meabh meir &
maurice leyden

Méabh Meir is a traditional singer and member of four part harmony traditional vocal group Landless who have recorded 2 albums and have toured Ireland, the UK, and Europe. She is a co-founder of Belfast Singing Sessions and teaches traditional singing with Belfast Trad. Her interest in traditional song has been inspired and nurtured by family, friends, and singers across Ireland and the U.K. and is incorporated in both her art and therapy practices. She particularly enjoys using her voice to make connections with and to sing with others which has led to various collaborations within the sound art, performance art, and visual art fields.
 

Maurice Leyden is a folk-song collector, singer, broadcaster and writer with a passion for Ulster folk-song. Originally from Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, his first book ‘Belfast, City of Song’ (Brandon) explores the traditional songs of the city which has been his home for many years. His research for the Belfast book revealed a wealth of children’s songs and street lore and Maurice’s second book presents a rich collection children’s singing games, ‘Boys and Girls Come out to Play’ (Appletree). Both books are complemented by recordings of selected songs.

Maurice is considered an authority on Ulster folk-song and contributed to ‘The Companion to Irish Traditional Music’ edited by Fintan Vallely (Cork University Press) and ‘Irish People Irish Linen’ by Kathleen Curtis Wilson (Ohio University Press). In 2008 Maurice was invited to give a lecture on his collection of Linen songs at the Library of Congress in Washington.

A familiar voice on the airwaves during the 1990s and beyond, Maurice presented a weekly folk-music programme ‘Folkal Point’ for 14 years on Downtown Radio. He is a regular performer at folk events, collaborating with his wife Jane Cassidy to stage theatrical presentations combining local history and folk-song. In 1995 Maurice and Jane released a CD featuring songs and readings from their acclaimed show about the life and times of Mary Ann McCracken. Maurice also released a solo album in 2016 entitled ‘The Tern and the Swallow’.

Maurice’s most recent release was an album of ‘Linen Songs’ featuring 17 songs drawn from his extensive collection of songs associated with the Ulster Linen Industry.

www.ulsterfolksong.com