Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill

Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. In addition to a superb solo album, Triona, released in Ireland in 1975 and the United States in 1984, Ní Dhomhnaill's high-pitched vocals and keyboard playing have been an integral element of Skara Brae, the Bothy Band, Touchstone, Nightnoise, and Relativity. Ní Dhomhnaill hails from a prominent musical family. An aunt, Neilli, contributed nearly 300 folk songs to the folklore collection of Dublin University. Together with her brother, Mícháel Ó Domhnaill, younger sister Maighread, and multi-instrumentalist Daíthí Sproule, Ní Dhomhnaill first attracted attention with a folk group, Skara Brae, that specialized in songs sung in Gaelic. When bouzouki player Donal Lunny left the Irish folk-rock band Planxty in 1975 and launched a new record label called Mulligan, one of his first projects was to form a band to accompany accordion player Tony MacMahon on a series of shows for Irish National Radio. Along with uilleann pipe player Paddy Keenan, flute and whistle player Matt Molloy, and fiddle player Paddy Glackin, Ní Dhomhnaill and her brother became charter members. Initially named Seachtar (meaning "seven"), the group changed its name to the Bothy Band after the departure of MacMahon. As the Bothy Band, the group played their debut concert on February 2, 1975, at Trinity College in Dublin. Although they were only together for three years, Ní Dhomhnaill and the Bothy Band were one of the first bands to bring the musical traditions of Ireland up to contemporary standards. While the group experienced numerous personnel changes, Ní Dhomhnaill and her brother were still members when the Bothy Band's final album, After Hours, was recorded during a concert performance at the...