Kíla
Rónán Ó Snodaigh
Background information
Origin	Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Irish folk music, World music
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Kíla Records
Associated acts	The Frames, Hothouse Flowers
Website	www.kila.ie
Members
Rossa Ó Snodaigh Rónán Ó Snodaigh Colm Ó Snodaigh Dee Armstrong Eoin Dillon Seanán Brennan Brian Hogan

Kíla are an Irish folk music/World music group, originally formed in 1987 in the Irish Language secondary school, Coláiste Eoin in County Dublin.

Band history[link]

The band's first gig was upstairs in the Baggott Inn, Dublin, a gig that was attended by three people.^[1] The original lineup for the band was Eoin Dillon (uileann pipes), Colm Mac Con Iomaire (fiddle), Rossa Ó Snodaigh (whistle, bones), Rónán Ó Snodaigh (bodhrán), Karl Odlum (bass), and David Odlum (guitar). Colm Ó Snodaigh, the brother of Rónán and Rossa, joined the band before the first recordings were made. Rónán, Rossa, and Colm Ó Snodaigh are sons of publisher Pádraig Ó Snodaigh and artist Cliodna Cussen and are brothers of Irish TD, Aengus Ó Snodaigh.

In 1991, Colm Mac Con Iomaire and Dave Odlum left Kíla to join The Frames, an Irish rock band. In the same year, Dee Armstrong and Eoin O'Brien joined the band as replacements. Dave Reidy also joined as a lead guitarist, though he emigrated to San Francisco a year later. Karl was then replaced by Ed Kelly on bass who emigrated to Scotland a little over a year after the recording Mind the Gap in 1994. Eoin O'Brien was replaced by Lance Hogan. Laurence O Keefe filled in temporarily on bass until Brian Hogan assumed that position prior to recording Tóg É Go Bog É.

In 2003, in a review of their album Luna Park, Kila's blend of Irish traditional music and World Music with a modern rock sensibility was credited with breathing new life into contemporary Irish folk music.^[2]

In 2009, Donegal guitarist Seanan Brennan joined the band to replace Lance who was on a sabbatical. He has remained with the band since then bringing an electric guitar to the line up for the first time since Eoin O'Brien was a member. He made his first appearance with Kíla in early January of that year on a televised version of Leath ina Dhiaidh a hOcht.

In 2008 Kíla recorded The Ballad of Ronnie Drew with U2, Shane McGowan, Glen Hansard, Damien Dempsey, The Dubliners and a host of other artists. With proceeds going to The Irish Cancer Society, the single spent two weeks on top of the Irish Singles Chart. The song was later included on a U2.com only, album of collaborations that U2 recorded with other artists - Duals (2012).

Kila have played at many festivals around the world, including Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, Electric Picnic, Womadelaide, Glastonbury, Féile an Dóilín, St. Chartier and the Stockholm Water Festival. All members of the group participate in composing and arranging Kila's songs.

The band collaborated with French composer Bruno Coulais on the soundtrack of The Secret of Kells, an animated film by the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. The film was nominated for best animated film at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010. That same year their music was heavily featured in two other feature films - Maeve Murphy's controversial "Beyond the Fire" and Ciarán O'Connor's Trafficked. Kila's music also features in the award winning documentary film "Fight or Flight".

In late 2011, Kíla published their long awaited Book of Tunes. Comprising over 100 of their compositions and lavishly decorated with photos, poems & prose, the book was a huge success, being described as 'a masterpiece' by Seán Laffey from Irish Music Magazine. The publication of the book ended a fine year for Kíla in style. Through this year they played three sell-out shows in Harare, Zimbabwe at the HIAFA festival, played at the Possibilities conference that welcomed the Dali Lama to Ireland and played the inaugural concert in Temple Bar Meeting House Square, under the elegant retractable canopies, two days before Christmas.

