Nollaig Casey facts for kids

Nollaig Casey (whose name in Irish is Nollaig Ní Chathasaigh) is a famous Irish fiddle player. Many people around the world know her as one of Ireland's best fiddle players. She started playing music at a very young age. By the time she was just eleven years old, she could play the violin, piano, tin whistle, and even the uilleann pipes! As a teenager, she learned to play both classical music and traditional Irish music. She won many awards for her fiddle playing and traditional singing. In 1972, she even won an award for being the best all-round performer.

Nollaig Casey: A Fiddle Star

Early Life and Amazing Talent

Nollaig Casey showed a huge talent for music from a young age. She learned many instruments quickly. This helped her become a very skilled musician. She practiced both classical and traditional styles. This made her playing unique and exciting.

A Career in Music

Nollaig went to University College Cork and earned a music degree when she was nineteen. After college, she started her career with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. She played with them for five years. This was a great start to her professional music journey.

In 1980, Nollaig began performing with the popular band Planxty. She toured all over Europe with them. She also played on their last album, called Words & Music, which came out in 1983.

Nollaig has worked with many other famous musicians too. She has recorded and toured with bands like Moving Hearts. She also played with artists such as Liam O'Flynn, Frances Black, The Clancy Brothers, and even Elvis Costello.

Performing Around the World

Nollaig Casey has also appeared on television shows. These include the BBC TV series Bringing It All Back Home and A River of Sound. She was a special guest musician in Dónal Lunny's Coolfin band. She recorded and toured a lot with them.

More recently, Nollaig has performed as a solo artist with the incredibly successful Riverdance show. She also played in Shaun Davey's Granuaile. She was part of May We Never Have To Say Goodbye, which was the theme song for the 2003 Special Olympic World Games held in Ireland.

Nollaig often performed with her husband, the guitarist Arty McGlynn. She also played music with her sister, the harpist Máire Ní Chathasaigh, and guitarist Chris Newman.