Renowned artist Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh comes to Leitrim for an unforgettable night

Following on from multiple 5-star reviews of her album Róisín ReImagined with The Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Singer of the Year 2022, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is embarking on an Irish tour, accompanied by celebrated musicians Gerry O’Beirne (guitar, vocals) and Dónal O’Connor (fiddle, keyboards, vocals). 

This concert is an engaging and varied programme of songs in Irish and English, along with lively instrumental pieces, and the trio is well known for its warm rapport with audiences.

She is a multi-award-winning traditional singer and musician from Corca Dhuibhne, West Kerry. Muireann is a leading exponent of the sean nós style and loves to engage with audiences to share her love of the Irish song tradition. 

Her childhood in West Kerry immersed her in a rich cultural environment and vital living traditions. This was to be hugely influential on the foundation of her distinctive vocal and instrumental sound.

Muireann has enjoyed a successful career as a touring artist, with over thirteen years of experience as lead singer and flute player with the Irish traditional supergroup Danú and many years performing as a solo artist. 

She holds an MA in Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick. In 2022, Muireann was awarded “Best Folk Singer” at the RTÉ Radio Folk Awards, and amongst many other awards, was Amhránaí na Bliana at the TG4 Gradaim Ceoil in 2011.

Muireann is also a popular television and radio presenter, having hosted a range of programmes for Irish and Scottish TV over the past 15 years. She currently presents her music programme, “Folk on One”, on RTÉ Radio 1. 

Always keen to explore new ground, she has collaborated with many musicians in genres ranging from traditional to classical, world music to electronica. Most recently, Muireann recorded “Róisín ReImagined”, an album of sean nós songs arranged by contemporary Irish arrangers with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Gerry O’Beirne is a native of the west of Ireland and reared there, and in West Africa, Gerry O’Beirne is a self-taught master of the six and twelve-string, slide guitar, ukulele and other stringed instruments. 

Many of his songs have been recorded by well-known artists on the Irish music scene, including Mary Black, Maura O’Connell and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. His albums have received much acclaim worldwide, and he produced and arranged music for many others, including Patrick Street, Kevin Burke, and Micheál O’Domhnaill.

His writing is a hybrid of the passion found in traditional music and the freshness of contemporary songs. Gerry has toured the globe as a solo artist with the Sharon Shannon Band, Patrick Street, Midnight Well, Andy M. Stewart, Kevin Burke, Andy Irvine, and the Waterboys. 

He has performed at the White House, opened for the Grateful Dead, and played electric guitar with Marianne Faithfull. He lives near Dingle in West Kerry.

Dónal O’Connor is the son of the celebrated fiddler Gerry O’Connor and revered singer Eithne Ní Uallacháin of Lá Lugh. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading producers. 

As a musician and composer, he has played and recorded with the likes of Liam Ó Maonlaí, Duke Special, Grainne Holland, Davy Spillane, Moya Brennan, Dónal Lunny, Steve Cooney, Mary Dillon, Cathal McConnell, Bob Brozman, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, John Spillane, Lumiere and Barry Kerr.

Having inherited a musical legacy of at least five generations of fiddle playing, he has toured the world from a young age as both a lead and backing instrumentalist with a number of bands, including Lá Lugh, At First Light, Ulaid and the Irish song supergroup A Stór Mo Chroí. 

He has composed music for theatre, television and film and has presented music shows for BBC ALBA, BBC NI, TG4, BBC Radio Ulster and Raidio na Gaeltachta. Dónal is also the producer of the recent collaboration between Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and The Irish Chamber Orchestra, “Róisín ReImagined”.

The concert takes place on February 10 at 8pm at The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon. Admissions are €20.