Ceolann Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin
don chuid is mó i nGaeilge, sa tSean Nós agus sa stíl comhaimseartha,
agus ceolann sí i mBéarla fosta. Lá éigin amach anseo beidh an uirlis
busúcai i ndiaidh a h-ainm fosta. Tá sí ag obair air.
Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin plays bodhrán and sings mostly in Irish, in
both Sean-Nós (unaccompanied traditional singing in the Irish language)
and contemporary style, and also in English. One day she would like to
add 'bouzouki' to that. She's working on it...
words taken from the website
Language: 
Read the interview inside...
BO: What is your name?
B: Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin
BO: Bríd Ní WHAT?
B: For a pronunciation guide, see the biography page of my website ;-)
BO: Where were you born and what is your date of birth?
B: I was born in Kajiado, in the Rift Valley, in Kenya. I was born on
the 16th of October, 1968. The Beatles were Number 1 with "Hey Jude"
(why, are you going to send me lots of pressies?)
BO: Where do you live now?
B: I live in Graz, Austria.
BO: Since when have you been playing the bodhrán?
B: Since I was six or seven years old.
BO: What type of bodhrán do you play/who made your bodhrán?
B: I have two Brendan White tunable bodhráns. The first is a
single-skin one which I love and the second is a treble-skin which I
haven't broken in yet. ( http://www.bodhran.nl )
BO: Do you play any other instruments?
B: I play the bouzouki. I have a gorgeous one which was specially made for me by Heiner Dreizehnter
BO: How would you describe Sean-Nós to somebody new to celtic music?
B: Sean-nós literally means "old style" and is individual,
unaccompanied singing in the Irish language. There are unwritten rules
about which songs qualify as "sean-nós songs". These songs include what
we call "na hamhráin mhóra" or in English "the big songs". It's
probably easier to say which type of song does not qualify. For example
children's songs or popular songs like "Baidín Fheidhlimi" and "Oró sé
do bheatha 'bhaile" (songs which everyone learns at school or that
everyone just knows) are not sean-nós songs. And much as I love Sinéad
O'Connor (especially her debut cd "Lion and the Cobra" - I spent my
rebel years driving around Boston with the window rolled down and this
cd blaring out of the car), I must say I do take exception to her
jumping on the bandwagon. Give me a break! If anything deserves to be
called "Sean-nós nua" (new sean-nós) it is Colm Ó Snodaigh's (Kila)
"Maith Dhom" (from the album "Luna Park"). This is a poem by the great
Irish language writer, Máirtín Ó Direáin, put to music by Colm. And if
a "new sean-nós" were to enter the tradition with accompaniment, then I
would vote for Colm's song "Sean Deora" - old tears/raindrops - from
Kila's debut album "Mind the Gap" which was re-released after the
success of "Tóg é go bog é". The latter is a new composition sung in a
style reminiscent of sean-nós. This is how I see it: New Greek was
developed by people who were experts in Old Greek. Standardised Irish
(spelling and pronunciation) was developed (in the '50s) by people who
were experts in the Irish language. So I think it's quite reasonable to
expect someone who coins a new term like "sean-nós nua" to know a
little bit about the genre! If you'd like to read more about Sean-nós
here are two interesting articles: First some characteristics of
Sean-Nós by Seán Ó Riada (one of the most important figures to have
ever touched Irish trad. music) http://www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/inart378.htm and secondly a very interesting article by Julie Henigan which was originally printed in "Ulster Folklife" No. 37 (1991) http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/sean-nos.htm Oh, and by the way, thanks for asking me that question. I've been wanting to get that off my chest for quite a while! ;-)
BO: What is most important to you when it comes to music (performing and in general)?
B: Not to take yourself too seriously. To be able to let other
musicians take the stage. Not to take yourself too seriously. To know
when to play and when not to play. Not to take yourself too seriously.
To be able to listen. Silence is golden. Sometimes very golden.
Especially for accompanists (bodhrán players, guitarists etc) - let the
tune shine. Be sensitive. Think of a piano player accompaning a solo
singer. The bodhrán player is the piano player.
BO: How did it come that you started playing the bodhrán? Is there a story behind it?
B: Being the first ever "Celtic Spice Babe" there IS a story behind it.
I was born in Kenya, the youngest of five children. We moved back to
Ireland when I was almost four, armed with some Swahili songs and lots
of percussiony things. A few years later my sisters and brothers
started playing various instruments which were donated by relatives,
friends or just people who wanted to get rid of dusty things form their
attics. Being the African babe, the one who was "dancing before she
could even walk" (Mama Ní Mhaoileoin), I took care of the percussion
side of things. My first instrument was a Maasai shaker filled with
whatever hard grains were around at the time - sometimes rice,
sometimes barley - and my first drum was a cow-skin bongo with one wide
end and a narrow end. (For a photo of both of these instruments see my
website under "Biography".) I played that like a bodhrán (hitting the
wide end naturally) for a few years until someone kindly donated a
bodhrán.
BO: What is your favourite music or the music which has influenced you the most? (
B: In no particular order: Irish trad, African singing/drumming,
Spanish music (flamenco, Galician music..), Silvio Rodriguez (Cuba's
Woody Guthrie), Clannad (in the early years), Jackie Daly and Seamus
Creagh, Noel Hill, Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Kletzmer, Barbara Coerdt
(my bouzouki inspiritor), Sinéad O'Connor's "Lion and the Cobra", my
sisters and brother, ... (how much time do you have?)
BO: What are the names of the groups or bands you are, or have been, a member of?
B: The first group I ever played with was "Ceoltóirí Ghoill", which was
the first ever Girl/Boy Band to sing in Swahili and Irish. We split up
when I was fourteen. I haven't been a member of any other band since.
Sometimes I guest with the Swiss-based Irish trad band "Airla"
(www.airla.net). When I was living in Germany I did a few guest spots
(and played in lots of brilliant sessions) with "DeReelium"
(www.dereelium.de). I also did a few tours as guest bodhrán player with
Antonio Breschi's brilliant Flamenco/Arabic show "Al Kamar" ( http://www.ethnicpiano.com
). I've just released my debut cd of Irish trad song with my musical
partner, Alan Burke. If you'd like to have a wee listen, please visit
my website. My regular Austrian co-musicians are Sepp Tieber (guitar)
and that wonderful Hotel Palindronian, Stoney Steiner
(www.euroots.com/hotelpalindrone/).
BO: Do you (or the Group) have a Web Page?
B: My website is http://www.brid.at
BO: Do you have any plans to visit Germany in the near future?
B: I don't have any concrete dates, but we are hoping to come to
Germany sometime in 2005 or 2006. I finally have found a wonderful
person who is acting as my agent in Germany/Switzerland. He can be
contacted at: gorhand@brid.at
BO: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
B: Yes, contact Gorhand!! I want to come to Germany!