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BEST VIOLIN/FIDDLE - IRISH MUSIC AWARDS 2009 - Irish Music Association, USA
BEST TRADITIONAL MUSIC ACT 2008 - The Irish World
MOJO Top Ten Folk Album - "Ón Dá Thaobh / From Both Sides" - 2007

Recorded at the launch of Niamh Ní Charra's Album, Súgach Sámh/Happy out at The Cobblestone, North King St, Dublin 15 September 2010, with Donogh Hennessy -guitar, Manus McGuire- fiddle, and Denis Carey- keyboards.

Niamh's new album "Sugach Samh / Happy Out" is available through Claddagh Records in Ireland, through Copperplate in the UK, through Ossian and CDBaby in the US and online, and will be avaiable in Germany and Benelux through New Music Distribution. The album showcases her impressive talent and versatility with a wide-ranging selection of tunes on fiddle and concertina, as well as songs in Irish and English. Following on from her award-winning debut recording, Ón Dá Thaobh / From Both Sides, this new album displays a developed sense of musical confidence and maturity.Niamh crosses various musical boundaries in her choice of material, contrasting the global with the local, the old with the new. Guest musicians include Donogh Hennessy, Trevor Hutchinson, Robbie Harris, Manus McGuire and Denis Carey.


Niamh Ní Charra hails from Killarney, County Kerry in the south west of Ireland. Strongly influenced by the wealth of local Sliabh Luachra musicians, she started playing music at the early age of 4, under the tutelage of well known local musician Nicky McAuliffe. Equally talented on fiddle and concertina, she has won numerous awards, including Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Oireachtas, and Slógadh Náisiúnta . Niamh had supported The Chieftains and Noel Hill, in addition to performing at festivals throughout France and England, before reaching her teens. She toured Europe, Asia and North America for 8 years as a soloist with Riverdance, performing in over 2500 shows, before returning to Ireland where she is now based.

Despite this rich background, she put aside her music to persue a career in Electronic Engineering. After graduating with honours, Niamh was employed by an Irish software company who regularly sent her on business trips to Boston. Here she was exposed to a continuous flow of Irish musicians (Arcady, Sharon Shannon, Nomos) as well as locally based musicians (Paddy Keenan , Seamus Connolly, Tommy McCarthy).

The draw of the music proved too strong, and Niamh decided to resign from work to persue a career in music. She moved to Cork to take a year-long course in 'Music, Management, and Sound' at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, where she graduated with distinctions in every subject - the only student ever to have achieved this feat. The college subsequently awarded her "Musician of the Year". She swiftly followed this with recordings for Irish radio and television, and performances with Riverdance 's european troupe in Europe, Asia and on board the QE2, before joining the U.S. troupe in 1998. Niamh performed with Riverdance from that date until December 2005, touring with them in North America. From Mexico to Vancouver, and Los Angeles to Broadway, New York, Niamh has delighted audiences with her fiery fiddling, fancy footwork and dazzling smiles. More recently she shared her talents in Riverdance's Irish and Far East productions performing in her native capital as well as the more exotic locations of Tokyo and Taipei among others.

She has taught both fiddle and concertina at Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann's national headquaters, An Cultúrlann in Monkstown, and regularly gives workshops. At the time of this filming, Niamh is a member of the Carlos Nunez band and tours both with them and as a solo artist.

Niamh launched her debut album at the Gathering festival in Killarney on 25.02.07 . The invited guests who included many well known musicians were treated to a 30 minute performance by Niamh and Guitarist Mike Galvin, who features on the album. Some of my footage of this can be found on this YouTube channel.

Niamh's debut album On Da Thaobh/From Both Sides is on sale in all good record shops throughout Ireland and is distributed by Claddagh Records.The album is an opportunity to showcase Niamh's virtuosity on both fiddle and concertina, and she is joined on the album by well-known musicians Brendan Begley, Robbie Harris, Eoghan O Neil, Mike Galvin, Cathal Synnott and Conor Shiel.The album "Ón Dá Thaobh / From Both Sides". certainly has variety - besides the expected mix of Irish tunes (jigs, reels, hornpipes, slow airs etc.), there are also tunes from the United States and Canada (Cape Breton), Hungarian folk tunes and a classical piece for concertina from Italian composer Giulio Regondi (1822 1872) who was an early virtuoso on the newly invented instrument.