256. Gearóidín Bhreathnach: Sean-nós, Song & Story
5 November 2026
About This Episode
Recorded at Oideas Gael in County Donegal, this conversation moves between English and Gaeilge as singer, storyteller and composer Gearóidín Bhreathnach reflects on a life shaped by song and story.
Gearóidín talks about learning from her parents: her father, storyteller Neidí Frainc Mac Grianna, and her mother, a singer whose songs stayed with her from childhood. She explains how sean-nós is learned through listening, how ornamentation and improvisation change with the singer and audience, and why the distinct traditions of Ireland’s Gaeltacht regions matter.
She also discusses her three Corn Uí Riada wins, her work teaching at Oideas Gael, and the family songs and stories she hopes to pass on to future generations. The conversation includes two songs: an opening song rooted in folklore about a woman of the sí, and “An Draighneán Donn” (“The Blackthorn Bush”), which her mother taught her.
Gearóidín Bhreathnach
Gearóidín Bhreathnach is a sean-nós singer, storyteller, composer and educator from Rann na Feirste (Ranafast), County Donegal. Influenced by her father, storyteller Neidí Frainc Mac Grianna, and her mother, a singer, she has spent decades sharing Donegal’s songs and stories. She has won Corn Uí Riada three times - in 1996, 2004 and 2024 - and teaches sean-nós at Oideas Gael.