Ciara Ní Bhriain started learning violin with Young European Strings at age three. At age 12, she began studying viola at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Chatham Row.  She later pursued her studies on viola with David O’Doherty in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), where she was also studying Irish and concert harp with the wonderful Denise Kelly. 

Coming from a musical family, Ciara has had the opportunity to perform internationally with her dad Mick, and with her siblings. Ciara performed as soloist with the Irish Memory Orchestra at the Jeonju International Music Festival in South Korea and has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning producer Judith Sherman on a recording of Dave Flynn’s ‘Stories from the Old World’.

Ciara has toured with artists including Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, Birkin Tree, Carlos Nunez, and Frankie Gavin and the Provenance. She spent two years as resident performer with her band TradGad at Raglan Road, in Disneyland Florida. More recently, Ciara performed as soloist with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, performing The Princess Grace Suite, composed by Frankie Gavin. A little closer to home, Ciara completed a tour of Ireland in 2022 with Johnny Óg Connolly, performing his composition, An Cosán Draíochta. Solo performances by Ciara include a recent appearance at Ardán at The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre, a series curated by Louise Mulcahy highlighting emerging female traditional musicians.

Ciara is currently studying Audio Production and Music Project Management at Dublin’s Sound Training College. She continues to teach both fiddle and harp, including at DCU’s St Patrick’s Campus. Ciara can be heard regularly on Irish radio and television, most recently appearing on TG4’s Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy.

A founder member of the IMO aged just 15, Ciara has since performed in Moscow and South Korea with us. She assumed lead fiddle duties on our South Korean tour.