Múscraí’s Máire Ní Chéilachair is the February Cork Person of the Month
DESPITE not singing in public until the tender age of 40, sean-nós singer Máire Ní Chéileachair has rapidly become one of the most celebrated exponents of her art.
The very epitome of the adage that ‘age bears no limits’ Máire has gone on to win numerous awards including the Corn Ui Riada last November after having finished runner-up in the previous singing competition on seven previous occasions.
Last month the Múscraí-based singer, who recently released her second CD ‘Ceantar Glas Mhúscraí’ the follow up to her 2013 release Guth an Fán’, was crowned the TG4 Amhránaí na Bliana (Singer of the Year Award).
Máire has now followed that up by scooping yet another prestigious gong, the Cork Person of the Month award for February.
The Farran native inherited her love of singing from her parents who hailed from Cill na Martra in the heart of the Múscraí Gaeltacht an area steeped in the tradition of the Irish language and its music and song.
She has never lost her passion for traditional music, and in particular the sean- nós style of unaccompanied singing which dates back hundreds of years.
She was appointed singer in residence at the Muscraí Gaeltacht in 2001 under the Aisling Gheal scheme and has been teaching séan-nos singing to aspiring young musicians ever since.
In 2013 Máire featured in a film documentary about the Aisling Gheal project and regularly takes part in Oireachtas na Gaeilge, winning Comórtas na mBan on several occasions.
A regular performer with the Cork Singer’s Club, Máire frequently performs at venues in Ireland and overseas.
She said that winning the Cork Person of the Month award was a huge honour.
“It has been a whirlwind year for me and I am looking forward to what is in store for me in 2019. I very much appreciate and value the support of my family, friends and the people Múscraí and Cork,” said Máire.
Person of Month/Year awards organiser, Mallow native Manus O’Callaghan said Máire was being honoured for her contribution to sean-nós over the years, both as a teacher and a performer.
“With a professional background in education, Máire is well-known in both her local community and at UCC for passing on her knowledge of the sean-nós tradition to new generations of musicians,” said Mr O’Callaghan.
“She has become a household name for all those who love sean-nós and traditional music both here in Cork and farther afield. Her contribution to the arts is outstanding and we all look forward to following Máire as she continues her career as a singer,” he added.
Máire Ní Chéileachair ‘s name will go forward, alongside the monthly winners selected throughout the coming year, for possible selection as 2019 Cork Person of the Year.