Peadar Ó Riada is a composer, musician, choir director, and broadcaster. He has been the director of Cór Cúil Aodha since 1971 and holds a BMus from UCC (1976). Ó Riada is the founder of the women’s choir Cor Ban Cúil Aodha (1985) and has co-founded traditional music groups such as Triúr (with Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh), The Drole, and served as director of Ceoltóirí Chualann. He is also known for his collaborations with artists like Wajahat Khan. Living in the Cúil Aodha Gaeltacht since childhood, his contributions include 17 published CDs of original music, compositions for orchestra, radio, theatre, film, and numerous traditional Irish music pieces. His liturgical music is extensively studied, and he has authored books on Sean Nós, children’s stories, and music compositions. Ó Riada has performed internationally and is active in community development, founding Acadamh Fódhla in 2000.

Image by Craig Carry