Short Bio:

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Mary Mc Laughlin has been performing, teaching writing and recording original and traditional songs (in both English and Gaelic) for many years.
Mary appears on over twelve recordings including the highly acclaimed releases Celtic Voices (Narada label), Celtic Requiem (Windham Hill label) and Daughter of Lir (Gourd Music label). She was also the featured singer on Michael Whalen's score for the PBS special Lost Liners in 2000. In 2002 Mary's instructional Book / CD set Singing in Irish Gaelic was published by Mel Bay.
Crystal Shoe (2004) is Mary's latest recording and not only does this CD showcase her songwriting and lavish vocals but also features such musical luminaries as Radim Zenkl and Robin Bullock.

Longer Bio: (200 Words)

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Mary Mc Laughlin began studying the Irish language at the age of eleven in the Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish- speaking area). Upon moving to London, England, at the age of eighteen, she pursued joint careers, performing as a singer and teaching in special education.
In 1995 she acquired a Certificate of Music Education from Trinity College, London. That same year in the USA, three of her songs opened the acclaimed Narada Celtic Voices album which reached #3 in the Billboard world music charts.

Mary moved to the USA in 1997 where she recorded another album, Celtic Requiem, which was released in 1998 on the Windham Hill label. Her album Daughter of Lir was released in the USA by Gourd Music in 1999. In 2000, she contributed to the soundtrack of a PBS special, Lost Liners, composed by Michael Whalen.

Her book Singing in Irish Gaelic was published in 2002 by Mel Bay Publishing. This Book/CD set is geared towards non-Gaelic speakers and has a phonetic/aural approach.

Mary's latest CD Crystal Shoe was released in the summer of 2004. This project not only showcases Mary's writing, which reflects her life - long interest in mythology, but it is also her most lavish production to date. 
Mary's richly layered and interweaving vocals are supported by some of the top acoustic musicians working in the USA today, including the award winning Robin Bullock (guitar, cittern, electric bass), and U.S. mandolin champion Radim Zenkl (mandolin, bouzouki, guitar, flutes).
International percussionist Heidrun Hoffman with Gourd Music's own Barry Phillips on cello, and Neal Hellman on dulcimer complete the line-up.

Mary currently performs, teaches and leads workshops in singing skills, performance craft and Irish traditional songs (in both English and Gaelic). Her popularity as an instructor at adult summer camps continues to grow and she taught at five such summer camps in 2004.

Mary Mc Laughlin’s recordings can be obtained from Gourd Music, tel: (831) 425-4939 /
fax (831) 459-7450 / www.gourd.com