Áine Minogue

Áine Minogue (born 27 May 1977, Borrisokane, County Tipperary) is an Irish harpist, singer, arranger and composer, now living in the Boston area. She has recorded thirteen solo albums in styles generally categorized as Celtic, world, folk, spiritual, and new age.

Early life
Áine Minogue was born in Ireland to a family of ten, which often played and sang at traditional Irish events such as fleadhs and Hunting the Wren. She was 12 when she started playing the Irish harp at a boarding school in Galway. Minogue became a harpist at Bunratty Castle in County Clare. She obtained a Master's Degree in Traditional Irish Harp Performance from the University of Limerick. She moved to Boston in 1990.

Music career
Minogue's debut album, Were You at the Rock, consisted of traditional dance and concert pieces. 

Mysts of Time (1996) was a mix of traditional tunes and original songs, with mostly Gaelic lyrics. It was seen as belonging to the Irish wave of New Age/Celtic fusion and associated with the sound of Enya. Her voice was described as "fragile, lilting... like a gently windblown satin sheet." To Warm the Winter's Night (1996) was a popular collection of Celtic and English midwinter and Christmas music.

Circle of the Sun (1998) was a musical journey through the seasons with a focus on the four Celtic calendar festivals of Lughnasadh, Samhain, Imbolc, and Beltane. She mixed her own Celtic harp with guitars, cellos, fiddles, flutes, and bodhráns, but also folk instruments from other traditions such as didgeridoo and djembe. Celtic Lamentations (2005) explored how ancient people used music to mourn. It won Zone Music Reporter's Best Celtic Album award.

A Winter's Journey, a CatholicTV Christmas special produced by Minogue where she plays Celtic music with her friends in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, was nominated for a New England Emmy Award.

Discography

Solo albums

With Druidstone (band)
Vow: an Irish Wedding Celebration (1999)
The Spirit of Christmas

Collaborations and compilations
(Various Artists), Celtic Visions (RCA Victor/BMG)
(Various Artists), "Sacred Spirit" Celtic Twilight (Hearts of Space)
(Various Artists), Celtic Wave (Sony/BMG)
(Various Artists), Dublin to Dakar (Putumayo)
(Various Artists), Echoes Living Room Series, Vol. 4
(Various Artists), A Winter's Tale (Universal)
(Various Artists), "Celtic Lullaby" (Putumayo)
(Various Artists), Exotica – World Music Divas (BMG Classics)
(Various Artists), Celtic Heartbeat Christmas (Decca)
(Various Artists), "European Playground" (Putumayo)
(Various Artists), Celtic Christmas II (Windham Hill/BMG)
(Various Artists), "Highlands IV" (Warner Bros)
(Various Artists), "A Celtic Heartbeat Christmas" (Atlantic)
(Various Artists), Celtic Spirit (Narada/Virgin)
(Various Artists), Celtic Love (JVC Victor)
(Various Artists), "Celtic Christmas" (Putumayo)
(Various Artists), "Still" (Echoes)
(Various Artists), "Celtic Dreamland" (Putumayo)
(Various Artists), "Comfort & Joy" (Rounder)
(Various Artists), "A Christmas Celtic Sojourn" (Rounder)
(Various Artists), "Exotica, World Music Divas" (RCA Victor/BMG)
John O'Donohue "To Bless the Space Between Us" (Sounds True)
John O'Donohue, "Soul Friend/Anam Chara" spoken word (Sounds True)

Special projects & collaborations
 Tommy Makem Ancient Pulsing (PBS/TV and CD)
 Tommy Makem's Ireland (PBS/TV)
 John O'Donohue, "Soul Friend/Anam Chara" spoken word (Sounds True)
 Michael Dowling, Artist installation "Freshwater"
 Stirling Harris The Little Horse that Could (soundtrack)
 Wilfred E. Richard, Photographer The Four Seasons/Hidden Landscapes (soundtrack)
 Dr. Ray Shea Yeats Country (soundtrack)

References

External links
Official website

1977 births
Living people
Irish women harpists
Musicians from County Tipperary
People from Borrisokane
20th-century Irish harpists
21st-century Irish harpists
20th-century Irish women musicians
21st-century Irish women musicians
Alumni of the University of Limerick
Irish emigrants to the United States
Musicians from Boston