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Frances Black
Frances Black (born 25 June 1960) is an Irish people, Irish singer and politician. She came to prominence in the late 1980s when she began to play with her family's band, The Black Family (band), the Black Family, performing a mix of Traditional Irish music, traditional and contemporary Irish music. Black was elected to Seanad Éireann as an independent senator in 2016 for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. Background Black was born in Charlemont Street, Dublin in 1960 into a musical family. She was educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines. Her father Kevin was a keen fiddler, fiddle player and mandolinist, a plasterer by trade and a native of Rathlin Island, County Antrim. Her mother Patty (from Dublin) used to sing in local dancehalls. She is the youngest of five children, having three brothers Shay, Michael and Martin, and one sister, Mary Black, who is also a well-known singer. Musical career Pre-solo Black's musical career began at 17, when she began singing with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members senators (''seanadóirí'' in Irish, singular: ''seanadóir''). Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright. It can introduce new legislation. It has been located, since its establishment, in Leinster House. Composition Under Article 18 of the Constitution, Seanad Éireann consists of 60 senators, composed as follows: * Eleven nominated by the Taoiseach. * Six elected by the graduates of certain Irish universities: ** Three by graduates of the University of Dublin. ** Three by graduates of the National University of Ireland. * Forty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island ( ga, Reachlainn, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. Geography Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island of Northern Ireland, with a steadily growing population of approximately 150 people, and is the most northerly inhabited island off the coast of the island of Ireland. The reverse-L-shaped Rathlin Island is from east to west, and from north to south. The highest point on the island is Slieveard, above sea level. Rathlin is from the Mull of Kintyre, the southern tip of Scotland's Kintyre peninsula. It is part of the Causeway Coast and Glens council area, and is represented by the Rathlin Development & Community Association. Townland Rathlin is part of the traditional barony of Cary (around the town of Ballycastle), and of current district Moyle. The island constitutes a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in over 120. Sales in 2011 amounted to . In spite of declining consumption since 2001, it is the best-selling alcoholic drink in Ireland where Guinness & Co. Brewery makes almost €2 billion worth of beer annually. The Guinness Storehouse is a tourist attraction at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Since opening in 2000, it has received over 20 million visitors. Guinness's flavour derives from malted barley and roasted unmalted barley, a relatively modern development, not becoming part of the grist until the mid-20th century. For many years, a portion of aged brew was blended with freshly brewed beer to give a sharp lactic acid flavour. Although Guinness's palate still features a characteristic "tang", the company has refus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frances Black
Frances Black (born 25 June 1960) is an Irish people, Irish singer and politician. She came to prominence in the late 1980s when she began to play with her family's band, The Black Family (band), the Black Family, performing a mix of Traditional Irish music, traditional and contemporary Irish music. Black was elected to Seanad Éireann as an independent senator in 2016 for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. Background Black was born in Charlemont Street, Dublin in 1960 into a musical family. She was educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines. Her father Kevin was a keen fiddler, fiddle player and mandolinist, a plasterer by trade and a native of Rathlin Island, County Antrim. Her mother Patty (from Dublin) used to sing in local dancehalls. She is the youngest of five children, having three brothers Shay, Michael and Martin, and one sister, Mary Black, who is also a well-known singer. Musical career Pre-solo Black's musical career began at 17, when she began singing with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the group De Dannan and has since embarked on a solo career. Background Keane was born in a small village called Sylane (near Tuam) in rural County Galway in the west of Ireland. From the age of four she was raised by her aunts Rita and Sarah Keane, also well-known sean-nós singers. Keane started her singing at a very young age, due to the influence of her musical aunts. She made her first recording for Radio Éireann in 1958, at the age of five. This early start inevitably meant that Keane would have a career in music. Her brother, Seán, also went on to enjoy a successful music career. Musical career De Dannan In 1975, she co-founded the traditional Irish band De Dannan, and they released their debut album ''Dé Danann'' in that same year. The group gained international recognition and enjoyed major success in the late 1970s in the US. Keane went touring ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maura O'Connell
Maura O'Connell (born 16 September 1958) is an Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music. Background O'Connell was born in Ennis, the main town in County Clare, in the west of Ireland. Born into a musical family, O'Connell was the third of four sisters. Her mother's family owned Costello's fish shop in Ennis where O'Connell worked until music became her full-time career. She grew up listening to her mother's light opera, opera, and parlor song records. Her father's interest leaned towards the rebel ballads. Despite the presence of classical music in the house, O'Connell got very involved in the local folk club scene and together with Mike Hanrahan, who later fronted trad/rock outfit Stockton's Wing, they performed a country music set, as a duo called 'Tumbleweed'. O'Connell attended St Joseph's Secondary School in Spanish Point from 1971 to 1974, where she took part in the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eleanor McEvoy
