Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is an Irish folk singer and flautist, best known as lead vocalist for Danú. She is from Ireland and was born in 1978. Her work sits in folk and Irish traditional music, with a strong connection to Irish-language singing and the sean nós tradition.

Early musical background

Irish is her first language, and early exposure to Irish-language song shapes her later career. She starts out on piano and fiddle before moving on to the whistle and then the flute.

Early recordings and studies

Her first recordings appear on a CD of Irish traditional music and song by Geantraí, the group associated with a live show at the Skellig Hotel in Dingle. She also records on releases including The Crooked Road by William Coulter, Cello by Barry Phillips, and several compilation albums.

As part of her MA in traditional music performance, she makes a solo album of tunes and songs called Réalt na Maidine/Morning Star. This album is issued in a limited edition and circulates mainly in Dingle, with copies also sold in the United States and Europe.

Danú

She joins Danú in 2003, when former lead singer Ciarán O Gealbháin leaves the group. Nic Amhlaoibh takes over as singer and whistle player and sometimes plays flute alongside Danú member Tom Doorley. Her first album with the band is The Road Less Travelled in 2003, released in the United States as The Road Less Traveled. Danú’s lineup change is described as a success, and the band later releases Up In The Air in 2004, on which she sings and plays on three tracks, followed by When All is Said and Done in 2005.

Solo and collaborative work

Her first major solo CD, Daybreak/Fáinne an Lae, appears in 2006. It includes contributions from Oisín Mc Auley and Eamonn Doorley of Danú, along with Gerry O Beirne and John Doyle of Solas. She also participates in Hands Across the Water, a collaborative album featuring many traditional and folk musicians and singers, with proceeds going to victims of the tsunami in southeast Asia.

Broadcast work

Her television appearances include The Highland Sessions, a BBC Four series on Irish and Scottish Gaelic music, as well as The Late Late Show, Amuigh Faoin Spéir by Éamonn de Buitléir, The History of Irish Dance, Léargas, and An Ghaeilge Bheo. On radio, she appears on Rattlebag, The Late Session with Aine Hensey on RTÉ, and An Saol ó Dheas on Radio na Gaeltachta.