Róise Mhic Ghrianna (13 March 1879 – 6 April 1964) was a traditional

Irish-language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenou ...

singer and storyteller.

Early life and family

Róise Mhic Ghrianna was born Róise Ní Cholla in Seascann an Róin, near

Dungloe ''An Clochán Liath'', known in English as Dungloe (sometimes misspelled as Dunglow; ), is a town on the west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It is the main town in The Rosses and the largest in the Donegal ...

, County Donegal on 13 March 1879. She was one of five children of Tomas Ó Colla, farmer, and his wife, Maighréad. Maighréad's father was Seán Hiúdaí Mac an Bhaird, who was a noted musician. Mhic Ghrianna's father died when she was four years old. Her mother married Antain Ó Gallchóir two years later, and the family moved to his home on Árainn Mhór (Arranmore Island). Antain Ó Gallchóir was a butcher and also known as the last great storyteller on the island. The island was Irish-speaking, but her schooling was through English at Scoil na Leidhbe Gairbhe. From age 9, Mhic Ghrianna spent every spring on Inis na gCaorach, harvesting

kelp Kelps are large brown algae or seaweeds that make up the order (biology), order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genus, genera. Despite its appearance and use of photosynthesis in chloroplasts, kelp is technically not a plant but a str ...

and doing housework. After she left school, she worked in Lagán, in Gleann Mornáin, County Tyrone and later on the banks of

Lough Swilly Lough Swilly () in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords ...

for three years all together. Following this she travelled between Ireland and Scotland picking potatoes. Mhic Ghrianna married Séamas Mac Grianna, a local from Árainn Mhór she had known since childhood, when she was 29. From his father, the couple received half of his farm, around three acres on which they built a small cottage. Mhic Ghrianna lived in this house until her death. Her husband worked in Scotland annually from May to December. During this time Mhic Ghrianna kept a small farm, with a donkey and a cow. From 1934, her husband collected the dole, making creels and baskets for extra income.

Singing and storytelling

Mhic Ghrianna was visited by Rev. Cosslett Ó Cuinn in 1940, when he transcribed some of her stories and songs. This recognition gave her some confidence as a traditional singer and

seanchaí A seanchaí ( or ; plural: ) is a traditional Gaelic storyteller or historian, serving as an oral repository. In Scottish Gaelic the word is (; plural: ). The word is often anglicised as shanachie ( ). The word , which was spelled (plural ...

as up to this point her only audience was her husband. Padraig Ua Cnáimhsí, the principal of the school in Árainn Mhór, visited her in 1951 when he transcribed 70 of her songs. He told the

Irish Folklore Commission The Irish Folklore Commission () was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland. History Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Delargy) founded ''An Cumann le Béaloideas Éir ...

and

Radio Éireann Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to ...

about Mhic Ghrianna, who sent Seán Ó hEochaidh and

Proinsias Ó Conluain Proinsias is a given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Proinsias De Rossa (born 1940), Irish Labour Party politician * Proinsias Mac Airt (1922–1992), Irish republican activist * Proinsias Mac an Bheatha (1910–1990), Iris ...

respectively. Ó Conluain's recordings of her from 1953 were broadcast on Radio Éireann in a programme about Mhic Ghrianna's life. She was also visited by

Séamus Ennis Séamus Ennis (; 5 May 1919 – 5 October 1982) was an Irish musician, singer and Irish music collector. He was most noted for his uilleann pipe playing and was partly responsible for the revival of the instrument during the twentieth centur ...

when he was working for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

folklore commission in the 1950s.

Legacy

Mhic Ghrianna died 6 April 1964. The Ó Conluain recordings from 1953 were later edited by Cathal Goan. The resulting work was released as an album by RTÉ with an accompanying booklet called ''Róise na nAmhrán: songs of a Donegal woman''. Ua Cnáimhsí wrote her life story, ''Róise Rua'', which was published in 1983. The book won a prize at the 1983

Oireachtas na Gaeilge Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, "The Irish (language) Gathering") is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish langua ...

in Dublin. In 2025, Mhic Ghrianna was inducted into the

RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards The RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards are annual awards presented by RTÉ Radio 1 to celebrate the best in Irish folk music. The awards were established in 2018 and include recipients such as Martin Hayes, Emma Langford, Declan O'Rourke, Moya Brennan ...

Hall of Fame.https://www.rte.ie/culture/2025/0226/1499157-winners-announced-of-2025-rte-radio-1-folk-awards/

References

External links

RTÉ recording of Mhic Ghrianna from 1953
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mhic Ghrianna, Róise 1879 births 1964 deaths Musicians from County Donegal 20th-century Irish-language singers Sean-nós singers 20th-century Irish women singers People from Dungloe