Caitríona O’Leary was a founder member of An Uaithne singing with the group prior to its renaming in 1992. Today she is acclaimed internationally as a composer and for her intense, passionate performances of Early Music and Traditional Irish song.

She is also an active soloist in the world of contemporary music. In November 2016 she played leading roles in Roger Doyle's electronic opera, Heresy and in 2019 performed on the studio recording of his iGirl. Her recordings have been very successful with her album The Wexford Carols, featuring guest artists Tom Jones, Rosanne Cash, and Rhiannon Giddens, reached #1 on the Billboard and Amazon charts.

November 2021 has seen her onstage with Anakronos with their new project Citadel of Song, Plague-proof Ballate from Boccaccio's Decameron, the resulting album will be released on Heresy Records in early 2022. Her 2021 album Strange Wonders, The Wexford Carols Volume II containing more rare Christmas carols from the Wexford Carol tradition was produced by the legendary Ethan Johns and Dom Monks and features Caitríona singing with folk and classical music stars Seth Lakeman, John Smith, Clara Sanabras, Olov Johansson, Simone Colavecchi, Mel Mercier, Deirdre O'Leary, John Hearne, Alison Balsom and the choir Stile Antico.

She has recorded over twenty critically acclaimed albums with her Trad band Dúlra, her Early Music performance ensemble eX & the ensembles Sequentia, The Harp Consort and Joglaresa amongst others and has worked closely with many of early music's leading artists including Christopher Hogwood, Ben Bagby, Andrew Lawrence King, Konrad Junghänel and Pedro Memelsdorff.

Read more on her website HERE

I was a mere 17 years old when Michael introduced me to Hildegard, Dowland, and Gesualdo. And I haven’t looked back (so to speak. Actually all I do is look back…)

I was studying music in Trinity College Dublin and singing with the College Singers which Michael was conducting that year. If I remember correctly, An Uaithne was born then and I was very, very happy to be a part of it. Humble-ish beginnings; concerts of eclectic repertoire in the TCD chapel, competing (and winning) in the Cork Choral Festival…and, before long, performing on RTÉ TV.

We always dreamed of touring Australia in a van. But I was lured westwards to New York (where I spent the next decade) and missed the name-change, the massively steep success gradient, the Eurovision…I have very fond memories of the week when I rejoined the group on the Radio City Music Hall stage for the U.S. premier of Riverdance (1996).

It’s brilliant to see the group still going so very strong!