Eibhlís Ní Ríordáin
Amhránaí, Ceoltóir, Cumadóir, Múinteóir
Singer, Harper, Composer, Teacher
Contact: eibhlisnr@gmail.com
Beathaisnéis
(For English language biography, and for shorter biographies -one of 207 words, and one of 63 words - please scroll down this page)
Is amhránaí, ceoltóir, cumadóir agus múinteoir í Eibhlís Ní Ríordáin. Canann sí amhráin ó na Déise agus déanann taighde orthu. Rugadh i Mainistir Fhear Maí, Co. Chorcaí í. Nuair a bhí sí ceithre bliana déag d’aois, bhog a teaghlach go dtí Maigh Dheilge, cóngarach don Bhaile Dubh Uachtarach i gCo. Phort Láirge.
In 2016 bhuaigh Eibhlís Corn Mháire Nic Dhonnchadha ag an Oireachtas, agus in 2017 agus 2018 bhuaigh sí an comórtas amhránaíochta ar an sean-nós ag Fleadh Laighean, agus ghnóthaigh sí duiseanna i bhFleadh Cheoil na hÉireann sna blianta céanna. I mí Samhna 2018 bhain Eibhlís an tríu háit amach sa chomórtas 'Corn Chuimhneacháin Chóil Neaine Pháidín' i bhFéile na Mí. Bhí tionchar ag Nioclás Tóibín, Labhrás Ó Cadhla, Áine Uí Cheallaigh agus Ciarán Ó Gealbháin ar a cuid amhránaíochta.
Bhain Eibhlís céim sa cheol amach ó Choláiste na hOllscoile, Corcaigh agus is Ceadúnach de chuid Choláiste na Tríonóide, Londain í sa mhúinteoireacht phianó. Is múinteoir ceoil í a bhfuil go leor taithí aici: múineann sí an pianó sa bhaile sna Clocha Liatha, Co. Chill Mhantáin, agus tugann sí ceardlanna sa cheol, amhránaíocht agus damhsa traidisiúnta, in Éirinn agus go hidirnáisiúnta, i gcomhar lena pháirtí, an píobaire Pádraigín Ní Chonaire.
Tá suim ag Eibhlís sna healaíona go ginearálta agus fuair sí máistreacht le céadonóracha i Staidéar na mBan (an Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) le béim ar leith ar mhná sna healaíona in Éirinn sa lá atá inniu ann.
Ba í Eibhlís an chéad stiúrthóir ar Chór Leasa Móire i Co. Phort Láirge, agus thug sí faoin gceol luath leo mar stiúrthóir agus aonréadaí araon.
In 2017 thosaigh Eibhlís ag foghlaim na seanchláirsí Éireannaí le Siobhán Armstrong, áit a bhfíonn a grá don cheol agus don amhránaíocht thraidisiúnta, don cheol luath, agus don taighde le chéile. Anois, tá sí ag déanamh taighde ar amhráin de chuid chláirseoirí an tseachtú is an ochtú haois déag agus á léiriú freisin.
Tá an-suim ag Eibhlís sna naisc idir traidisiún beo na hamhránaíochta Gaeilge agus amhráin agus ceol na luath-chláirsitheoirí Éireannacha. Tá suim ar leith aici in dhá réimse leathana den taibhiú/taighde:
1. An chaoi a bhféadann tuiscint phraiticiúil ar thraidisiún beo na hamhránaíochta Gaeilge (na hamhráin ar an sean-nós) a bheith mar bhonn eolais do léirmhínithe ar cheol agus amhráin chumadóirí-cláirsitheoirí ársa na hÉireann (ceol agus amhráin a bhaineann le traidisiún ar tháinig deireadh leis faoin naoú haois déag, ach a bhfuil athbheochan faoi le blianta beaga anuas).
2. Úsáid na cláirsí luaithe Éireannaí mar uirlis fhíneáilte tionlacain don amhránaíocht thraidisiúnta Ghaeilge.
About Eibhlís
EIBHLÍS NÍ RÍORDÁIN is a singer, harpist (early Irish harp), composer and music educator. Eibhlís was born in Fermoy, Co Cork and grew up there and in Modeligo, Ballyduff Upper, Co.Waterford. She is a music graduate of University College Cork and also holds a Licentiate in Piano Teaching from Trinity College London. A highly experienced music educator, she teaches classical piano at her home in Greystones, Co Wicklow.
Interested in the arts generally, she also holds a first-class honours MA in Women’s Studies (UCD), with a focus on women in the arts in contemporary Ireland.
Sean-nós song:
Eibhlís sings and researches the sean-nós song repertoire of the Déise (East Munster) area. In 2016 she won Corn Mháire Nic Dhonnachadha at the Oireachtas, and in 2017 and 2018 she won the Leinster Fleadh Cheoil Sean-nós singing competition, and was also a prize winner in both years at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Singers who have influenced her are: Nioclás Tóibín, Labhrás Ó Cadhla, Áine Uí Cheallaigh and Ciarán Ó Gealbháin.
Early music:
Eibhlis was the first conductor of the Lismore choir in Co. Waterford, and performed a repertoire of early music with them, as conductor and soloist. While at UCC she sang with the English choral group ‘The Clerkes of Oxenford' and with ‘Madrigal 75’.
