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Thug Me Gra Duit - Aine Meenaghan
\r\nIrish Traditional Sean-Nos Singing
\r\nproduced by Dennis Cahill 2006
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The art of sean n's singing belongs to the inner sanctum of Irish music history. Heir to the archaic tradition of bardic poetry and song which declined with the demise of Gaelic civilization in the eighteenth century, it is sustained today by a unique cohort of singers in the Gaeltachta�, or Irish speaking communities along the west coast of Ireland. It also enjoys prominence among Irish communities in the US, especially in Boston and Chicago, where it is patronized by immigrant communities from south Connemara.\r\n\r\n
A native of Muiceannach-idir-dh�-Sh�ile, Camus, �ine Meenaghan (nee N� Dhonnchadha) began singing as a child and was strongly influenced by the singing of her grand father. Encouraged by her aunt, schoolteacher Treasa U� Chart�ir, she began to take an interest in sean n's and, at the age of eight, entered her first competition. During the 1970s, �ine or Nan Chamuis as she is known in Connemara, became a household name in the sean n's pantheon. She won the All-Ireland title at Fleadh Cheoil na h�ireann and in 1974 she won the coveted Corn U� Riada at Oireachtas na Gaeilge, the highest honour awarded to a performer in Ireland. Since immigrating to Chicago, she has performed on many occasions with Martin Hayes and Randal Bays, and tours the festival circuit throughout the Midwest. Her rendition of the poignant love song Br�d Thom�is Mhurchadha highlights the richness of her subtle and distinctive style.\r\n\r\n