CLANN MHIC RUAIRÍ 

ALBUM REVIEWS

Clann Mhic Ruairí has worked hard to get to where they are now. Their music style has created quite the buzz in the music industry, and they are only getting started. Their inaugural CD, ‘Súile’ contains an array of traditional songs along with newly composed material. The album was produced by the multi-talented producer/musician Dónall O’Connor (At First Light/Ulaid). 

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In her review of ‘Súile’, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, (Skara Brae) said of this album: 

“What else would you say? Wonderful songs, old and new, and voices so beautiful from the musical, Clann Mhic Ruairí. Special”! (translated from Gaelic).

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Their second album, 'Siúcra ar Uisce Beatha', won Album of the Year in the traditional songs category and was also produced by Dónall O’Connor. He said:

Delighted for Clann Mhic Ruairí that Siúcra ar Uisce Beatha, the second album I had the privilege of producing for them, has won Albam na Bliana - Amhráin Thraidisiúnta / Album of the Year at Gradaim Nós 2026. 

During what was a very difficult year personally for the band, the release perhaps slipped a little under the radar, but this award is fitting recognition for the incredible artistry at the heart of the record. Their familial vocal harmonies are truly special, deeply rooted, honest and full of emotion, and the care and thought behind every song choice shines throughout the album. There’s a sincerity and richness in their singing that immediately brings you into the Donegal Gaeltacht soundscape and tradition from which they have emerged, while still sounding fresh and alive.

Coming from the rich singing and poetic tradition of Rann na Feirste, Co. Donegal, Clann Mhic Ruairí continue to nurture and carry the legacy of families and artists such as the Mac Grianna family, Mícheál, Tríona and Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill (Skara Brae), the Brennan family (Clannad/Enya), the Ó Maonaigh family, Cití Ní Ghallchóir, Aodh Ó Duibheannaigh, Róise na nAmhrán, and many others who have kept the Donegal song tradition alive from generation to generation. They do so with a rare warmth and integrity, and it was a real privilege for me to work alongside them again on this album.

Liam Ó Maonlaí (Hot House Flowers) said in his review of this album:

There is a treasury of song and music in Donegal and a great history of innovation that has helped steer the course of our native culture and bring it to the uninitiated listener. Clann Mhic Ruairí stand proud in this story. They present us with the power of vocal harmony that can only come through family and with a sense of musical know-how worthy of international recognition. Molaim iad agus molaim an obair seo.

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You’ll be able to download media offerings, promotional materials and so much more. If you’d like to write about Clann Mhic Ruairí, feel free to download everything you need. Get in touch if you’d like to learn more.

Clann Mhic Ruairí are an Irish folk/trad band. They are a family group, made up of siblings Tony (singer/whistles), Aodh (singer/guitar), Sean (singer), Dónall (singer/percussion) and Tony’s daughter Megan (piano and singer). As a family they were raised on the Gaelic songs and stories of the ‘Rann na Feirste Gaeltacht’ in County Donegal (a Gaelic-speaking area) in the northwest corner of Ireland. Hearing their music gives the listener an insight into this rich culture which they continue to preserve. This corner of Ireland is the birth place of internationally acclaimed artists who have moulded the Irish traditional music scene since the 1970s. Clannad, Skara Brae, Altan, Manus and Dónall Lunny, to name but a few, have all blossomed in this area, and Clann Mhic Ruairí have now taken up the torch in the hope of conserving and promoting this rich musical culture which lies at the core of their being. The members of Clann Mhic Ruairí are individual artists in their own right, each member having performed over the years on solo projects and with other artists and groups. In 2013 they decide to formally come together as Clann Mhic Ruairí, and the preservation of the song tradition of ‘Rann na Feirste’ is foremost in their mind. Much of their repertoire are songs which were composed and sung in their locality for hundreds of years. They perform these traditional songs with a contemporary, innovative and inspirational approach, retaining the traditional purity and integrity of the song.