Padraigin Ni Uallacháin is a native of southeast Ulster and now lives in Belfast as the first traditional singer in residence in Queen’s University Belfast. As well as being an accomplished singer she also gives illustrative talks on aspects of the song tradition of Oriel in southeast Ulster. She has been a board member of the Irish Traditional Music Archives in Dublin and on assessment panel of An Comhairle Ealaiona The Arts Council, Dublin. Other residencies include the Dundalk Institute of Technology (Foras na Gaeilge) and the Glens Arts Centre in Manorhamilton, Co Letrim. Her work also includes contemporary compositions in Irish and in English and the setting of traditional poems to music, for which she has won many awards in the national Oireachtas competitions,. This also includes the setting to music of poems by contemporary writers including Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, Biddy Jenkinson, Cathal Ó Searcaigh and settings of Irish language translations from the Norwegian by poet Olav Hauge.

She is from southeast Ulster and was born into an Irish speaking household. She worked as a presenter and producer in RTE Dublin for five years and as a teacher for some fifteen years before becoming a fulltime professional singer in 1999. Much of her work as a professional singer has been supported by Foras na Gaeilge and the Arts Councils

Recordings/Publication
She is the author of the award-winning book A Hidden Ulster (Four Courts Press 2003) - a scholarly work on the people, songs and traditions of her native Oriel.

Her most recent album Áilleacht (Beauty) is an innovative CD bringing Irish language song into a new and vibrant era with a collection of her own contemporary compositions. She is unique in being the first woman to have released an album of contemporary songs in the Irish language.

She has recorded 6 albums of traditional song. Her first album in 1994, A Stór is A Stóirín (a double CD recently reissued by Gael Linn) is regarded as a jewel and classic in Irish song recordings for all ages. Her other albums on the Gael Linn music label include An Dara Craiceann,(1995) When I Was Young (1997) and An Dealg Óir (2002). She has recorded an album of traditional and her own contemporary lullabies on the US Shanchie label An Irish Lullaby (Suantrai) 1999

Performance
She is widely known as a sean-nos singer of mainly songs from the Ulster tradition in Irish, with her interest being in love songs, lamentations and devotional songs. She also sings with instrumental accompaniment from some of Ireland’s leading players.

Many of her recent stage appearances are with Steve Cooney, the celebrated multi instrumentalist and the producer of her two most recent albums An Dealg Óir (The Golden Thorn CEFCD 187) and Áilleacht (Beauty CEFCD 189.

She frequently gives song performances and workshops in universities and festivals throughout Ireland and the US on the varied and shared bi-lingual Ulster song tradition with the renowned traditional singer Len Graham. They draw their repertoire from the rich sources of the oral song tradition which includes the classic ballad, the south-east Ulster song tradition, macaronic songs, love songs, political songs, Jacobite songs, songs of emigration and dance songs. They have performed with poets Ciaran Carson, Paul Muldoon, Michael Longley and Seamus Heaney

She continues to work with the the distinguised Copenhagen composer and trumpet player Palle Mikkelborg since 1997, who contribute to her CD Áilleacht. She sings on the opening track of Mikkelborg’s CD: “song …tread lightly” (Columbia/Sony). She has also recorded with harpist Helen Davies on her harp album ‘Open the door softly’. Helen Davies, Palle Mikkelborg and Mikkel Nordso, are featured on her most recent album Áilleacht (Gael Linn 2005)

Awards

  • A fellowship 2002-1 from the Community Relations Council to research ‘A Hidden Ulster’.
  • Gradam Sean Nós Cois Life 2003 in recognition of a ‘unique contributution to the song tradition of Ireland’.
  • Five awards in the national Oireachtas competitions for New compositions to traditional lyrics.
  • Major Arts Award, Arts Council of Northern Ireland 2003/4
  • A Hidden Ulster was a prizewinner at the 2005 Michaelis-Jena Ratcliffe Award Presentations in Folklore and Folklife based in the School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh

Tá Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin ar dhuine de na ceoltóirí traidisiúnta is bisiúla agus is cruthaithí in Éirinn.

Is amhránaí traidisiúnta í ach leis an dlúthdhiosca nua Áilleacht (CEFCD 187 Gael Linn 2005) fógraítear ré nua beoga don amhránaíocht i nGaeilge. Bailiúchán dá cuid cumadóireachta comhaimseartha féin atá ar an albam seo agus is í an chéad bhean in Éirinn í chun a leithéid a eisiúint.

Ceapadh í le déanaí ina hEalaíontóir Cónaithe in Ionad Filíochta Séamus Heaney Ollscoil na Banríona, Béal Feirste. Bíonn sí le cloisteáil ag canadh ar an tsean-nós ach is iondúil go mbíonn sí ar an ardán le tionlacan ón sárcheoltóir agus giotaraí Steve Cooney. D’oibrigh sí agus thaistil sí leis na blianta leis an gcumadóir agus cheoltóir snagcheoil iomráiteach Palle Mikkelborg a leirigh cuid den albam nua dá cuid Áilleacht (Gael Linn 2005 CDFCD 187).

Chuir sí go suntasach le gach gné cruthaitheach de thraidisiún na hamhránaíochta in Éirinn. Is seoid í a céad albam, A Stór is a Stóirín a tháinig amach ar lipéad Gael Linn i 1994 (dlúthdhiosca dúbalta a atheisíodh le déanaí ag Gael Linn). Ar na halbaim eile aici ar lipéad
Gael Linn tá: An Dara Craiceann, (1995) When I Was Young, (1997) agus An Dealg Óir, (2002).

Is í Pádraigín a scríobh an duaisleabhar A Hidden Ulster (Four Courts Press 2004), saothar scoláireachta a chuireann síos ar phobal, ar amhráin agus ar thraidisiúin a ceantar dúchais Oirialla (oirdheisceart chúige Uladh).

Tá sí ina cónaí anois i mBéal Feirste agus ar an Mhullach Bán in oirdheisceart Uladh.