Short bio & photos

Short bio

Saileog Ní Cheannabháin is a musician, sean nós singer and composer, who grew up in a musical family. She is a native Irish speaker, who has played traditional and classical music on piano from a very young age. She also plays traditional music on fiddle and viola. Saileog has a BMus degree from UCC, where she studied many diffeent traditions and approaches to music - academically, within composition and in a performance context.

She has released two albums to date. Her first album, I bhfíor-dheiriú oidhche (2012), is an album of sean nós songs which Saileog learned from Seamus Ennis' collection, from various singers in Iorras Aithneach, Connemara.

Roithleán (2016) is mainly a solo album of Irish traditional music and sean nós songs, with some newly composed tunes, with guest musicians on some tracks. Roithleán was awarded Albam Thraidisiúnta na Bliana (Traditional album of the year) by Nós magazine in 2018.

Saileog worked in two theatre productions professionally, firstly as a performer and later on as a performer, composer and arranger. The first was an outdoor production in Beaufort, Co. Kerry, of Shakespeare's The Tempest, by St John's Mill Theatre Company, in 2013. The second was for Darach Mac Con Iomaire's play Baoite, performed in An Taibhdhearc at the Galway Arts Festival in 2018, and again at The Peacock Theatre, Dublin in 2019.

She also participated as a musician at Sarah Dowling's dance work, The Wake, at the Dublin Dance Festival in 2012.

Saileog features as a guest on Ensemble Ériu's debut album (2011), on the Tunes in the Church compilation album (2013), on the Rogha Raelach Volume 1 compilation (2020), and on Úna Monaghan's Aonaracht (2023). She also contributed to research work for the Amhráin Ó Iorrus compilation (2014).

In February 2020, Saileog took part in Úna Monaghan's Aonaracht project at the NCH, performing a piece for piano and electronics. The piece now features on Úna's 2023 album, Aonaracht.

One of Saileog’s most long term projects was arranging sean nós songs from Connemara and Rinn Ó gCuanach, along with Ailbhe Nic Dhonncha and Pádraic Keane (2017 - 2019 and late 2021 - 2023).

They recorded with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in 2022, for which Saileog arranged string parts for a St Patrick's Day programme. The trio continued to arrange songs from their respective repertoire in 2022 and 2023.

Saileog is currently working on some new solo compositions, which she plans to release in due course.

Bio/Beathaisnéis - leagan Gaeilge

Is ceoltóir, amhránaí sean nóis agus cumadóir í Saileog atá ag casadh ceol traidisiúnta agus clasaiceach ar an bpiano ó bhí sí an-óg, agus ceol traidisiúnta ar an bhfidil agus an viola freisin.

Is cainteoir Gaeilge ó dhúchas í, a tógadh le Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath. Siad fonnadóirí Iorras Aithneach is mó a chuaigh i bhfeidhm ar a cuid fonnadóireachta, áit ar chaith sí roinnt mhaith ama ó bhí sí an-óg. Sé a hathair Peadar Ó Ceannabháin an chéad fonnadóir a chuaigh i bhfeidhm uirthi. Siad Seán 'ac Dhonncha, Sorcha Ní Ghuairim, Dara Bán Mac Donncha agus Seán Jeaic 'ac Dhonncha cuid de na fonnadóirí is mó a chuaigh i bhfeidhm uirthi, le roinnt mhaith bliantaí.

Is veidhleadóir clasaiceach í a máthair, Úna Lawlor, agus is fonnadóirí agus ceoltóirí iad a deartháir Eoghan agus a deirfiúr Muireann.

Tá céim aici sa gceol ó UCC, áit a ndearna sí staidéar ar go leor cineálachaí ceoil. Sa mbliain 2009, bhronn Roinn an Cheoil duais Sheáin Uí Riada uirthi, de bharr staidéir a rinne sí ar amhráin agus ar fhonnadóirí Iorras Aithneach. Bhí tráchtas, cur síos agus samplaí dh'fhonnadóirí, agus ceolchoirm mar chuid den tionscnamh seo.

Sa mbliain 2012, d'eisigh Saileog an chéad albam dá cuid, I bhfíor-dheiriú oidhche, cnuasach amhráin a bhailigh Séamus Ennis in Iorras Aithneach sna 1940dí. Amhráin nach gcastar níos mó agus leaganacha neamhchoitianta dh'amhráin a chloistear níos minicí atá ar an albam, a roghnaigh sí agus a d'fhoghlaim sí ón mbailiúchán.

Sa mbliain 2014, rinne sí taighde don togra Amhráin Ó Iorrus, albam le cnuasach dh'amhráin as ceantar Iorrais i gCo. Mhaigh Eo, a bailíodh ó imircigh a bhí lonnaithe i Chicago ag tús an chéid seo caite. Siad Séamas Ó Mongáin agus Síle Uí Mhongáin a chur tús leis an togra.

Roithleán an t-ainm atá ar an dara albam a d'eisigh Saileog, i mí Deireadh Fómhair 2016. Ceol traidisiúnta, poirt a chum sí héin, agus amhráin ar an seán nós atá ar an albam. Albaim aonair den chuid is mó atá ann, a bhfuil cupla rian ann le haoi-cheoltóirí freisin. Bronnadh Gradam Nós Iris, Albam Thraidisiúnta na Bliana ar Roithleán sa mbliain 2018.

Bhí Saileog mar aoi-fhonnadóir ar an gcéad albam de chuid Ensemble Ériu (2011), agus Tunes in the Church (2013).

Tá rian léithe ar an albam Rogha Raelach Vol. 1, 2020.

D'oibrigh sí le hÚna Monaghan ar phíosa le haghaidh piano agus electronics, a taispeáineadh sa gCeoláras Náisiúnta i mí Feabhra 2020, agus a taifeadadh dho albam Úna, Aonaracht, a eisíodh sa mbliain 2022.

Chum sí agus chóirigh sí héin agus Maitiú Ó Casaide ceol dhon dráma Baoite, le Darach Mac Con Iomaire, i rith na bliana 2018 agus 2019.

Ceann de na tionscnaimh is deireanaí a bhí aici ná cóiriú a dhéanamh ar amhráin sean nóis as Conamara agus Rinn Ó gCuanach, in éineacht le hAilbhe Nic Dhonncha agus Pádraic Keane.

Rinne siad roinnt ceolchoirmeachaí agus taifid idir 2017-2019 agus 2021-2022. Sa mbliain 2022, chóirigh Saileog ceol sreanga dhon RTÉ Concert Orchestra le haghaidh 2 amhrán leis an tríréad, a craoladh ar Lá 'il Páraic, agus atá fós le cloisteáil ar líne.

Tá sí ag obair ar cheol nuachumtha aonair faoi láthair, len eisiú amach anseo.

Photos for press, festivals etc.