Therese McInerney hails from a little coastal townland just outside Miltown Malbay, but now lives in Ennis, Co. Clare. She grew up surrounded by Irish Culture and developed a love for Irish Traditional music, song, dance, history and the language from an early age.
An avid Traditional musician, set dancer and gaeilgeoir all through her primary school days, Therese developed her love of singing and drama during her time in Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon secondary school, where she participated in musicals and choirs.
Therese went on to study a BCL International Law Degree in University College Cork, where she volunteered in the UCC Radio Station. Therese had her own radio show on UCC98.3FM for two years for which she received a "Smedia" or National Student Media Award for Irish Radio.
In September 2016, she completed a master's in Traditional Irish Music Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music achieving first class honours where she received Tuition from some of the finest Traditional Musicians in the world.
Therese released her debut album "Down The Strand" in 2017 which incorporates her fiddle playing and singing. Therese is currently busy working on a new album to be launched in 2022 as well as teaching the next generation of musicians and singers in Co.Clare.
As well as performing regularly at several festivals and events in Ireland and abroad, entertaining at Irish Music sessions and performing at wedding ceremonies and receptions, Therese also works freelance in Irish Television. In 2017 she completed a TV Production course in The Park Studios, Dublin and since then she has worked on the production teams for RTE's Fleadh Cheoil Programme, TG4's Gradam Cheoil and in Clare FM Radio. Therese recently worked with Red Shoe Productions on programmes such as Oíche Chultúir sa Ghaeltacht and Gradam Ceoil 2021 for TG4. She is currently working on some exciting new Traditional Music productions for TG4 and RTÉ. Since 2018, Therese has her own weekly slot on Tipp FM. She presents the Galtee Sessions every Saturday night from 8-10pm. To contact Therese in relation to Tipp FM please email [email protected]. In May 2019 she also joined the West Wind team as a regular host and presents the traditional music programme every Tuesday night on Clare FM from 7-9pm ([email protected]).
Therese grew up performing with many professional Ceili Bands such as The Four Courts, The Tulla Ceili Band and the Five Counties Ceili Bands. She has several underage titles with Inis Óg Ceili Band under the leadership of Padraic O'Reilly and she was part of the Senior Ceili Band who won the 2019 All-Ireland Senior Ceili Band Title in Drogheda.
Thanks to the support of the Arts Council of Ireland, Therese produced her first podcast series "Tradcast with Therese" a traditional arts industry podcast which aims to give useful information to performers and anyone with an interest in traditional music. Available on Therese's website/ Apple Podcasts/Spotify and all your favourite podcast websites.
Therese's new duet album with Marian Curtin "The Youth That Belonged To Miltown" supported by the Arts Council of Ireland is now available to purchase on Therese's website, bandcamp as well as all the usual Traditional Music outlets. Please check the "gigs" part of the website for upcoming concert tickets. Therese can be contacted via email or Facebook for bookings. She is happy to answer any other queries you may have and looks forward to hearing from you.
CD Reviews
THERESE McINERNEY Down the Strand Own Label TM1001, 12 Tracks, 42 Minutes www.theresemcinerney.com Therese McInerney, fiddle, with Brian Donnellan, piano and bouzouki, and Sharon Howley on cello. For a debut album, this is pretty impressive stuff; it is a goodly gulp of the pure drop. If you hadn’t guessed it from the surname, Therese will soon leave you in no doubt that she’s Clare through to the bone marrow, and every reason to be proud of it. The dozen tracks include three songs with the Irish language Casadh an tSúgáin a special bonus. The times they are a-changin’ and you can hear this with the way the piano has made a comeback as accompanying instrument not just in the songs but in the reels as well. Another sign of the times is the way she gives a reference online to a classical article on bow-hold: it certainly wasn’t lost on her, as you can hear with the rock-sure tone. Her fiddle was made by Jim McKillop; one suspects it was always destined to play trad. There’s a good selection of tunes, ones like the Crib of Perches or the Connaghtman’s Rambles, with older ones like Sgt Earley’s, which she links with the title track. The sleeve notes are brief but succinctly informative, linking for example the hop jig Cucanandy with the singing of Bess Cronin. Scholarship is in evidence here in the shape of Dunphy’s hornpipe which she has transposed; it runs lightly over a rhythmic piano base, the piano adding little runs a bar or two at a time, the effect here is close to Cape Breton style fiddle and piano duets. There’s a nod to American music on Andy Statman’s famous Flatbush Waltz, deep and rich fiddle tone here. On the old Bothy Band number Do You Love an Apple Therese is backed by piano only, taking up the fiddle on the final repeated chorus, this is one of the liveliest versions of the song I have heard. The launch was nicely timed to coincide with the Ennis Fleadh, and reports are that all available copies sold out. Which is no more than deserved for a fine and natural musician. John Brophy http://www.irishmusicmagazine.com/releases-october-2017/
Folk World #64 11/17
Therese McInerney "Down the Strand" Own Label, 2017
This young West Clare fiddler and singer demonstrates a very pleasing tone on a wide range of music here. From that mecca of Clare music Miltown Malbay, she has an exquisitely smooth fiddle technique and a charming voice. Three songs and nine instrumentals is a good balance, with a fling and a couple of hornpipes alongside the jigs and reels. Therese opens with The Crib of Perches and The Maids of Castlebar, a few crunchy bowed triplets but mostly smooth as silk. A pair of her own jigs follow, plus one she poached from Finbarr Dwyer - Ahern's Egg. Even the hornpipes are soft and flowing, The Western and Dunphy's stroked and tickled by McInerney's fluid bow. The three vocal tracks span a broad spectrum: the classic ballad of bitter loss Fair and Tender Ladies, the comic Irish song Casadh an tSúgáin, and the Bothy Band tale of love in the time of squalor, Do You Love an Apple. It's great to hear Therese accompanying herself on the fiddle for the last of these: her feisty delivery fits well with the swing fiddling, conjuring an image of vaudeville performances. The Gaelic singing is sweeter, almost delicate, despite the subject matter. Brian Donnellan provides piano and bouzouki accompaniment throughout this CD, so skilfully that you'd hardly know he was there. Flatbush Waltz and Cucanandy, the fling Grandmother She and Therese's own reel Cróga - there are some unexpected treats here, as well as big reels such as Sergeant Early's Dream, The Coalminers, and the one which gives the album its title. With attractive artwork and informative notes, Down the Strand is an excellent debut from a performer and teacher who is sure to be even more in demand after this release. Therese McInerney finishes with another powerful set of reels, tamed with ease: Maude Millar's, Lough Mountain, and The Boys of Ballinahinch, trotting demurely like well-schooled ponies.