ''2009'' – ''Listen with the Ear of the Heart: An Autobiography, Veritas Publications.'' * ''2011'' – ''Theosony, Towards a Theology of Listening, Columba Press.''

Sources

* ''Alive in God's World. Human Life on Earth and in Heaven as described in the Visions of Joa Bolendas'' (Lindisfarne Books, 1997), p. 21–22. * Mairéid Sullivan: ''Celtic Women in Music. A Celebration of Beauty and Sovereignty'' (Quarry Press, 1999), p. 159–169. * "Spiritual Memories by John O'Regan", in: ''Irish Music Magazine'' vol. 3 no 5 (December 1997/January 1998), p. 84–85. * "The Theology of listening by Michael Walsh", in: ''The Irish Eyes'', spring 2006.

References

External links

Official Website
– Nóirín Ní Riain
BBC Religion & Ethics, Christianity. "Theosony: The Sound of God", 27 October 2003.

Radio4, Woman's Hour, December 24, 2004. ''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ni Riain, Noirin 1951 births 20th-century Irish women singers 21st-century Irish women singers Alumni of University College Cork Alumni of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick Alumni of the University of Limerick Folk pianists Harmonium players Irish bloggers 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians Irish-language singers Living people Musicians from County Limerick Sean-nós singers Irish women bloggers Women religious writers 21st-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists 1970s in Irish music 1980s in Irish music 1990s in Irish music 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music 2020s in Irish music