‘Folk Album of the Month’ The Guardian
Nuala joins SOLAS for 30th Anniversary.
Solas is hailed by The Boston Globe as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced” and The Wall Street Journal as “an Irish traditional band bearing all the marks of greatness.” Since forming in New York City in 1995 they have been a galvanizing element in the Irish music scene – a lightening rod of talent and inspiration that set new standards for musicianship, repertoire, and intensity. Over the course of twelve critically acclaimed albums and endless international touring, Solas brought their love and respect for the traditions of Irish music, and their sense of melodic and instrumental adventure to the world.
Nuala will join Solas from 24th February on, for their Anniversary Tour 2025. See TOUR page for dates and details.
HAPPY SAMHAIN from the ancient Hill of Tara everyone!
After its IRL/UK release, HYDRA was featured as ‘Album of the Month’ in The GUARDIAN And ‘Album of the Week’ on R.T.E. Radio 1. ‘Album of the Month’ from Americana-UK and **** from MOJO amongst other generous accolades.
We are thrilled to present our music to listeners around the world when it is fully released in the USA and rest of Europe tomorrow, 1st November!
Hi Folks, it’s GRAMMY® season, and we are thrilled to announce that Nuala’s recent thematic album “Shorelines” is up for consideration for BEST FOLK ALBUM. At its core is a live powerhouse trio combination with Clare fiddle maestro Tara Breen (Chieftains) and Dublin guitarist of note Tony Byrne (Danu). Also playing on the record are some of Ireland and America’s most beloved folk performers in singers Muireann NicAmhlaoibh and Moira Smiley, pianist Caoimhin Vallely and Grammy winning bassist Todd Sickafoose. We’d all be honored if you voting members of the Recording Academy would listen & consider giving your vote to this album. Voting continues through Oct. 20th so three days left!
Thank you all so much for your support!
New Album
SHORELINES
OUT 7th JULY 2023
Thank you Siobhan Long and the Irish Times for this **** review of Shorelines. “a joy to behold… “
Fun to share some cultural picks on RTE’s ‘Something for the Weekend’
BBC Radio Ulster:
Hear myself, Tara and Tony play a few songs from the forthcoming new album ‘Shorelines’ and a recent chat on Lynette Fay’s Folk Show BBC Radio Ulster here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001lqkb?fbclid=IwAR3p61lFpsv_AX0tY-17XoKOFTUddmyyMXb0132MXWjj2pnnDQUGYtKVUI8
Bhttps://www.bostonirish.com/arts/2022/nuala-kennedy-innovation-creativity-within-tradition-what-she-cherishes?fbclid=IwAR0wTbmOjyAldPsDk32E4RlOqb5-ec3aBOM1QW9_QnDy0r26Y1XX5h2zoXw
The new Alt album ‘Day is Come’ is out now and available at www.bandcamp.com/thealtmusic
January 2022 – Happy New Year
May 2022 be kind to you and yours. The Alt have a new record ‘Day is Come’ coming out on 3rd February, on Under the Arch Records. Click on the link below for details of the launch concert, at Celtic Connections International Festival, Glasgow.
https://www.celticconnections.com/event/1/hannah-rarity-and-the-alt-special-guest-kevin-burke
September 2021 – “Ag Lorg Ár Líne” / “Seeking Connection”
To celebrate Culture Night – “Ag Lorg Ár Líne” / “Seeking Connection” a new video commissioned through the Duala Creator-in-Residence Programme by Clare Arts Office and the Irish Traditional Music Archive. Through creative use of digital archival recordings, Nuala and Tara explore and reimagine the details and subtleties of the music of influential Clare women performers through contemporary duet performance.
June 2021 – Long Woman’s Grave
Long Woman’s Grave is a new collaboration between three well-loved names in Irish Traditional Music – Nuala Kennedy (The Alt, Oirialla: vocals, flute), SJ McArdle (Kern: vocals, guitar, mandolin) & Trevor Hutchinson (Lúnasa, The Waterboys: bass).
