For the Gaelic resurgence to overthrow English supremacy in the 14th-16th century, see: Gaelic resurgence.

The Gaelic revival (Irish: an Athbheochan Ghaelach) was the late-nineteenth-century national revival of interest in the Irish language and Irish Gaelic culture (including folklore, sports, music, arts, etc.). Irish had diminished as a spoken tongue, remaining the main daily language only in isolated rural areas, with English as the dominant language of the majority of Ireland.

Beginnings[link]

The Young Ireland movement of the 1840s, in common with other European nationalist movements of the time, sought a new kind of national identity in the stories and myths of ancient Gaelic Ireland. This was seen in the poetry published in The Nation newspaper. The works of writers such as Thomas Davis and Thomas Moore used Gaelic themes, in the words of Kevin B. Nowlan, "to glorify the notion that although we may now be in the mire, we were once great, we were taller than Roman spears."^[1]

Sport[link]

Prior to industrialisation, sport was disorganised by modern standards with rules for ball games frequently being agreed between opposing teams on a per-game basis. The emergence of organised sport in England in the nineteenth century, where football games were played by written rules establishment by the Football Association and the Rugby Football Union, led to the soccer and rugby codes becoming popular in Britain and spreading to Ireland. The soccer code emphasised a kicking game, rugby emphasised a carrying game. The style of football that had been played in Ireland prior to this was a combination of carrying and kicking, and some people involved in the Gaelic Revival were concerned at the encroachment of the English codes that were displacing the traditional native style of football, with cricket contributing to the decline of hurling.^[2] Most prominent of these was Michael Cusack of County Clare who, along with Maurice Davin, John Wyse Power, John McKay, J. K. Bracken, Joseph O'Ryan, Thomas St. George McCarthy and several others formed the Gaelic Athletic Association. The association codified the native style of football in the form of what is now modern Gaelic football, and the rules of hurling were also codified. The Gaelic Athletic Association went on to preserve the native pastimes to the point where they were saved from extinction and to this day remain the most popular sports in Ireland.

See also[link]

• Language revival
• Celtic Revival
• Irish Literary Revival

References[link]

John Hutchinson, The Dynamics of Cultural Nationalism; The Gaelic Revival and the creation of the Irish Nation State. London, Allen and Unwin, 1987.

External links[link]

• The Revival of the Irish Language

Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
Publicity photo of Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
Background information
Born	Donnybrook, County Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Celtic, Classical
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, harp, piano
Labels	Celtic Collections Manhattan
Associated acts	Celtic Woman, Anúna
Website	Meav.com

Méav Ní Mhaolchatha (English pronunciation: /ˈmeɪv niː ˈweɪlxɑːhɑː/ MAYV nee WAYL-khah-hah) is an Irish singer and recording artist specialising in the traditional music of her homeland. She was one of the original soloists in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman. She sings in multiple languages: English, Gaelic, French and Latin.

Early life[link]

Méav was born in Donnybrook, County Dublin, Ireland, and attended an Irish-speaking school. She spent four years at Trinity College and graduated with a degree in law. She acquired a post graduate qualification in arts administration and then worked for Music Network in the organizing of cultural events.^{[citation needed]}

Family[link]

Méav has a husband named Tom and two daughters named Anna and Catherine.

Music career[link]

Between 1994 and 1998 Méav was a member of the world-renowned Irish chamber choir Anúna.^[1] With them she toured internationally and recorded four albums including Omnis, Deep Dead Blue and Behind the Closed Eye^[2]. A compilation of her work as a soloist with the choir was released in 2006 entitled Celtic Dreams^[3]. She subsequently toured the United States as a soloist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. She also toured South Africa with Lord of the Dance and gave concerts in Japan and South Korea.

Along with the other members of Celtic Woman, Méav gained musical stardom upon the ensemble's founding in 2004. Her singing is a prominent element of Celtic Woman's three CDs, Celtic Woman, Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration, and Celtic Woman: A New Journey. In 2005, Méav took maternity leave to await the birth of her first daughter, Anna. She returned to record the New Journey CD and DVD and toured extensively with the group in the US and Japan in 2006 and 2007. She has been featured in Celtic Woman: The Greatest Journey Essential Collection.

In 2007, following the filming of Celtic Woman’s Christmas DVD at the Helix, Dublin, Méav left Celtic Woman to concentrate on her solo career. She performed a series of solo concerts in New England (USA), with one recorded in New York in December 2007.

In 2009, she returned to the stage performing in her native Dublin to rave reviews. She also gave birth to her second daughter Catherine and recorded "Where the Sunbeams Play" for the Disney film Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure.

In 2010, she was a special guest of Órla Fallon's Celtic Christmas concert in Nashville singing "Do You Hear What I Hear?" in a duet with Fallon, her solo version of "O Holy Night" accompanied by harp and the finale song "Here We Come A-wassailing" with the rest of the cast including American singing stars David Archuleta and Vince Gill, recorded, aired on PBS and released on CD and DVD.

Méav will soon be part of an upcoming female musical group called "Divinas" along with Yulia Townsend and Israeli singer Rita.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Meav.com – Official website
• Meavforum.com – Official forum
• Profile at CelticWoman.com
• Méav Ní Mhaolchatha at the Internet Movie Database

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