T with the Maggies are an Irish traditional supergroup from

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The group first performed together in 2007 at a tribute concert to folk singer and guitarist

Mícheál Ó Domhnaill Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (; 7 October 1951 – 7 July 2006) was an Irish singer, guitarist, composer, and producer who was a major influence on Irish traditional music in the second half of the twentieth century. He is remembered for his innovat ...

, older brother of Triona and Maighread, and released their debut album in October 2010.About – T with the Maggies
official website.

History

Background

Band members

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in ...

Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is an acclaimed Irish traditional singer, keyboard player, and composer. She is considered one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. Throughout her career, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill has worke ...

and

Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill (; born 1955) is an Irish traditional singer from Kells, County Meath. She is known for her work with the short-lived, but very highly regarded Skara Brae and her collaborations with her sister Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, a ...

had performed together since the early 1970s during special events and as members of different groups, although not as a foursome. Moya has been lead singer and frontwoman of

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-award-winning group

Clannad Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginn ...

since the beginning of the 1970s and is the eldest of the Brennan family, Ireland's most successful musical family, of which younger siblings

Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...

and Brídín have previously performed. Mairéad (who was a member of a short-lived group Ragairne, with Enya) has been the front-woman, singer and a fiddle player with

Altan Altan may refer to: * Altan (name) * Altan (company), a software company. * Altan (band), a folk music group from Donegal * ''Altan'' (album), a 1987 album by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy * Altan Jalab, a village in Afghanistan * A ...

, which she founded with her late husband

Frankie Kennedy Frankie Kennedy (30 September 1955 – 19 September 1994) was a flute and tin whistle player born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was also the co-founder of the band Altan, formed with his wife Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. The popular '' Frankie ...

. Maighread and Tríona were members of influential traditional

Skara Brae Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill in the parish of Sandwick, Orkney, Sandwick, on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. It consiste ...

. Both recorded albums with

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozaik, LAPD ...

, while Tríona became singer with

The Bothy Band The Bothy Band are an Irish traditional band, originally active during the mid 1970s. They quickly gained a reputation as one of the most influential bands playing Irish traditional music. Their enthusiasm and musical virtuosity had a signific ...

, Relativity,

Nightnoise Nightnoise was a music ensemble active from 1984 to 1997. Their original blend of Irish traditional music, Celtic music, jazz, and classical chamber music inspired a generation of Irish musicians. They released seven albums on the Windham Hill ...

and Touchstone. All four are successful solo artists.Live: Temple Bar Trad: T with the Maggies
- Journal of Music

Debut

In May 2007,

Irish folk music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a Music genre, genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Irela ...

ians from around the world gathered in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

to celebrate the life and music of singer

, who had died the previous July.Ómós Concert
- Mícheál Ó Domhnaill His sisters Maighread and Tríona performed along with Moya and Mairéad, the first time all four singers had performed together, despite many collaborations in different compositions. At Temple Bar TradFest 2009, the group performed in Dublin on 31 January 2009 their first ever two concerts under the name "T with the Maggies" respectively at the Ark Children's Theatre (2.00pm) and at the Button Factory (8.00pm). In the same year, they were invited to perform at the 2009 Irish Global Economic summit. They were commissioned to record the folk song "Two Sisters" by

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

for his play ''Ages of the Moon'', which opened in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and Dublin, starring actors

Stephen Rea Stephen Rea ( ; born October 31, 1946) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he began his career as a member of Dublin's Focus Theatre, and played many roles on the stage and on Irish television. He came to the attention of inte ...

and

Seán McGinley Seán McGinley (born 1 March 1956) is an Irish actor. He has appeared in about 80 films and television series. Early life McGinley was born in Pettigo, County Donegal, where his father was a customs officer, and raised in nearby Ballyshanno ...

. The group name, "T with the Maggies" was decided upon as Maighread, Mairéad and Moya had often performed together, and humorously called themselves "The Maggies". The group's first performance was the first in which all four collaborated on the same project, adding "T" for Tríona. Their debut album, '' T with the Maggies'', was released at the end of October 2010.Music – T with the Maggies
official website.

Discography

*'' T with the Maggies'' (2010)

References

External links

T with the Maggies
at

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T with the Maggies
at

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T with the Maggies
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:T with the Maggies Celtic fusion groups Celtic fusion musicians Culture in Gweedore Irish folk musical groups Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups from County Donegal Supergroups (music)