The Friel Sisters

The Friel Sisters, Anna, Sheila and Clare Friel are traditional musicians born in Glasgow, Scotland with their family roots firmly entrenched in the Donegal Gaeltacht in North West Ireland. They play a mixture of music interspersed with songs in English and Irish, many from their family repertoire. Being siblings, they achieve a close blend on fiddle, flute and uilleann pipes. They have played all over the world in various venues and festivals and appeared on stage and toured with acts such as Altan, The Chieftains, Lúnasa, Sharon Shannon, The Máirtín O’Connor Trio, Cherish the Ladies and Solas. The girls have won many prestigious titles and competitions over the years, most recently Clare receiving the huge honour of TG4 Young Musician of the Year in Ireland.

The Friel Sisters will be joined by Marty Barry, guitar player and singer from Banbridge, Co Down and Cathal Ó Curráin, bouzouki player and singer from Gaoth Dobhair, near the girls family home in Donegal who was recently awarded Best Emerging Artist for 2022 at the RTÉ Folk Awards in Dublin.

★★★★ – The Irish Times
“Fresh and invigorating” – Boston Irish Reporter
“Forthright, assured, energetic” – Songlines
“Natural raw talent delivered with passion and confidence by three sublimely gifted musicians” – Tradconnect
“Anna, Sheila and Clare are, without doubt, among the brightest musical prospects on the horizon of traditional music” – Living Tradition
“They breathe music, they live music, they love music. Traditional Irish music is in a richer place for having these young genuine people carry it on to future generations.” - Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh of Altan