Nóirín Ní Riain
Encyclopedia
Nóirín Ní Riain is an Irish
singer, writer, teacher, theologian and an authority on Gregorian Chant
(plainchant, plainsong
). She is primarily known for spiritual songs, but also sings Celtic music
, Sean-nós
and Indian songs. Nóirín plays an Indian harmonium (Surpeti), Shruti box and Feadóg (whistle). She was Artist-in-Residence for Wexford
and Laois. Now she is performing with her sons Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin under the name A.M.E.N. and gives workshops about "Sound as a Spiritual Experience".
She has performed extensively worldwide. Notable events include: the International Peace Gathering at Costa Rica to introduce His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
in 1989; The United Nations summit at Rio de Janeiro 1992; the European Cultural Month at Krakow, Poland 1992; the UN Earth summit in Copenhagen 1995; the World Women summit in Beijing 1995, she has performed in the Royal Festival Hall with Sinéad O'Connor
; with the American composer John Cage
; with the sons of Karlheinz Stockhausen
, Markus
and Simon; with Paul Winter
at the summer and winter solstice concerts in the Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York; with the Scola Gregoriana of Notre Dame University, Indiana, where she performed the leading role in Anima, by Hildegard von Bingen; she has sung several times in India as a delegate of the Irish government, and performed in war-torn Sarajevo.
The Cork singer and teacher at UCC, Pilib Ó Laoghaire (1910–1976), was of great influence. He persuaded her to become a singer instead of studying law and learned her that old and precious heritage of Ireland, the sean-nós
singing.
In UCC she studied under Aloys Fleischmann
and Seán Ó Riada
.
As a child, Nóirín often visited Glenstal Abbey
in Murroe
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 with her thesis entitled - "The Specificity of Christian Theosonetics" and focuses on an in-depth study and representation of Sounds - primarily vocal sounds - as a means to religious experience from a Christian perspective.
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
singer, writer, teacher, theologian and an authority on Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
(plainchant, plainsong
Plainsong
Plainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...
). She is primarily known for spiritual songs, but also sings Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
, Sean-nós
Sean-nós song
Sean-nós is a highly ornamented style of unaccompanied traditional Irish singing. It is a sean-nós activity, which also includes sean-nós dancing...
and Indian songs. Nóirín plays an Indian harmonium (Surpeti), Shruti box and Feadóg (whistle). She was Artist-in-Residence for Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
and Laois. Now she is performing with her sons Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin under the name A.M.E.N. and gives workshops about "Sound as a Spiritual Experience".
Biography
Nóirín Ní Riain began to take singing lessons at seven years of age. She later went on to study music at University College Cork (UCC), specialising in religious music for post-graduate work. Alongside this 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 His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
in 1989; The United Nations summit at Rio de Janeiro 1992; the European Cultural Month at Krakow, Poland 1992; the UN Earth summit in Copenhagen 1995; the World Women summit in Beijing 1995, she has performed in the Royal Festival Hall with Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
; with the American composer John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
; with the sons of Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen 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. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
, Markus
Markus Stockhausen
Markus Pirol Stockhausen is a German trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Born in Cologne, he is the son of composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. At age four he appeared as "child at play" in his father's theatre piece Originals. He received his first piano lessons at age six, and at age twelve he began to...
and Simon; with Paul Winter
Paul Winter
Paul Winter is an American saxophonist , and is a six-time Grammy Award nominee.- Biography :Paul Winter attended Altoona Area High School and graduated in 1957...
at the summer and winter solstice concerts in the Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York; with the Scola Gregoriana of Notre Dame University, Indiana, where she performed the leading role in Anima, by Hildegard von Bingen; she has sung several times in India as a delegate of the Irish government, and performed in war-torn Sarajevo.
The Cork singer and teacher at UCC, Pilib Ó Laoghaire (1910–1976), was of great influence. He persuaded her to become a singer instead of studying law and learned her that old and precious heritage of Ireland, the sean-nós
Sean-nós song
Sean-nós is a highly ornamented style of unaccompanied traditional Irish singing. It is a sean-nós activity, which also includes sean-nós dancing...
singing.
In UCC she studied under Aloys Fleischmann
Aloys Fleischmann
Aloys Fleischmann was an Irish composer and musicologist. In addition he wrote several books and articles on Irish music.-Life:...
and Seán Ó Riada
Seán Ó Riada
Seán Ó Riada , was a composer and perhaps the single most influential figure in the revival of Irish traditional music during the 1960s...
.