Eleanor McEvoy (born 22 January 1967) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She composed the song "Only a Woman's Heart", title track of '' A Woman's Heart'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history. Early life and beginnings McEvoy's life as a musician began at the age of four when she began playing piano. At the age of eight she took up violin. Upon finishing school she attended Trinity College Dublin where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras and music clubs by night. McEvoy graduated from Trinity with an Honors Degree in music in 1988, and spent four months busking in New York City. In 1988, she was accepted into the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra where she spent four years before leaving to concentrate on songwriting. Career 1992–2000 McEvoy built up a following in clubs in Dublin with her three piece band, Jim Tate on bass, Noel Eccles on drums, and latterly Bill Shanley on guitar. During a solo date in July 1992, she performed a little-known, self ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Woman's Heart (compilation Album)
''A Woman's Heart'' is a compilation of twelve tracks performed by six female Irish artists, namely Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black and Maura O'Connell. The album was released in July 1992 and sold over 750,000 copies, more than any other album in Irish chart history and nearly one million copies worldwide. The 20th anniversary of its release was celebrated with four sold-out performances at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Coughlan, Sharon Shannon, Dolores Keane, Wallis Bird and Hermione Hennessy were on the bill. In April 2012, Kiera Murphy produced a documentary entitled ''Our Woman's Hearts'' which explores how ''A Woman's Heart'' came about, why it became so popular, and the effect it has had on three generations of some Irish women. The documentary was a part of RTÉ Radio 1's series Documentary on One. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra performed an orchestrated version of the album with McEvoy, O'Connell an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kieran Goss
Kieran Goss is a contemporary singer-songwriter. Biography Kieran Goss was born and raised in Mayobridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. Goss recorded his first album, ''Brand New Star'', in 1989. It contained the songs "Brand New Star" and "Just Around The Corner," which came to the attention of Mary Black as she was preparing the album ''Babes in the Wood''. She recorded both songs. Kieran followed up ''Brand New Star'' with ''New Day'' in 1994 and in 1998 he released the album ''Worse Than Pride'', which contained the Top 10 single "Out Of My Head." It was the second most played song on Irish radio that year. ''Worse Than Pride'' achieved double platinum status nine months after it was released. ''Red-Letter Day'' followed this in 2000 containing fan-favourite "Reasons To Leave". In the winter of 2002, Goss released the compilation ''Out of my Head... The Best Of Kieran Goss''. His sixth studio album, ''Blue Sky Sunrise'', was recorded in Tennessee in the spring of 2005 a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newry
Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Armagh, Armagh and County Down, Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, although there are references to earlier settlements in the area, and is one of Ireland's oldest towns. The city is an entry to the "Gap of the North", from the border with the Republic of Ireland. It grew as a market town and a garrison and became a port in 1742 when it was linked to Lough Neagh by the first summit-level canal built in Ireland or Great Britain. A cathedral city, it is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dromore. In 2002, as part of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations, Newry was granted City status in the United Kingdom#Northern Ireland, city status along with Lisburn. Name The name Newry is an anglicization ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Iraqi Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians, Yazidis, Mandaeans, Persians and Shabakis with similarly diverse geography and wildlife. The vast majority of the country's 44 million residents are Muslims – the notable other faiths are Christianity, Yazidism, Mandaeism, Yarsanism and Zoroastrianism. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish; others also recognised in specific regions are Neo-Aramaic, Turkish and Armenian. Starting as early as the 6th millennium BC, the fertile alluvial plains between Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sharon Shannon
Sharon Shannon (born 8 June 1968) is an Irish musician, best known for her work with the button accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 debut album, '' Sharon Shannon,'' was the best-selling album of traditional Irish music ever released in Ireland. Beginning with Irish folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences. She won the lifetime achievement award at the 2009 Meteor Awards. Early life Shannon was born in Ruan, County Clare. At eight years old, she began performing with Disirt Tola, a local band, with which she toured the United States at the age of fourteen. Shannon also worked as a competitive show jumper, but gave it up at the age of sixteen to focus on her music. She similarly abandoned studying at University College Cork. In the mid-1980s, Shannon studied the accordion with Karen Tweed and the fiddle with Frank Custy, and performed with the band Arcady, of which she was a foundi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
