Laoise Kelly

{{short description|Harpist, musician and traditional Irish composer}}

{{Infobox person

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Laoise Kelly

| honorific_suffix =

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Westport, Co. Mayo

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Irish

| education =

| alma_mater =

| known_for = Harp

| notable_works =}}

Laoise Kelly is a traditional Irish music composer and harpist. She won the 2020 Musician of the Year Award.

Biography

Laoise Kelly is from Westport, County Mayo. Kelly learned music from her father and began learning the harp from when she was 12. She learned from Ann-Marie Scanlon and Kim Fleming as well as John Hoban. Kelly has been described as the "most significant harper of her generation". She has founded a number of groups including Bumblebees and Fiddletree with whom she has several albums each. She has also recorded albums with a wide variety of Irish artists including Uilleann piper Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn, The Chieftains, Sharon Shannon, Mary Black, Dónal Lunny, Kate Bush, Christy Moore and American musician Tim O’Brien. She also tours with pipers, fiddlers and singers.{{cite web | title=Laoise Kelly (harp) | website=Maynooth University | date=2019-11-28 | url=https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/news-events/laoise-kelly-harp | access-date=2020-06-18}}{{cite news | last1=Falvey | first1=Deirdre | last2=Dervan | first2=Michael | last3=Siggins | first3=Lorna | title=Laoise Kelly | newspaper=The Irish Times | date=2013-03-21 | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_person=Laoise+Kelly | access-date=2020-06-18}}{{cite web | author= marty | title=Trad Week 2020 presents quintessential Irish sounds | website=Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny | date=2020-01-08 | url=http://regionalculturalcentre.com/trad-week-quintessential-irish-sounds/ | access-date=2020-06-18}}{{cite web | title=Westport's Laoise Kelly named TG4's 'Musician of the Year' | website=Midwest Radio | date=2019-11-13 | url=https://www.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/34843-westport-s-laoise-kelly-named-tg4-s-musician-of | access-date=2020-06-18}}{{cite web | title=Laoise Kelly Irish Harper | website=Information about visiting Achill Island, Co.Mayo ,Ireland | url=http://www.loveachill.com/en/achill-island/achill-island-life/achill-island-music/396-laoise-kelly-irish-harper | access-date=2020-06-18}}{{cite web | last=McMillen | first=Robert | title=Trad/roots: Gradam Ceoil TG4 Musician of the Year Laoise Kelly talks harp | website=The Irish News | date=2020-01-10 | url=http://www.irishnews.com/arts/2020/01/10/news/trad-roots-gradam-ceoil-tg4-musician-of-the-year-laoise-kelly-talks-harp-1809254/ | access-date=2020-06-18}}

Kelly lives on Achill Island and was involved in founding the new Achill International Harp Festival. Kelly is also a composer and has written music for The Abbey, Dublin and the National Theatre of Scotland when they worked together on Theatre Gu Leòr’s Scotties. She's also worked as the musical director for theatre productions which took part in the Edinburgh festival. She has won three all-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil harp competitions and the O’Carolan Harp Festival.{{cite web |title=Laoise Kelly Awarded TG4 Gradam Ceoil |url=https://journalofmusic.com/news/laoise-kelly-awarded-tg4-gradam-ceoil |website=The Journal of Music: Irish Music News, Reviews & Podcasts, Plus Music Jobs & Opportunities |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Achill International Harp Festival – 23-26 October 2020 |url=http://achillharpfestival.ie/}}{{cite web | title=MusicLee.ie | website=MusicLee.ie | url=http://www.musiclee.ie/iartists.php?id=laoisekelly | access-date=2020-06-18}}{{cite news | title=We won't harp on, but there's great trad to be had this weekend | newspaper=The Irish Times | date=2013-03-21 | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/we-won-t-harp-on-but-there-s-great-trad-to-be-had-this-weekend-1.3268666 | access-date=2020-06-18}}

Kelly has performed on TV and radio as well as for heads of state. She represented Ireland at the World Harp Festival in Paraguay.{{cite web | title=The Rolling Wave Sunday 16 February 2020 - The Rolling Wave | website=RTÉ Radio 1 | date=2020-02-16 | url=https://www.rte.ie/radio1/the-rolling-wave/programmes/2020/0216/1115705-the-rolling-wave-sunday-16-february-2020/ | access-date=2020-06-18}}