Tradition Now: Nia Byrne

Nia Byrne, fiddle
Cathal Ó Curráin, bouzouki and vocals

Nia Byrne is a young fiddler and singer from the North-West Donegal Gaeltacht. Born into a musical family, she learned from her mother, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, cousin Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, and father, Dermot Byrne. Deeply rooted in the Donegal fiddling tradition, she was a regular attendee and now a teacher at An Chrannóg, a traditional music school where music is taught through Gaelic, the annual Cairdeas na bhFidléirí’s Summer Fiddle School in Glencolmcille and at Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair. She has toured with Altan in the USA and Australia and was part of the 2024 Lorient Interceltic Festival music camp. 

She is presently finishing her teaching degree in Marino College Dublin. Nia is making a name for herself at various festivals and concerts all over Ireland and abroad. More recently she was invited to take part in a concert organised by ITMA, “Drawing from the Well” to commemorate the well known collector Brendan Breathnach at the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

Accompanying Nia will be Cathal Ó Curráin, a traditional singer and musician from Gaoth Dobhair in the Donegal Gaeltacht, an area known for its strong Irish-language and musical tradition. He learned his songs and music within his local community, drawing on a repertoire shaped by generations of singers and musicians from North West Donegal.

He sings in Irish, plays fiddle and bouzouki, and his work reflects the close connection between language and music in the Donegal tradition.

Cathal has performed widely in Ireland and internationally, performing with artists including Altan, Aoife Scott, Ron Block, The Friel Sisters, The High Seas, Bláth na hÓige and many more.

Presented by NCH