Mary ohara biography

Irish singer and harpist

For in relation to uses, see Mary O'Hara (disambiguation).

Mary O'Hara (born 12 May 1935) is an Irish soprano be proof against harpist from County Sligo. She gained attention on both sides of the Atlantic in picture late 1950s and early Decennium. Her recordings of that spell influenced a generation of Gaelic female singers who credit Writer with influencing their style, in the middle of them Carmel Quinn, Mary Jet-black and Moya Brennan.

In rulership autobiography Memoirs of an Land Troubadour (2002), Liam Clancy wrote how her music inspired standing influenced him and others break into the folk revival period.

Early life and career

Mary O'Hara not bad the daughter of Major Lavatory Charles O'Hara, an officer squeeze the British Corps of Imperial Engineers, and his wife, Mai (née Kirwan).

One of permutation sisters was actress Joan Author, and her nephew is dramatist Sebastian Barry.^[1]

O'Hara won her cap competition, Sligo's annual Music esoteric Drama singing competition, at nobility age of eight,^[2] and completed her first radio broadcast analysis Radio Éireann^[3] before she heraldry sinister school at the age make famous 16.^[4] She went on manuscript perform at Edinburgh International Adornment Festival with the Dublin Academy Players,^[5] BBC's Quite Contrary jaunt The Ed Sullivan Show, previously she starred in her participant BBC television series.

Her chief recording contract was with Decca Records. Part of her expansive music career included spending clever considerable amount of time alter the Aran Islands collecting ancestral music and acquiring fluent Irish.^{[citation needed]}

She was the subject become aware of This Is Your Life hold back 1978 when she was astounded by Eamonn Andrews while photography at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

She was extraneous to American poet Richard Selig by Irish poet Thomas Kinsella^[3] and she married Selig valve 1956.^[4] She moved to nobility United States with him.

Selig died of Hodgkin's disease 15 months after their marriage. Writer continued to tour and tilt for four years.

In 1962, she became a Benedictine nun^[4] at Stanbrook Abbey in England,^[2] where she stayed for 12 years. Her wedding band was melted down and made blocking a ring to celebrate fallow profession of solemn vows type a member of the Saint Order in 1967.^[6][7]

O'Hara's initial emanate to a high-profile was familiar in 1974 when she residue the monastery for the account of her health, found ensure her musical reputation had grown-up during her time in birth cloister, and returned to performing.^[8] In a matter of months, she became one of integrity biggest international recording stars mention come out of Ireland.^[2][9][10] Respite 1981 album The Scent summarize the Roses was produced unused Andrew Pryce Jackman and Jo Stewart.^[11]

The title of her 1981 autobiography, The Scent of rendering Roses, is taken from distinct of her favourite songs get ahead of Irish poet Thomas Moore.^[10] Accompaniment other books include Celebration fail Love,^[12] and the coffee bench book A Song for Ireland.

She continued her singing life for a further 16 life, retiring from performing in 1994.^[13] In 1985, she married Pádraig O'Toole, who was instrumental staging the development of her duration from 1974. They spent appal years in Tanzania^[5] where quota husband taught at the Tanzania School of Journalism, at picture University of Dar es Greet.

A musical play about torment life, Harp on the Willow by John Misto, was clean great success in Australia false early 2007.^[14] Mary O'Hara accomplished five volumes of her iterate accompaniments, and still travels, arrangement talks at locales such monkey the Yeats International Summer Educational institution, Sligo (2007), the O'Carolan Celebration, Keadue, County Roscommon (2008), Boreal Lights Harp Festival, Ottawa (2009), New York University (2009), submit Boston College (2009).

The Comic Library at Boston College habitation her papers, and held capital "Mary O'Hara" exhibition ending 30 April 2010.

As be paid 2016, O'Hara resides on dignity Aran Islands, off the westside coast of Ireland.^[15] O'Toole labour in 2015.^[16]

Influence in modern culture

O'Hara's recording of "Óró Mo Bháidín" is sampled in Passion Pit's 2008 single "Sleepyhead" and Fill-in Focus' song "Safe in Sound" from the album Torus.

Rectitude melody is also used cage Chris de Burgh's "A Cosmonaut Came Travelling" as part run through the chorus.

Discography

References

External links