Celtic Woman Forum

The Cast => Ciara Ní Mhurcú => Topic started by: CWazyTom on September 08, 2025, 08:00:01 PM

Title: Let's Meet Ciara
Post by: CWazyTom on September 08, 2025, 08:00:01 PM
Fiddle player Ciara Ní Mhurchú from Dublin has been steeped in traditional Irish culture her whole life. As a teenager she represented Ireland in European Folk Festivals in Germany, France and Portugal & competed in Music and Irish Dancing on an international level at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and the World Irish Dancing Championships winning two gold All Ireland Fleadh Medals and two top 10 World Medals.

She has performed for hundreds of audiences across the globe with productions such as Dance Masters, Gaelforce Dance, Fusion Fighters and Rhythm of the Dance, Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, Celtic Thunder and Riverdance. She appeared alongside Lindsay Lohan playing fiddle in the 2024 movie An Irish Wish. She is also a member of BIIRD.

FAQ:

Q: How do you pronounce her name?
A: KEE-ra Nee WOOr-koo (or WOOR-kHoo)

Mh: This is silent in this context.
u: Pronounced like the "oo" in "food".
r: Similar to the "r" in the English word "red," but it's a voiced alveolar flap.
cú: The "c" is a hard "k" sound, and the final "ú" is a long "oo" sound, like in "food", although some sources indicate the k can be pronounced like an "h" with hocking sound (the sound you make when trying to spit from the throat, although I think it's an "sh" that's used to represent that sound in Irish.

Note: The pronounciation is a best guess by Google AI, which came back with different guesses on different tries. It may also differ by region.

Q: What does her name mean?
A: Ciara (dark-haired), Ní (daughter of), Mhurcú (sea warrior, anglicized as Murphy)


Sources:

https://www.celticwoman.com/news/announcing-two-new-members-of-celtic-woman-/
Title: Re: Let's Meet Ciara
Post by: CWazyTom on September 14, 2025, 06:26:29 PM
I added some info about her name. My confidence in pronouncing the name isn't too high, but hopefully I'm close.