Ciara as a member of BIIRD

It looks like there are only 8 members of BIIRD now, according to this article. (It was 11 before.)

https://www.rrampt.com/event/biird-canada-and-usa-tour

That’s kind of sad. Maybe they just forgot to mention the others??

Who exactly did we lose and what instruments did they play? I hope the Shruti box player is still around. Do any BIIRD connoisseurs know?

So it seems that the three missing members are

1. Aisling Sage, who plays fiddle and whose collaborations include Lord Of The Dance. Here’s the BIIRD post introducing her https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ldhc9M2CZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/aisling_sage?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== This is her account. She’s still tagged BIIRD in her bio but it seems she’s touring with someone else this summer.

2. Claire Loughran, who plays fiddle and harp (which it seems as though every member of BIIRD plays, even if not with the group?). Here’s BIIRD’s post introducing her: https://www.instagram.com/p/C51JZm2siJx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

And https://www.instagram.com/claire_lough?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== is her Instagram. She also has BIIRD tagged in her bio and her last post was with them. So I don’t know what that’s about.

3. Aoife Kelly, who plays cello and—you guessed it!—fiddle. Interestingly, on their post introducing her (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5_a7wQMx8r/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link), BIIRD mentioned that members would come and go, so maybe she was never intended to be with them for long. The cello is lovely, though, so that is kind of a shame. At least the Shruti box player is here.

Aoife (https://www.instagram.com/aoifekmusic_?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) does not have BIIRD tagged in her bio, and her latest post didn’t mention them at all, so that ship might have sailed.


I also noticed that the article mentioned a member, Laura Doherty, who I believe normally goes by Laura Jo, but they might have replaced her with someone also named Laura…? But I think they’re the same person.


You know, BIIRD’s post mentioning how they’re a collective says they want to amplify traditional Irish musicians everywhere, and their drummer is Dutch…maybe I have a chance at joining BIIRD someday 🤔

@stars_at_dawn
Oh wow. Thanks for the research. I think you are the resident expert on BIIRD then. I am also wondering if maybe some of the girls don't want to tour, but maybe will rejoin when back in Ireland.

@CWazyTom
I was also looking at the tour stops. It's interesting b/c it's a mix of:
- opening for Ed Sheeran
- Irish Fests
- bars / clubs
Hmm...

@stars_at_dawn
Oh wow. Thanks for the research. I think you are the resident expert on BIIRD then. I am also wondering if maybe some of the girls don't want to tour, but maybe will rejoin when back in Ireland.

Oh, thank you! That’s a good insight on touring…do we know who all toured with Ed Sheeran?

It seems that there’s been more members who have at least collaborated with BIIRD. They’ve following 15 people, and minus @absolutelilt, which is a collaboration between members Lisa and Niamh. I think before Hannah was their drummer, someone named Siân Monaghan (https://www.instagram.com/siany_drumsutm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) served that role.

And it seems that Laura Jo and Laura Doherty are in fact different people (https://www.instagram.com/_lauradoherty_?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==). I think the latter has been a member longer than Laura Jo has, though, as she played guitar in one of their music videos.

I believe Nicole Lonergan is a newer member as well (https://www.instagram.com/nicolelonergan_?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==).

I do wish BIIRD would announce each new member, though. Things have gotten confusing 😭.

Here is a recent article about BIIRD.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/donal-lynch-spice-girls-of-trad-teach-us-that-in-a-world-of-streaming-live-music-is-what-we-really-really-want/a/151629171.html

There are a couple of interesting things mentioned inside.

- Author opinion from an Irish perspective on CW:

Though something of a niche act here at home, their popularity in the US had been hugely amplified by their appearances on PBS.
Irish traditional music has periodically been treated here as either a heritage artefact or a tourist product – yet abroad, it continues to function as something much more alive.

- Author on the music industry.

