''Conway provides heartfelt interpretations throughout, adroitly pitched vocals matched by delicate, poetically evocative accompaniments. Sung entirely in Irish, CAOIN pitches Ceara Conway at the forefront of a new generation of sean nós singers.'' ***** Songlines Magazine

Known for her unique use of traditional song and lament in contemporary art, for this performance vocalist/artist Ceara Conway collaborates with musicians Kevin Murphy (cello) and Ultan O’Brien (viola, fiddle) of Slow Moving Clouds and Sean Mac Erlaine (clarinet, electronics, piano) to bring you a collection of sean-nós and world music songs that explore the beautiful sounds and sentiments of love, loss and longing, found in traditional praise songs, lullabies with core emphasis on the traditional Irish ‘caoineadh’, lament.

This collection of sean nós and world music songs, released on CD, Digital, and vinyl March 2022, explore the beautiful sounds and sentiments of love, loss and longing, found in traditional praise songs, lullabies with core emphasis on the traditional Irish ‘caoineadh’, lament.

Ceara Conway has gained recognition for her singing in traditional repertoires across cultures from Irish traditional sean nós, to Portuguese, Arabic and African song and Georgian Chant. The essence of her music is its unique hybridity, a merging of her love and respect for tradition coupled with her interest in new styles, genres and contemporary music.
Ceara says: “As a vocal artist, I have been composing, performing, and using songs as a way in which to connect with audiences on issues that we experience individually and collectively, for example exploring the sense of loss we experience in relation to experiences of death, migration, feminist issues, and the environmental crisis.

The collection of world music and sean-nós songs within CAOIN are songs that I have performed over the years both on stage and in my commissioned works. From Amhrán Muighnse, the first sean-nós song that I learnt and still love to this day, to ‘’Caoineadh’, a lament that I appropriated as part of a series of public lamentations called ‘Making Visible’ that commented upon the grief experienced by women living in the Direct Provision System.
The inspiration that inspired the framework for CAOIN was based on my experience of singing these songs and sensing a connection between them in terms of their potent emotional expression.’’

Presented by NCH in partnership with The Arts Council
Commissioned and produced by glór with support from The Arts Council

CAOIN the album is commissioned by Creative Ireland Galway County Council.

Order CAOIN on CD or vinyl: https://cearaconway.bandcamp.com/releases
For tour details and tickets visit https://glor.ie/events/caoin-by-ceara-conway-a-glor-commission-touring-nationally-this-autumn/