Niamh McKinney is a singer-songwriter from Wicklow. Having kept notebooks of poetry since childhood, she started writing songs out of the blue one day and wrote twelve in quick succession. Unsure as to the nature of what she had composed during this first creative burst, a form of validation came a month later when she won the Allingham Songwriting Competition with one of those first songs she wrote.
Poetically rich – both lyrically and melodically – her heart-rending songs draw on stories and life experience, captivating by way of their ethereal sense of urgency and foreboding. Her melodies and lyrics are inspired by the beauty of the rural landscapes of Wicklow where she grew up and still lives.
Niamh writes her songs acapella. Her musical partner and husband Stephen McKinney then intuitively crafts evocative accompaniment which interweaves seamlessly with the songs, complementing their haunting quality. The pair have evolved an enormously creative partnership over the past five years.