Iarla O Lionaird was born into a world of song in Cuil Aodha, a small, Irish-speaking enclave in west Cork. His mother and grandmother were all known singers in the sean nos, unaccompanied style. His grand aunt Elizabeth Cronin was recorded in the 1940s by Alan Lomax, the American archivist of folk and blues. He was one of twelve children of the local schoolmaster, and his brothers and sisters sang, too.
As a child, he joined Seán Ó Riada’s choir, first performing publicly at five years of age. In 1996, he appeared on the first of six albums with the Afro Celt Sound System. He has also recorded several solo albums during his career. In 2011, he joined the trad supergroup The Gloaming.
