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Welcome to the official website for Niamh Ní Charra.February 2012
Following some badly needed quiet time, which was blissfully spent researching material for the next album, Niamh is now gearing up for 6 months of non-stop touring! First up is the Celtic Caravan Spring tour of Austria which along with Niamh and her band, will also feature the Jackie Oates Trio. Niamh will then be following this with a mini tour of France with Carlos Nunez and Dan Ar Braz. This collaboration was very successful last year, and singing Dan's classics in Breton was a challenge she relished. It will be Niamh's final tour as a member of the Carlos Nunez band following almost five years of working with them. This is due to the ever-increasing demand for Niamh's own band, although she may make the odd appearance as a special guest with Carlos in the future.
Following an invitation from the producers, which coaxed her out of retirement from the show, April sees Niamh rejoin Riverdance for it's farewell tour of North America. The show which has toured North America for 15 years will finish in Wolftrap, West Virginia, on the 18th of June. Having toured with them for 8 years until 2005, Niamh is delighted to be part of this final hurrah!
Summer will see more tours, some studio time, and lots of music camps, which we will detail here closer to the time. With Niamh's new Live Ireland award mentioned last month there has been lots of activity, and this year and 2013 certainly look to be busier than ever. We will do our best to keep you posted on any exciting new developments but in the meantime stay safe, and keep checking back here for updates.
January 2012
Firstly may we wish you all a very happy 2012. May it be jam packed full of tunes, fun, happiness and good health, and may we all prove the pessimists, both economic and otherwise, wrong!
Certainly for Niamh the year could not have started better. On New Years day she was awarded "Female Musician of the Year 2012" in the Live Ireland Music Awards 2012. These awards, compiled by respected and renowned industry critic Bill Margeson, are (along with TG4) the most eagerly anticipated Irish Traditional Music Awards of the year.
However, just to confuse the issue, Niamh has also been nominated for "Top Solo Performer" in the 2011 Irish Music Awards presented by The Irish Music Association. Unlike the Live Ireland awards which are compiled by industry experts, these awards are decided by public voting. Voting is open until the 12th of January and we would be very grateful if you could give Niamh your support.
We will be updating the website regularly over the next few months, as it promises to be a very busy year for Niamh, so please check back soon. In the meantime, you may check the tour dates which have been updated to include upcoming tours with Niamh's own band in Austria, and with Dan Ar Braz, and Carlos Núñez in France.
December 2011
On that subject we would like to thank you all for your support in 2011, and we wish you the very best of health and happiness for the holidays, and the new year. See you in 2012!
November 2011
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We are thrilled to announce that Niamh has been nominated for "Top Solo Performer" in the 2011 Irish Music Awards presented by The Irish Music Association. Voting will go live on the 1st of December and we will pass on all the important voting details at that time.
In the meantime, we can also announce that the very popular track "Cailleach an Airgid" from Niamh's last solo album has been chosen to be part of a new compilation album released this month. The album, entitled "A Stór Mo Chroí - Irish Songs of Love and Loss" contains 30 tracks from artists such as Clannad, Luke Kelly, Lá Lugh, Capercaillie, Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Sinead O Connor and Damien Dempsey and will be available shortly through Celtic Note.
August 2011
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We are delighted to announce that Niamh's latest recording project "Ó Euskadi go hÉirinn - The Basque Irish Connection" is now available. In 2009, Niamh invited Basque musician Ibon Koteron to collaborate on a project entitled "The Basque Irish Connection" which, with funding from the Music Network Touring Scheme, performed in venues all over Ireland, and subsequently in the Basque country. Following the huge success of the project in both countries, it was decided to record the material, again with financial aid from Music Network.
This impressive album is the result. Showcasing Niamh and Ibon's talent and skill on their respective instruments, along with tasteful accompaniment from Gavin Ralston, it combines Irish and Basque melodies and songs, exploring the common themes running through both traditions as well as highlighting their individual characteristics.
Guest musicians: Donogh Hennessy, Robbie Harris, Trevor Hutchinson (Éire), Asier Ercilla, Ruben Isasi, David Nanclares, Xabier Valle (Euskadi).
To check it out, please refer to the buying page, which lists links to the various distributors carrying this CD.
June 2011
Summer is here, and while the weather might not match the season, certainly Niamh's diary is proof enough! April saw Niamh in Cuba for the second ever Celt Fest Cuba which was a huge success with the locals. Niamh along with Brendan Begley, Nuala Kennedy, Gay McKeon and Asturian Rubén Bada formed the Irish contingent, which were in turn joined by groups from Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island in Canada, and a group from Asturias, Spain.
With time only to swap suitcases Niamh then returned to the North American production of Riverdance - her first time since she retired from touring with them full time in 2005. A lovely experience, the five weeks saw Niamh performing in Wyoming, Montana, North and South Dakota, Oregon, Washington in America as well as British Columbia and Sasketchewan, in Canada. In fact, by the tour's end, Niamh had finally ticked off the missing States from her list and was delighted to reach her 50th US state!
Since then Niamh has been putting the final touches on up coming tours in Scotland and the Basque country, has been practicing her Breton for performances with Dan Ar Braz this summer which will see her singing his iconic songs, and has sent her third CD to print. This album entitled "The Basque Irish Connection" is a collaboration with Basque musician Ibon Koteron, features Gavin Ralston on Guitar, and will be out later this summer.
More information will be available on this release shortly, but in the meantime please refer to the tour page for updated listings, and the Gallery page for some new pictures.
Enjoy the summer and stay in touch!
