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Mairéad Carlin

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Mairéad Carlin
Mairéad Ní Cearbhalláin
Mairéad Carlin at a Brisbane Concert in January 2014
Mairéad Carlin at a Brisbane Concert in January 2014
Background information
BornDerry, Northern Ireland
Genres
OccupationSinger
Years active2004–present
Labels

Mairéad Carlin is an Irish[1][2] singer. She is a current member of the ensemble Celtic Woman and was the first-ever member of the group that was born in Northern Ireland.[3]

Early life

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Carlin was born in Derry. "Derry, my hometown, is a very cultured and musical place; wherever you turn there's always music...That was especially true in my family... We’d just sit around the fire, sing, and drink tea".[3]

Career

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Carlin began her career at the age of 15 when she won the title role of 'The Rose' in BBC Talents 'Young Singers' competition in the opera The Little Prince,[4] by Rachel Portman. It aired on BBC Two and PBS in America.[5]

Carlin trained in vocal performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Once she graduated, she was offered a postgraduate scholarship in Musical Theatre by the Royal Academy of Music. She declined the scholarship when offered a deal with Decca Records. Carlin continued to train with Mary Hammond and Simon Lee.[citation needed]

Carlin performed for the President of Ireland, celebrated the Irish Anthem for the England-Ireland Rugby International to a TV audience of millions. She shared the stage with Snow Patrol and The Priests at the 2013 BBC TV Gala Concert ‘Sons and Daughters’ to mark Derry's year as City of Culture.[3] She also recorded the City of Culture anthem ‘Let The River Run’ with Glee star Damian McGinty.[3] Carly Simon was impressed by the song, saying "I just played it and cried my eyes out and I'm still crying. It's absolutely stunningly wonderful. Thank you for doing me proud."[6] Simon later invited Carlin and McGinty to perform live with her in Los Angeles at an Oceana benefit concert presented by Hillary Clinton, Ted Danson and Harvey Weinstein. Simon subsequently released the single under her own label Iris Records/Walled City Records.[6]

Carlin toured the UK and Ireland with American singer-songwriter Don McLean, including a sold out concert at the Royal Albert Hall. In early 2013, she made her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in the National Concert Hall for RTÉ TV.[3] She was the featured soprano on 'White Light' in the box office hit Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa with music by Ilan Eshkeri.[7]

"A motto I’ve used throughout my career so far", she says, "is a quote from the award-winning poet Seamus Heaney: ‘Sing yourself to where the singing comes from.’ I think there's a lot to be said for that".[3]

After finishing her degree, Carlin was signed to Decca Records and recorded her debut album, Songbook with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Air Studios and British Grove Studios. It was mixed by Grammy award winning engineer Geoff Foster. Carlin describes the album as portraying the more 'vulnerable' side to her sound and a 'transition period in my life where I was finding myself- I guess I was growing up through this album. In every breath and in every note, there's a story...believe me'.[3]

Celtic Woman

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On 5 August 2013 the Celtic Woman website reported that Chloë Agnew would be taking a break from Celtic Woman to work on solo projects. On 23 August 2013 it reported Carlin would be taking Chloë's place.[3] On 13 January 2021, Carlin announced that she was taking a break from the group to focus on other projects.[8] In 2023 she announced her return to Celtic Woman for the Christmas 2023 tour and the 20th anniversary special.

Personal

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In September 2016, she married singer and dancer Ronan Scolard.[9][non-primary source needed]

Discography

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Solo
  • Songbook (2013)
With Celtic Woman

References

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  1. ^ "Mairéad Carlin (@MaireadCarlin) | Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  2. ^ Barnes, Ciaran (14 March 2018). "Mairéad Carlin: 'Hearing my father had only months to live was the worst thing to ever happen to me... I felt the need to fill his every minute with as much happiness as I could'". The Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Máiréad Carlin bio at Celtic Woman".
  4. ^ "Real fame academy: Summer schools helping young hopefuls – BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". The Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  5. ^ Pasles, Chris (6 April 2005). "Opera captures magic of 'Little Prince' story". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b "American Song Becomes Anthem of Hope in Ireland | Irish America". irishamerica.com. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  7. ^ Lowney, Declan (27 February 2014), Alan Partridge, retrieved 8 May 2016
  8. ^ Concannon, Claire (17 January 2021). "Singer Mairéad Carlin announces she's leaving Celtic Woman".
  9. ^ "Celtic Woman Twitter Feed".
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