She and BIIRD have proven that modern fame is no longer built in the same way it was even 15 years ago. In an earlier era, a group without an album might have struggled to be taken seriously by the industry. Now the energy has shifted away from recordings and towards experience.

- Lisa Canny opinion on CW & other acts:

“There are these incredible shows that tour the world, like Riverdance and Celtic Woman and Lord of the Dance, but the representation of women in these groups is still very much outdated,”

Here is a recent article about BIIRD.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/donal-lynch-spice-girls-of-trad-teach-us-that-in-a-world-of-streaming-live-music-is-what-we-really-really-want/a/151629171.html


- Lisa Canny opinion on CW & other acts:

“There are these incredible shows that tour the world, like Riverdance and Celtic Woman and Lord of the Dance, but the representation of women in these groups is still very much outdated,”

That seems odd to me…LOTD and Riverdance I understand, but how does Celtic Woman display an outdated representation of women? 😭 I’m asking this as a young woman and feminist myself.

I guess maybe in the earlier days, there was a more idealistic portrayal of the singers, and even today, it’s not as though you’re going to hear the nitty-gritty of the members’ personal lives, but still, I don’t really see how there’s a super unrealistic representation of women in their brand.

Here is a recent article about BIIRD.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/donal-lynch-spice-girls-of-trad-teach-us-that-in-a-world-of-streaming-live-music-is-what-we-really-really-want/a/151629171.html


- Lisa Canny opinion on CW & other acts:

“There are these incredible shows that tour the world, like Riverdance and Celtic Woman and Lord of the Dance, but the representation of women in these groups is still very much outdated,”

That seems odd to me…LOTD and Riverdance I understand, but how does Celtic Woman display an outdated representation of women? 😭 I’m asking this as a young woman and feminist myself.

I guess maybe in the earlier days, there was a more idealistic portrayal of the singers, and even today, it’s not as though you’re going to hear the nitty-gritty of the members’ personal lives, but still, I don’t really see how there’s a super unrealistic representation of women in their brand.

I take it "outdated" means conservative in dress & presentation. The music is similar.

Yeah, I don't get that comment or the need for it. Maybe it is just for attention. But you can do that w/o being negative. There is plenty of room in the music industry for different styles & approaches.

Here is a recent article about BIIRD.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/donal-lynch-spice-girls-of-trad-teach-us-that-in-a-world-of-streaming-live-music-is-what-we-really-really-want/a/151629171.html


- Lisa Canny opinion on CW & other acts:

“There are these incredible shows that tour the world, like Riverdance and Celtic Woman and Lord of the Dance, but the representation of women in these groups is still very much outdated,”

That seems odd to me…LOTD and Riverdance I understand, but how does Celtic Woman display an outdated representation of women? 😭 I’m asking this as a young woman and feminist myself.

I guess maybe in the earlier days, there was a more idealistic portrayal of the singers, and even today, it’s not as though you’re going to hear the nitty-gritty of the members’ personal lives, but still, I don’t really see how there’s a super unrealistic representation of women in their brand.

I take it "outdated" means conservative in dress & presentation. The music is similar.

Yeah, I don't get that comment or the need for it. Maybe it is just for attention. But you can do that w/o being negative. There is plenty of room in the music industry for different styles & approaches.

Yeah, that still seems like a weird comment to make. And I feel that the only way the music is that "conservative" is how they sometimes change the pronouns from male to female when singing traditional love song (Scarborough Fair, Down By The Salley Gardens, and the 2021 version of Black Is The Colour--Postcards From Ireland really dropped the ball on that part), which is annoying (especially in Down By The Salley Gardens, because swapping the POV really removed the emotional impact of the song), but there's even more songs that don't change them (all versions of She Moved Through The Fair, Carolina Rua, the original Black Is The Colour, The Lakes of Pontchartrain, to name a few), so I don't think that's fair. And although it is great that artists like BIIRD can create this space for women in folk music who don't fit the traditional mould, it feels weird to put down other women for that.