Nóirín Ní Riain
Nóirín Ní Riain (born 12 June 1951) is an Irish singer, writer, teacher, theologian, and authority on Gregorian Chant (plainchant, plainsong). She is primarily known for spiritual songs, but also sings Celtic music, Sean-nós and Indian songs. Nóirín plays an Indian harmonium (surpeti), shruti box and feadóg (whistle). She was Artist-in-Residence for Wexford and Laois. She performs with her sons Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin under the name A.M.E.N. and gives workshops about "Sound as a Spiritual Experience". Biography. Born in Caherconlish, County Limerick, Ní Riain began singing lessons at age seven. She later  studied music at University College Cork (UCC), specialising in religious music for post-graduate work. She developed as a performer, focusing particularly on religious, Irish traditional, and international religious music. She has performed extensively worldwide. Notable events include: the International Peace Gathering at Costa Rica to introduce the XIV Dalai Lama in 1989, the United Nations summit at Rio de Janeiro 1992, the European Cultural Month at Kraków, Poland 1992, the UN Earth Summit in Copenhagen 1995, The 40th Eurovision Song Contest 1995, and the World Women Summit in Beijing 1995. She has performed in the Royal Festival Hall with  Sinéad O'Connor, with the American composer John Cage, with the sons of Karlheinz Stockhausen (Markus and Simon), with Paul Winter at summer and winter solstice concerts in the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, and with the Scola Gregoriana of Notre Dame University, Indiana, where she performed the leading role in "Anima", by Hildegard von Bingen. She sang several times in India as a delegate of the Irish government, and performed in war-torn Sarajevo. She was married to the pianist and composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. The Cork singer and teacher at UCC, Pilib Ó Laoghaire (1910–1976 ), was a great influence. He persuaded her to become a singer instead of studying law, and taught her Irish traditional sean-nós singing. At UCC, she studied under Aloys Fleischmann and Seán Ó Riada. As a child, Ní Riain often visited Glenstal Abbey in Murroe to listen to the chants of the Benedictine monks. Later she performed and made several recordings with them, under which the trilogy: "Vox Clamantis in Deserto (Caoineadh na Maighdine)", "Vox Populi (Good People All)" and "Vox de Nube (A Voice from the Cloud)". She has a PhD in theology. Her thesis was "The Specificity of  Christian Theosony", an in-depth study and representation of sounds — primarily vocal sounds — as a means to religious experience from a Christian perspective. On 29 July 2017, she was ordained as the Rev Nóirín Ní Riain, minister in the One Spirit Inter Faith Seminary Foundation and performs wedding, naming and divorce ceremonies. Discography. Ní Riain & Sons. Nóirín has released two albums with her sons Eoin and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin under the name 'Amen'. Ní Riain's sons are also well known as Irish pop band size2shoes.