With the release of her long-overdue debut solo album No Dowry in 1999, the world was reminded of the power of Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill's vocals. Although she had hinted at her strengths as a member of Skara Brae, a Gaelic-language ensemble that she shared with her brother Michael O'Domhnaill, sister Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, and multi-instrumentalist Daithi Sproule, Ní Dhomhnaill had maintained a low profile since the group's demise in the early '80s. A native of Rann na Feireste (Ranafast), County Donegal, Ní Dhomhnaill was raised in Kells, County Meath. Music played an essential role in her early family life. Her father and aunt were avid collectors of traditional Irish folk songs. ~ Craig Harris