Artist Profiles: Brian Ó hEadhra

Brian Ó hEadhra was born in Dublin, Ireland and grew up in Ireland and Newfoundland (Canada) in the 1970s. His father spoke fluent Irish and studied folklore and the Irish disapora. His mother was Canadian.

Ó hEadhra founded an Irish folk music group called Anam while studying Irish Folklore and English Literature at University College Dublin in 1994. Anam performed songs in Gaelic throughout the globe and released five albums. The group disbanded in 2005.

He is currently based in Iverness, Scotland and is involved in various music projects: Gaelic quartet Cruinn; the trio MacKerron, Brechin & Ó hEadhra with Charlie McKerron on fiddle, Sandy Brechin on accordion and Ó hEadhra on vocals. Brian also has a duo with his wife, acclaimed Scottish singer-songwriter Fiona Mackenzie.

Brian sings and writes songs in English, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The Gaelic language is very important to Ó hEadhra. He currently speaks Scottish Gaelic on a daily basis.

Brian is the co-founder and co-director of the Geiteberg Folk Festival near Tomter in southern Norway, near Oslo. The festival celebrates north Atlantic musical connections.

Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie have two children, Órla and Róise, who are also singers.

Discography:

Anam (Anam Communications, 1994)
Saoirse – Songs from Brian Ó hEadhra & Aimee Leonard (Anam Communications, 1996)
First Footing, with Anam (Linn Records, 1998)
Riptide, with Anam (Linn Records, 1999)
Tine Gheal, with Anam (Linn Records, 2000)
An Turas, with Christine Primrose (Anam Communications, 2003)
Life (Anam Communications, 2005)
Dhachaigh/Home – The Murdo Macfarlane Songbook (An Lanntair/HCF Co-Production, 2007)
Sonas, with MacGregor and Brechin (Brechin All Records, 2008)
The Complete Songs of Robert Tannahill – Vol 2 (Brechin All Records, 2010)
An t-Allt (Brechin All Records, 2011)
The Complete Songs of Robert Tannahill – Vol 3 (Brechin All Records, 2013)
Cruinn (Cruinn, 2013)
Children of the Smoke, with Struileag (La Banda, 2014)
Stòras, with Cruinn (Cruinn, 2014)
TÌR – Highland Life & Lore, with Fiona Mackenzie (Anam Communications, 2018)
Tuath – Songs of the Northlands (Naxos World Music, 2020)

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.