April 2011
It's springtime in Ireland and Niamh is as busy as ever. The very first week of January saw Niamh back in studio, this time with Ibon Koteron and Gavin Rallston, to record a new album "The Basque Irish Connection". This follows a very successful tour funded by Music Network in 2009, which then travelled to the Basque country in 2010. Music Network have again supported Niamh, Ibon and Gavin by funding this recording, which will feature music from the concerts, and which is due for release this summer.
A month long tour of Germany followed with the Carlos Núñez band, before Niamh was back playing again with her own band. With March the month of the Irish, Niamh was seen performing with her group to an open air céilí on the streets of Ireland's capital. This was a resounding success and forms a vital and popular part of St Patrick's Festival in Ireland every year. They also took part in the 'Trad Trail' which allowed members of the public to join in for a session, during their performance. Niamh also proved a huge hit playing with Carlos in the National Concert Hall the same week.
But probably Niamh's best musical memory so far has to be performing as part of the Cultural Delegation on President Mary McAleese's official visit to Spain. Not only was Niamh leading the group but she was also emceeing the event, presenting in Irish, English and Castellano. It was an enormous honour to be part of this concert hosted by the President, in particular as it is her last year in office, and the last official visit abroad which will include a cultural delegation. The President will also be hosting many official visits to Ireland, at Áras an Uachtarán, the Preseident's residence. The next of these will be the visit of Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Niamh is again very honoured to have been asked to perform. This event will take place on the 4th of April.
Niamh will be heading off to Cuba as part of CeltFestCuba Festival in the coming weeks, before reprising her role as lead soloist in Riverdance for the month of May. This will be Niamh's first time returning to North America with Riverdance since she left the show in 2005 to concentrate on her solo career, and is something she is very much looking forward to.
The rest of the year is filling in fast, so please check back regularly for news and updates.
December 2010
Greetings from a very cold, snow-covered Ireland! It has been a crazy few months for Niamh, with brilliantly received performances at festivals in Canada and Spain as well as a month long tour of Germany, Switzerland and Holland as part of the Irish Folk Festival tour. Her new album "Súgach Sámh / Happy Out" has also been very well received with lots of airplay, sales and some fabulous reviews. We have added these to the Reviews section and more reviews are due in several publications in the New Year.
We're keeping the fingers crossed that airports stay open next week, as Niamh and her side kicks, Matt Griffin and Cathall King, will be doing a tour of Denmark, promoting the new album. Concerts are, as always, listed on the tour page.
All in all it has been a very successful and busy year, with more exciting projects in the pipeline for 2011.
In the meantime, stay safe and warm!
September 2010
We are delighted to announce that Niamh's new album Súgach Sámh / Happy Out is now available. Launched in Dublin on the 15th of September, it has already received lots of airplay and very positive reviews. It is available through Claddagh Records in Ireland, through Copperplate in the UK, through Ossian and CDBaby in the US and online, and will be shortly released in Germany and Benelux through New Music Distribution.
This website will also be getting a new look over the coming days, to tie in with the release, including audio samples of the new album, and links to the various distributors and online shops should you wish to purchase the latest release, and we will keep you posted on further reviews / updates.
July 2010
Despite volcanic eruptions which luckily saw the cancellation of only one gig in Mexico, Niamh has spent the last few months performing all over the world, while also working on her new album, due for release next month.April saw Niamh perform for the first time at CeltFest Cuba, a fantastic new festival. She performed with fellow Irish musicians Liam O Maonlai, Brendan Begley and family along with top class Canadian musicians from Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island and the West Coast. It was a wonderful festival and was particularly encouraging to see the strong celtic link and high standard among the local musicians.
May saw Niamh team up again with Ibon Koteron for the return leg of the Basque Irish Connection tour, in the Basque country. As successful as the original Music Network Tour of last September, it has encouraged Niamh and Ibon to continue working together and plans for a 3rd tour are already in the works.
Niamh and her band also performed to packed and enthusiastic audiences at festivals in Wales and England along with rejoiing her colleagues in the Carlos Nunez Band for a performance at the 2nd ever Tarab Tanger festival in Tanger, Morocco.
As if this was not enough, Niamh has been working hard in studio finishing her new album "Sugach Samh / Happy Out". It will be launched next month and we will be keeping you posted. Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer!
March 2010
The first few months of this year have been a very busy time for Niamh with plenty of concerts, collaborations and projects in the works. January saw Niamh perform at Celtic Connections for the first time, both under her own name and as a member of the Carlos Nunez band, some numbers of which were recorded live for BBC Scotland. February included a very special concert in the INEC in Killarney, to raise funds for Haiti, for which many musicians performed, all for free. Niamh teamed up with Seamas Begley and Donogh Hennessy for this concert which was a resounding success, and raised over 20,000 Euros. Which brings us to March!This month has been a hectic one and we're only half way through it! Following a lovely concert in Porthcawl, South Wales, Niamh then began work in earnest on her new album, with the first few tracks successfully recorded. The remainder of this album will be recorded over the next few months, and is earmarked for release in July. If you can't wait until then to hear Niamh, we're thrilled to announce that you can hear her concertina work on the latest album from the masters of the tradition, The Chieftains. Released earlier this month, "San Patricio" features many top class musicans from all over including Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, Carlos Nunez and the lovely voice of Liam Neeson.
Niamh is currently on a 12 concert tour of France with Carlos Nunez, and then on returning to Ireland, promptly swaps suitcases and heads to Havana, Cuba, for the first ever Celtic festival. Representing Ireland along with the Begley family and Liam O Maonlai from Hothouse Flowers, Niamh will be performing alongside musicians from Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, Asturias, Brittany and of course Cuba. To read more about this brand new festival, check out CeltFest Cuba.
Finally April finishes with more studio work on the new album, which we will of course be keeping you posted on. For more information on this, and future dates, make sure you check back here soon!
