Traditional singing star Étáin Mhic Gabhann (Ní Churraoin) delighted fans at Dublin’s The Sugar Club on Sunday night, when she brought her baby up on stage during a gig. The picture of style in a pink two-piece suit, Étáin beamed ear to ear as her baby daughter tried to grab hold of the microphone while she sang.
A packed venue and the gaze of hundreds of fans didn’t seem to bother the 27-year-old mum at all, as she bounced her daughter up and down after gently prying her away from the microphone – all without getting a note wrong. She made it look effortless. Maith a bhean!
Étáin, alongside her sister Máire Ní Churraoin, have exploded in popularity on the Irish music scene in recent years. The name of their band – An Chéad Ghlúin Eile (The Next Generation) – sums up their mission perfectly: They want to bring their love of Irish and Irish music to the next generation. And not only that, the talented musicians are determined to break musical moulds and bring reinvigoration to a key aspect of their Gaelic culture – the sean-nós tradition.
Their gig at the Sugar Club sold out completely this month, just weeks after they took part in a charity concert with Eurovision winner, Dana, to mark St. Brigid’s Day last month.
Image: An chéad ghlúin eile
In December, the Gaeilgeoir sisters were a key part of the lineup at the Guinness Storehouse, gaining new fans who got to hear their stunning native Irish melodies for the first time. Their voices are beautiful, and their harmonies impressive, and they make the flawless production seem effortless. Mo cheol sibh, a chailíní.
In 2023, the sisters became key members of Bláth na hÓige (meaning ‘Flower of Youth) – a wonderful new collaboration which features some of Ireland’s best young singers and musicians from Gaeltacht areas. Under the musical direction of renowned sean-nós singer Síle Denvir and illustrious fiddle player Colm Mac Con Iomaire at Stiúideo Cuan in Connemara, Bláth na hÓige created a groundbreaking album in 2023. The TG4 TV series linked to the programme also won TV series of the year.
The album was recorded live-in-studio over the space of four days, bringing the beauty and depth of Ireland’s sean-nós tradition to life. For the Meath sisters, it was deeply special to celebrate the Irish songs they grew up singing on the national stage – performing at the National Concert Hall last Spring. Their memorable performance on the Tommy Tiernan show in 2023 won the collaboration an army of new fans.
Last year was a busy one, and also marked the launch of their debut album, “Ca’il an Bheirt?’ meaning ‘Where are the two?’ – a phrase that their dad used to ask when they were younger, with the sisters being inseparable growing up.
Not only is their goal to use their gifts and talents to bring Irish music to a whole new audience, but the sisters’ are also making Irish fun again on social media. Máire has built a career for herself as a content creator, with almost 34,000 followers on instagram and nearly 70,000 on TikTok. As a creator, she regularly posts Irish language content, music videos, and shares tips for anyone who wants to learn more about the language.
She only posts in Irish on social media (with subtitles for non-speakers) as she believes it is important for people to experience Irish on a daily basis in a normal way. She hopes that her large presence on TikTok will also help show users that Gaelige is a vibrant, modern and beautiful language which is certainly not dying. With this week (really a fortnight) being Seachtain na Gaeilge – Irish Language Week – Máire’s schedule is booked up, with planned workshops and talks right across the country.
Speaking to Gript ahead of the launch of the sisters’ first album, Máire advises: “Never apologise for your level of Irish. Your Irish is grand,” as she encourages people to use three Irish phrases a day to see their proficiency improve.
Not only do the sisters believe the Irish language is a jewel to be protected, but they also care deeply about faith and values.
“The Irish language and our Catholic faith are just so intertwined and interlinked. For example, when we say ‘hopefully,’ we say ‘le cúnamh Dé’ which means ‘with God’s help’. When we say thankfully, we say buíochas le Dia, giving thanks to God because that’s where our faith is directed. When we say hello, we say it’s so lovely to see that the two cannot be separated. It’s a language of praise and blessing. The two things come together naturally.”
Máire said that faith fits into their community, and she recounts the beauty of growing up in a Gaeltacht community in the small village of Ráth Chairn, nestled between Trim and Athboy, in Meath. Ráth Chairn is Ireland’s youngest Gaeltacht, formed in 1935. Their grandmother and grandfather, along with other families, came from Connemara to set up the East Coast Gaeltacht.
The sisters are now the third generation born and raised in Ráth Chairn. Máire describes the village and the way of life as “fabulous,” adding: “There are no blow-ins in Ráth Chairn – whatever level of Irish you have, you are so welcome, and encouraged to use it. We had the best, most wholesome upbringing, and there’s no place like Ráth Chairn.”
Morning Mass on a Sunday, followed by a sing-song with the older generation – who had learned songs that they’d known for years – are among some of the sisters’ fondest memories. Sean-nós – unaccompanied, traditional, Irish vocal music – is in their blood, with their great uncle being Conamara native Darach Ó Catháin (1922-1987), one of the most prominent sean-nós singers of his day. The sisters speak with pride about their heritage, and their link to the iconic standard bearer of the great tradition of sean-nós.
“We started singing from a very young age, and there’s music on both sides of our family. Our mam and dad are fantastic singers and they’ve still got it. They encouraged us so much growing up to use our gifts. We grew up singing, and we got the love of sean-nós from our dad, because his uncle was Darach Ó Catháin, [a renowned Sean-nós singer who sang with Sean Ó Riada’s Ceoltóirí Cualann and The Chieftains]. We always link it back to him, and we know it is such a privilege for us to be able to pass on the tradition.”
As young children, Máire recounts that their grandmother loved hearing the sisters singing. On Sunday afternoons, they weren’t allowed to leave her house without singing a song.
“She would be crying listening to us. She was so unbelievably proud of us and the fact the tradition had passed down to us. You could just tell how much it meant to us. We love it so much, and we want to keep it going.”
Máire says that the sisters always grew up singing together – she learned to do harmonies by listening to Étáin’s voice – and while they did sing solos growing up, they always preferred to sing together.
“Both our personalities and our voices blend. It got to the point where we were doing more gigs and had more opportunities, so we formed An Chéad Ghlúin Eile – The Next Generation – and each step has brought us forward. TG4 and Radio na Gaeltachta have given us so many opportunities, and we are so excited because we never know what’s coming next.”
