Mairéad Carey

Mairéad Carey is an Irish traditional musician and composer from West Cork, and plays the fiddle, tin whistle, piano, and flute. She has won numerous prizes at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, among them three All-Ireland titles, including the Senior All-Ireland Flute Slow Airs title in 2014. She earned a first class honours BA degree in Irish and Music (Joint Honours) from University College Cork, and first class honours Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology, also from UCC. She began her undergraduate career with an University College Cork Entrance Scholarship and went on to achieve the title of University College Scholar of the Year in Arts/Music (First Year) in 2013, the title of College Scholar in 2014 and 2015, Highly Commended in the Undergraduate Awards, the University College Cork Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann award and a Quercus Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship. During her MA, she was awarded a Master’s Excellence Scholarship, the Staf Gebruers Memorial Award in Music and the NUI Mansion House Fund Scholarship in Irish. She was a finalist in the Bonn Óir Seán Ó Riada flute competition in 2012 and 2016. In 2015, she toured with Niall Vallely and the Vanbrugh String Quartet, playing flute for their performance of Vallely’s composition ‘Throughother' and performed at the Rauland International Winter Festival in Norway with Desi Wilkinson in February 2016. She is currently a member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland. Mairéad is in great demand as a music tutor, having taught at Scoil Éigse at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Music on the Brain in Brittany, France and around her home county of Cork, with a particular emphasis on tunes from the West Cork area.