The early Irish harp or cláirseach:
In 2017 Eibhlís started learning early Irish harp with Siobhan Armstrong, combining her loves of Irish music and song, early music and musical research. Eibhlís is now at the forefront of the current revival movement to rediscover, and perform, the important but largely unknown harp song repertoire of the 18th-century Irish harpers. She is almost unique in singing these songs while accompanying herself on a copy of an 18th-century Irish wire-strung harp, and using historical Irish harping techniques.
For the past number of years, the Historical Harp Society of Ireland has invited Eibhlís to perform in concert and to teach harp songs at ‘Scoil na gCláirseach - Festival of Early Irish Harp’, Kilkenny.
In 2020 Eibhlís was awarded a Traditional Arts Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland, to research, reconstruct and develop her repertoire of the harp songs, which are contained in Edward Bunting’s field transcription notebooks (and held in the Bunting Collection at Queen’s University, Belfast).
Eibhlís is very interested in the connections between the living tradition of Irish language song, and the songs and music of the early Irish harpers. She is particularly interested in two broad areas of performance/research:
1. How a working understanding of the living Irish language song tradition ('sean-nós' song) can inform interpretations of the ancient harper-composers' music and songs (music and song which belong to a tradition which had ended by the early nineteenth century, but which is under-going a revival in recent years).
2. Reviving the use of the early Irish harp as a subtle accompanying instrument to traditional Irish language song.
Shorter Biography (207 words):
Eibhlís Ní Ríordáin is at the forefront of the current revival movement to rediscover, and perform, the important but largely unknown harp song repertoire of the 18th-century Irish harpers. She is almost unique in singing these songs while accompanying herself on a copy of an 18th-century Irish wire-strung harp, and using historical Irish harping techniques.
A native of Co. Cork, now living in Co. Wicklow, Eibhlís is a music graduate (University College Cork), prize-winning sean-nós singer, early Irish harpist, composer, arranger and music educator.
For her sean-nós singing, Eibhlís won Corn Mháire Nic Dhonnachadha at the Oireachtas (2016) and was also a finalist in at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2017 & 2018.
For the past number of years, the Historical Harp Society of Ireland has invited Eibhlís to perform in concert and to teach harp songs at ‘Scoil na gCláirseach - Festival of Early Irish Harp’, Kilkenny.
In 2020 Eibhlís was awarded a Traditional Arts Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland, to research, reconstruct and develop her repertoire of the harp songs, performed or composed by the 18th-century female harpers, which are contained in Edward Bunting’s field transcription notebooks (and held in the Bunting Collection at Queen’s University, Belfast).
Short Biography (63 words):
Eibhlís Ní Ríordáin is an multi-award winning sean-nós singer and harpist (early Irish wire-strung harp). She researches and sings the Déise sean-nós song repertory. She is almost unique in also researching and then performing the much-neglected, and seminal, 17th- and 18th-century harpers’ song repertory to her own early Irish harp accompaniment, on a replica old Irish harp.
Releases:
'An Buachaillín Bán' UPDATE JANUARY 2023:
The CD, 'An Buachaillín Bán' had just been released online (on this website and on eibhlis.bandcamp.com) in June 2021, when Patricia (Pat) Connery, Eibhlís's beloved wife, and life- and music partner for nearly 40 years, became ill, and very sadly, Patrica passed away on 25th January 2022. On the CD Patricia plays three beautiful traditional Irish airs on the Uilleann pipes.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam ceolmhar.
The album will be launched by Ciarán Ó Gealbháin at Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy on 2nd July 2023.
About the CD:
'An Buachaillín Bán' features Eibhlís (voice, early Irish harp) and Patricia Connery (uilleann pipes).
The album contains sean-nós songs from the Déise area of south east Ireland (including An Buachaillín Bán, An Páistín Fionn, Pilib Séimh Ó Fathaigh and many more); Fanny Power by Turlough Carolan (1670-1738), performed, for the first time in over 200 years, as Carolan himself would have performed it, ie, Eibhlís accompanies her own singing of it on a replica of an eighteenth century wire-strung early Irish harp or 'cláirseach'; traditional songs in the English language such as The Shores of Lough Bran and The Seaside (a Child ballad collected near Cappaquin on the banks of the Blackwater river in 1906) ; and three traditional Irish airs on the Uilleann pipes played by Patricia Connery.
The CD comes in a beautiful tripart gatefold card case, with cover artwork by Eibhlís's sister, artist Maria Dowling (www.mariadowling.net), and design by Eibhlís.
A lovely 24 page illustrated colour booklet, containing the song lyrics, translations, and bilingual notes about the songs, is included with the CD.
Most of the tracks on this CD were recorded in St Peter's Church in Drogheda, a church with wonderful acoustics.
Other releases:
A Compilation album, 'Traditional Songs of Ireland', released in 2019, of favourite tracks from two early albums produced by Eibhlís and her late wife, Patricia Connery ('Pat Connery Liz O'Riordan' and 'Oh Éire'). Many of the songs are sung in beautiful two-part harmony, composed by Eibhlís.
Eibhlís teaching a Song Class at Scoil na gCláirseach 2019
