Iarla O'Lionaird

Iarla Ó Lionáird
Iarla Ó Lionáird in , Inistioge, County Kilkenny in July 2011
Background information
Born	(1964-06-18) 18 June 1964 (age 53)
Origin	Cúil Aodha, County Cork, Ireland
Genres	Irish traditional Celtic Experimental
Occupation(s)	Singer Songwriter
Instruments	Voice
Labels	Real World Records
Associated acts	Afro Celt Sound System Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin The Gloaming
Website	http://www.iarla.com

Iarla Ó Lionáird (born 18 June 1964) is an Irish singer and record producer. He sings in the traditional sean-nós style. He was a member of the Afro Celt Sound System and is a member of the Irish-American supergroup The Gloaming. He has recorded several solo albums for Real World Records. He appeared in the 2015 film Brooklyn singing an a cappella version of the Irish folk song "Casadh an tSugain".

Ó Lionáird was born and raised in Cúil Aodha in the West Cork Gaeltacht, a primarily Irish-speaking region. His father was a teacher and his mother and grandmother were singers in the traditional sean-nós style. Elizabeth Cronin, whose singing was recorded by Alan Lomax, was Ó Lionáird's great-aunt. Ó Lionáird was one of twelve children in his family.

Ó Lionáird first sang publicly at the age of five, and made his first radio broadcast at seven. At the age of twelve he recorded the traditional song "Aisling Gheal" for Gael Linn Records. He joined Seán Ó Riada's male voice choir Cór Chúil Aodha as a child and sang in the choir, directed after Sean Ó Riada's death by his son Peadar, until he was in his early twenties. Ó Lionáird earned a Bachelor of Education degree at Carysfort College in Dublin and was employed as a primary school teacher for seven years before making a career as a singer.

Ó Lionáird collaborated with Tony MacMahon and Noel Hill on Aislingí Ceoil – Music of Dreams, a live album of traditional Irish music recorded in Dublin in 1993 and released in 1994 by Gael Linn. Ó Lionáird performed three songs in sean-nós style with piano accompaniment.