Current members[link]

• Rossa Ó Snodaigh has performed at numerous drumming workshops, raves and dance classes and has recorded with many other bands. He plays many instruments but concentrates on percussion. He has organized the Irish language tent at the Electric Picnic and founded a Gaelscoil (Irish speaking national school) in his local area, Cluainín Uí Ruairc/Manorhamilton. He also set up the Speaker’s Square in Dublin’s Temple Bar area.
• Rónán Ó Snodaigh continues to develop his bodhrán playing. He toured with Dead Can Dance in the 1990s. Since DCD's Spiritchaser tour in 1996, he has focused his energies on Kíla and his solo work. He released his fifth solo album in ten years in 2010, Water Off a Duck's Back. His latest book of poetry, "The Garden Wars", was published in 2007. In 2010, he composed the background music for two episodes of RTÉ's 4-part documentary, "The Eagles Return".
• Colm Ó Snodaigh joined the band in 1988, on the occasion of Kíla's first festival appearance, at the European Youth Music Festival, held in Bonn, Germany. Giving (2007), a follow-up to his first solo album, Éist (1990) was described by Hot Press as a work of "true beauty" and featured contributions from Hot House Flowers, Liam Ó Maonlaí and Fiachna Ó Braonáin, saxophonist Richie Buckley and Lisa Hannigan. His first novella, Pat the Pipe - Píobaire, was published in 2007. He translated a children's book, Céal agus an Buachaill Gorm in 2008 and he is currently working on a book about civil disobedience in Corca Dhuibhne and on his next solo album, which is scheduled for release in 2011.
• Dee Armstrong is a daughter of classical musicians Gillian and Lindsey Armstrong. She has illustrated a number of book covers, designed sets for plays and has worked with street theater company Macnas. Dee has recorded with other musical artists (Bobbie Lee, The Clay Dolls) and is currently working on a solo album scheduled for release in 2011.
• Eoin Dillon is a piper with a unique style. Originally a cabinet maker, he taught woodwork on Tory Island before embarking on an apprenticeship with pipe maker Cillian Ó Briain. He is a composer and a Dublin music session organizer. Eoin has released 2 albums of his own, The Third Twin (2005) and The Golden Mean (2010).
• Seanan Brennan, a native of Rossnowlagh, is a guitarist and mandola player, formerly a member of the groups Boxty and Georgia. During his days off he serves tea and bakes cakes in his mother's tea shop in Rossnowlagh.
• Brian Hogan followed his brother Lance into the band in 1996 having guested with Kila in a tour of the southwest of Ireland in December 1993. Brian has toured and recorded with several bands such as the Eurostar Band. He has illustrated a number of books, including Rossa's "Joy of Pissing", and has recently been designing sleeves for CD's. His side project band Preachers Son released their first single "X for Sandra" in March 2010 followed by their début album Love, Life & Limb later that year.. He is currently working on the follow up album. Brian and Lance are sons of folk singer Larry Hogan and artist Róisín Daly.

Emeritus members[link]

• Colm Mac Con Iomaire was a founding member who left in 1991 to join Glan Hansard and The Frames. Following Glan and Marketa Irglova's success with the soundtrack John Carney's film Once Colm joined the touring band for the film music, The Swell Season. In 2008 he released his own solo album The Hare's Corner/Cúinne an Ghiorria to wide spread acclaim. He is currently working on the follow up.
• Ed Kelly moved to Scotland having toured with the band for a number of years and having recorded Mind the Gap with the group. He is an active musician on the Scottish Jazz circuit.
• Lance Hogan was born in Limerick in 1969 and grew up in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. He is a music producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured with Dead Can Dance and has worked with U2 and Oscar winning director Neil Jordan. In the studio he has produced five gold albums and one platinum album. He recently produced the Trouble Makers' remake of the Horslips' song "Trouble With A Capital T" for a music TV Series "The Raw Sessions". The song was also released as a single with all profits going to the Irish Youth Foundation charity. Lance's most recent composition work was for the Finnish feature film "Lapland Odyssey".
• Eoin O'Brien
• Dave Odlum
• Karl Odlum
• David Reidy

Images[link]

Rónán Ó Snodaigh

Eoin Dillon

Colm Ó Snodaigh

Rossa Ó Snodaigh

Brian Hogan

Discography[link]

Albums as Kíla[link]

