Enjoy a night of Traditional Irish Music with Julie Henigan.
Julie Henigan, whose performances have been characterized as “mesmerizing,” her vocals as “stunning,” and her instrumental work as “absolutely superior,” performs traditional songs and instrumentals from Ireland and Scotland. Specializing in the songs of County Donegal, where she learned to speak Irish-Gaelic, Julie sings unaccompanied, as well as accompanied on guitar or fiddle (on which she also plays instrumentals). According to Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, founder of the Irish supergroup Altan. “When she sings, she has the nuances of our older singers.”
A native of the Missouri Ozarks, Julie was first inspired to sing and play Irish music by listening to albums of both traditional and folk revival singers from her father’s extensive record collection. She would later immerse herself in the tradition through lengthy stays in Ireland, conducting fieldwork with Irish singers in the course of several research trips, first on a Youthgrant, and later for her Master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation.
Julie has performed solo throughout the United States, Canada, Britain, and Ireland, and has opened for such luminaries of Irish music as Paddy Glackin and Donal Lunny, Altan, Craobh Rua, and Mick Hanly. Author of a popular Mel Bay book on DADGAD fingerstyle guitar, she also has a highly lauded CD on the Waterbug label entitled American Stranger and appears on the compilation CD Sean-nós Cois Locha, an anthology of songs performed at the Sean-Nós Milwaukee festival.
A professional folklorist, she has performed and lectured for many Irish cultural groups and organizations, including Irish-language college Oideas Gael in Donegal, the Washington DC Gaelic League, and the prestigious Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature and Irish Studies from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Folklore from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Age Group: All Ages, Family
Location: Knox Community Room
