'New Music in Irish… Means the Language is Alive': An Interview with Singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is an artist with a unique voice. For thirteen years she sang with the Irish traditional music group Danú, touring the world, winning two BBC Folk Awards and being awarded the TG4 Gradam Ceoil singer of the year. She has since developed her work as a soloist, releasing albums such as the song collection Foxglove and Fuschia and Aeons, an album of electronica, as well as winning an RTÉ Folk Award in 2018. Her new recording, Thar Toinn / Seaborne, continues her work of introducing new repertoire in Irish and reimagining traditional songs. Muireann tells Toner about what inspires her work, her musical upbringing, the challenges of touring and performing, and her approach to singing.

The Journal of Music podcast is issued every Wednesday. Listen on Soundcloud or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Recent guests include Bothy Band piper Paddy Keenan, harper Laoise Kelly and folk singer Daoirí Farrell. Browse all our recent podcasts here.

For more on Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, visit www.muireann.ie.