• Groovin' - 8-track cassette (1991)
• Handel's Fantasy (1993)
• Mind the Gap (1995)
• Tóg É Go Bog É (1997)
• Lemonade & Buns (2000)
• Live in Vicar St. (2000)
• Monkey - soundtrack to West End pantomime (2002)
• Luna Park (2003)
• Live in Dublin (2004)
• Best of & Live in Dublin (double album) - Japan only (2005)
• Another Beat - remixed Kíla tracks by Japanese artists - Japan only (2006)
• Kíla & Oki - with Oki (2006)
• Gamblers' Ballet (2007)
• The Secret of Kells - film soundtrack, with Bruno Coulais (2009)
• Rogha - The Best Of (2009) - a 2-CD collection
• Soisín (2010)

Singles as Kíla[link]

• Ón Taobh Tuathail Amach (1997)
• Tóg é go Bog é - Live Christmas single (2002)
• Glanfaidh Mé - radio edit (2003)
• An Tiománaí - with Heatwave (2005)
• Tóg é go Bog é - with Oki (2005)
• hAon Dó & Ní Liom Féin - with Oki - radio edits (2006)
• Half Eight/Leath ina dhiaidh a hOcht - radio edit (2007)
• Cabhraigí Léi/Nothing Changes Around Here - Remixes with The Thrills giveaway with Hot Press (2007)
• The Ballad of Ronnie Drew - with U2, The Dubliners & A Band of Bowsies (2008)
• Cardinal Knowledge - radio edit (2009)

Solo[link]

• Éist - Colm Ó Snodaigh (1990)
• Tip Toe - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2001)
• Tonnta Ró - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2003)
• The Playdays - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2004)
• The Third Twin - Eoin Dillon (2005)
• The Last Mile Home - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2007)
• Giving - Colm Ó Snodaigh (2007)
• The Golden Mean - Eoin Dillon, Steve Larkin, Des Cahalan & Frank Tate (2010)
• Love, Life & Limb - Preachers Son (Brian Hogan) (2010)
• Water Off a Duck's Back - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2011
• Ten Stories Tall - Preachers Son (Brian Hogan) (2012)

DVDs as Kíla[link]

• Live in Vicar St - bonus dvd with Luna Park (2003)
• Kíla 'Once Upon a Time' - Concert Film filmed in Vicar St Dublin (2008)

Books[link]

• Turasóireacht (short stories) - Colm Ó Snodaigh (1995)
• Luascadán (collection of Rónán's song lyrics in Irish) - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2004)
• Songs (collection of Rónán's song lyrics in English) - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2004)
• The Joy of Pissing (humorous insights into pissing) - Rossa Ó Snodaigh aka Professor Jimmy Riddle & illustrated by Brian Hogan (2006)
• Pat The Pipe - Píobaire (novella) - Colm Ó Snodaigh (2007)
• The Garden Wars (poetry) - Rónán Ó Snodaigh (2007)
• Céal & an Buachaill Gorm (children's story) - Sandy Fitzgerald - translated to Irish Colm Ó Snodaigh (2008)
• Cliúsaíocht as Gaeilge/ Making Out in Irish (Phrase book) - Rossa Ó Snodaigh (2010)
• Leabhar Foinn - Kíla - Book of Tunes (Music book) - Kíla (2011)
• Our Fada - Rossa Ó Snodaigh & Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (2012)

References[link]

1. ^ Kicking it with Kíla: ThePost.ie
2. ^ bbc Kila Luna Park Review

External links[link]

• Kila.ie, Kíla's official website.
• IrishMusicDB information
• Musical Rooms Part 13; Kíla, by Sinéad Gleeson, February 18th, 2008
• Ón Taobh tuathail Amach & The Dream I Haven't Showed Her, Rónán Ó Snodaigh performance on Other Voices RTÉ 2002
• Review of Kíla & Oki by Jamie Rowland, Pennyblackmusic, March 2007
• Review of Kíla at The Electric Picnic 2008 by Jan Ní fhlanagáin, Cluas.com, September 2008
• Excerpt of an article about Kíla by Donald Mahoney 2007
• Article on Kíla by Martin Murphy in The Epoch Times Sept 2007.
• Article by Nadine O Regan about Kíla & Oki in The Sunday Business Post 13 August 2006.
• Kíla concert review by Neil King in September 2009.
• Kíla concert preview by Roger levesque in The Edmonton Journal in August 2011.
• Kíla Book of Tunes review in Folkworld.de March 2012.