“High Germany”, a traditional song, was recorded entirely during lockdown 2021 at all three members’ homes in Ennis, Drogheda and Dublin, then mixed and produced by Trevor at Marguerite Studios.
More on LWG here.
May 2020 – Hush the Cat – Music of Oriel
Oriel was an old division of Ireland a region covering the borders of southeast Ulster and north Leinster including Nuala’s home town of Dundalk. Hush the Cat is a tune from ‘The Rose in the Gap’ by Louth fiddler Gerry O’ Connor, a beautiful recent publication of the Father Luke Donnellan Collection of dance music of Oriel. The piece is written as a reel in the collection, but played here on the Bb flute in jig time.
Music and Animation by Nuala Kennedy
New tote bags in the shop!
Lockdown Ireland 2020 tote bags, art drawn by Nuala. Made in Ireland with eco-friendly cotton!
“We will not rest till the storm is over
We will not lay this burden down
We will love and carry on,
Till we stand all together on solid ground.”
—Reggie Harris 2020
How is everybody doing?
I wish you all and all members of your families and extended family, the very best during this crisis. Life is changed and none of us will forget where we were in the Year of Covid. I am writing from my kitchen table in Ennis, Ireland where the clock ticks and silence reigns; A precious few hours of quiet before the cockadoodling rulers of the roost AKA baby son and baby daughter awake from their mighty slumber and lay siege to a new day. We are all getting to know everything there is to know about our nearest and dearest. How is that working out for you? I heard they got the best social distancing tips from married couples of longer than ten years… ha!
The beautiful chorus quoted above is from the legendary Reggie Harris, songwriter, singer, activist who I met while we were both on staff for the Swannanoa Traditional Song Week last year. I appreciate its message of hope and strength. The Gathering, like many of events for this year, is postponed, until 2021, a first in the almost 30 years of its existence. But we will stand together again, sing together again and celebrate together again!
I’ve been invited to be part of #IrelandPerforms which is a LiveStream series curated by Culture Ireland in conjunction with Facebook Ireland. Bringing art and music directly to audiences around the world, whilst also helping artists whose work has been cancelled, it’s a super cool thing.
MONDAY 20th April 2020
6.30pm – to tune in simply visit WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NUALAMUSIC
Nuala Kennedy and Eamon O’ Leary tour USA
Myself and Eamon are heading out on a tour of Northern California, beginning with a concert on Halloween night (in Sanfranciscoooooooo) and ending with an appearance at Yachats Celtic Music Festival in Oregon alongside our buddies from Cape Breton Wendy MacIsaac and Mairi Rankin amongst others.
Thanks to Culture Ireland and our agent Ruby Hoy for supporting our tour.
Here we are out in beautiful Western Newfoundland with a mellow and windy version of ‘Voice from the Sea’ a song I first recorded with Oirialla a few years back…
A Celtic Christmas
I’ll be travelling to Southern California for the wonderful “A Celtic Christmas” tour which is produced by acclaimed piper Eric Rigler, and guitarist Dirk Freymouth. This year also features harpist Stephanie Bennett. A show filled with classic and more eclectic Christmas songs and tunes – this production has been a sell out in the past so grab your tickets early if you are thinking of coming along…https://www.youtube.com/embed/1MeKZc5g2oQ?enablejsapi=1
8 Dec SOKA University Performing Arts Theatre, Aliso Viejo, CA 3pm
11 Dec Marjorie Luke Theater, Santa Barbara, CA 7pm
13 Dec Annenberg Theater, Palm Springs, CA 8pm
14 Dec Alva’s Showroom, San Pedro, CA 8pm
15 Dec Alva’s Showroom, San Pedro, CA 5pm
Here’s a little Mazurka I just wrote to celebrate the arrival of this snazzy wee F flute from Geert Lejuene yesterday!