Katie McMahon

Katie McMahon is probably best known for her exquisite soaring soprano solo in the original Riverdance single, which topped the charts in Ireland for three months. Her voice was described by the Irish Times as "poetry, perfection and purity". Before her work in Riverdance Katie, a born and bred Dubliner, was classically trained in voice and harp and studied Italian and Drama Studies in Trinity College. During a break from her studies, Katie joined the vocal group Anuna and is a featured soloist on their first two CDs. Bill Whelan (Riverdance composer) heard her perform with Anuna and asked her to sing the solo in the interval piece at the Eurovision. This of course went on to become the hugely successful show Riverdance and Katie toured the world with them for five years as their lead vocalist. While touring in America, she met her husband Ben Craig and has made her home in Minnesota for the past three years. During this time she has formed her own band and troupe of Irish dancers. They are in great demand all over the States and play Irish traditional music with a Classical edge. Two of the many celebrities who have enjoyed Katie's performances are President Clinton and Bono (U2), who pulled her aside afterwards and kindly told her that she had "an amazing voice". She has released three critically acclaimed solo CDs: After the Morning, Shine and Celtic Christmas, which are available in the States and from this site (just click on Music). In November 2007 she released her fourth solo CD St. Patrick's Day, a celebration of St. Patrick and all things Irish. Recently, Katie was awarded best folk and acoustic artist by the Minnesota Music Academy. She has also been touring the world with the group Secret Garden as their lead singer & harpist. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.