As a child, Nóirín often visited Glenstal Abbey
Glenstal Abbey
Glenstal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Murroe, County Limerick. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. The current abbot of the monastery is Dom Patrick Hederman, OSB...
in Murroe
Murroe
Murroe, officially Moroe , is a small village in County Limerick, Ireland.Murroe is located in the north-eastern part of County Limerick approximately 15 km from Limerick City and close to the Tipperary border. Nearby towns include Cappamore and Newport. The village is located on the R506 road. It...
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 with her thesis entitled - "The Specificity of Christian Theosonetics" and focuses on an in-depth study and representation of Sounds - primarily vocal sounds - as a means to religious experience from a Christian perspective.
Solo Albums
- 1978 - Seinn AililiúSeinn AililiúSeinn Aililiú is a music album by Irish singer Nóirín Ní Riain. It was released in 1978. Seinn Aililiú was never released in CD format.-Track listing:#Na Cleaganna#An Maol#Móirín na hEaglaise#Cré Bhaile Mhac Óda...
, Gael-Linn. - 1980 - Caoineadh na MaighdineCaoineadh na MaighdineCaoineadh na Maighdine is a music album by Irish singer Nóirín Ní Riain with the Monks of Glenstal Abbey. It was released in 1980 and has since been re-released worldwide in various formats.-Track listing:...
, Gael-Linn. - 1982 - Darkest MidnightDarkest MidnightDarkest Midnight is a music album by Irish singer Nóirín Ní Riain featuring the Monks of Glenstal Abbey, mostly made up of Christmas songs from the ancient Wexford singing traditions. It was released in 1982 and has had subsequent rereleases...
, Glenstal Records. - 1988 - Stór AmhránStór AmhránStór Amhrán is a music album by Irish singer Nóirín Ní Riain. It was released in 1988 and features mostly ancient and traditional songs, many of which have been recorded for the first time by Ní Riain.-Track listing:#Éamann Mhagáine...
, Ossian Publications Ltd. - 1989 - Vox de NubeVox de NubeVox de Nube is a music album by Irish singer Nóirín Ní Riain with the Monks of Glenstal Abbey. It was released in 1989.-Track listing:#Magnificat Cum Alleluia#Pater Noster#Lob/Ehre, Christe: Joa Bolendas#A Dhia Ghléigil...
, 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 size2shoesSize2shoes
size2shoes is a cross-genre Irish band from Limerick City. The band, who released their début album, size2shoes in December 2008, have been featured on national television and radio in both Ireland and America...
.
- 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')
Guest Roles / Collaborations
- 1977 - Óró Damhnaigh, Mícheál Ó SúilleabháinMícheál Ó SúilleabháinMícheál Ó Súilleabháin is an Irish musician. As a pianist, composer, recording artist and academic, he holds the Professorship of Music at the Irish World Music Centre of the University of Limerick...
, Gael-Linn. - 1984 - James LastJames LastJames Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...
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, Pater Friedhelm Mennekes, EMI Classics.
- 1996 - Lumen, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, European Song Contest, Virgin Records.
- 1997 - Illumination, Richard Souther, Sony.
- 1997 - Agnes Browne, Anjelica HustonAnjelica HustonAnjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
, Hell's Kitchen Films/October Films. - 2001 - In deiner Nähe, Close to you, Markus Stockhausen, Aktivraum.
- 2008 - SanctuarySanctuary (Irish charity album)Sanctuary is an album supporting charity which was recorded in July 2007 at Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, Ireland. The album features artists Moya Brennan, Mary Coughlan, Nóirín Ní Riain, Cara O'Sullivan, Jimmy O'Brien-Moran, the Monks of Glenstal and many others...
, Various Artists, Independent.
Albums Produced
- 2007 - In Praise of Mary, The Cistercian Nuns of St. Mary's Abbey Glencairn, The Daisy Label.
Sources
- Alive in God's World, Human Life on Earth and in Heaven as described in the visions of Joa Bolendas, 1997, Lindisfarne Books, p. 21-22.
- Celtic Women in Music, A Celebration of Beauty and Sovereignty, Mairéid Sullivan, 1999, Quarry Press Inc., p. 159-169.
Further reading
- Irish Music Magazine, Vol 3 No 5, December 1997/January 1998. Spiritual Memories by John O'Regan, p. 84-85.
- The Irish Eyes, spring 2006, Nóirín Ní Riain... The Theology of listening by Michael Walsh.
Official Links
- Official website - with video galleries and multimedia
- Official Blog - Nóirín Ní Riain's blog