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It was through performing in Dublin that she met her husband Shaun Davey. For many years they worked together on recordings and TV and radio commercials, eventually broadening their horizons to include theatre and film. Rita has recorded songs for many films including 'Waking Ned' and the John Boorman film 'The Taylor of Panama'. Rita has performed in many venues including, London's Albert Hall, The Stad de France and the Chicago Symphony Centre, and in many countries including, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain and the United States of America.
One of Rita's most requested songs 'The Deer's Cry' was originally recorded for the closing titles of the Granada film 'Who Bombed Birmingham', a film which was instrumental in obtaining the release of the Birmingham Six. The song was later included in Shaun Davey's 'The Pilgrim' which has been performed widely - most recently in March 2003 at the Chicago Symphony Centre, Chicago. This year, as well as performing with Béal Tuinne, Rita's singing featured in a series of concerts performed with fellow musicians, Liam O'Flynn, Sean Keane, Seamus Begley, Noel Eccles and Shaun.
Buy Rita Connolly CDs online
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albums that are available as downloads "She is without doubt one of the finest female singers in Ireland today. Her clear true and unforgettable voice and versatility as a singer and songwriter make virtually impossible to categorise. This uniqueness has now become the trade mark of Rita Connolly." "Rita Connolly is one of the great guarded treasures of Irish music. An immensely gifted and evocative singer, she scarcely gets mentioned in the roll call of greats in the idiom along with Mary Black, Dolores Keane and Mary Coughlan. This is partly due to her detachment from the usual De Dannan/Planxty Irish folk hierarchy, and partly due to the relative rarity of her public adventures." "Hop aboard! This ship is sailing to the coastline -- any
coastline. Rita Connolly lifts her beautiful voice in songs of the
shores and surrounding seas. Listening to these two CDs could well
substitute for that long-needed escape to a tropical paradise. You
can feel the rhythm of the waves upon the sand, the warmth of the
sun. ... Although some of the music can be a tad heavy with the
percussion, and borders a bit on '70s pop at times, both recordings
offer a nice variety of music. There is some excellent solo work
by Michael Buckley on soprano and tenor sax, Liam O'Flynn on uilleann
pipes, Anthony Drennan on Dobro, Matthew Manning on oboe, Palle
Mikkelborg on horns, and Helen Davies on harp. "On her first solo recording, Rita Connolly has shown herself to be a skillful producer/arranger, an adept lyricist, and a soulful interpreter of songs. But at the end of the it all comes down to: The Voive. Hers is alternatingly commanding, caressing, revealing, soothing... but always magnificent." "Rita Connolly's voice was a sheer delight to listen to." "Specially written for Rita Connolly, this work (Granuaile) sets off her spellbinding voice."
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As
well as collaborations with Shaun Davey - 'Granuaile', 'The Pilgrim'
and 'The Relief of Derry Symphony'- Rita has also recorded two solo
albums on the Tara label: 'Rita Connolly', and 'Valparaiso'. She
recently recorded a new anthem for the Special Olympics world games
2003, composed by Shaun Davey, which Rita performed (with Ronan
Tynan) at the opening ceremony in Dublin's Croke Park in June 2003.
The song 'May We Never Have To Say Goodbye' also reached no. 1 in
the Irish singles charts in June 2003.
Rita's
first solo album, simply titled, Rita Connolly, was released
in 1991. The album served to underscore her ability to cross musical
borders effortlessly, on it she included songs ranging from a sea
shanty, through The Beatles to classic blues linking them all together
by the simplicity and purity with which she sings."The Vocal
and instrumental accompaniment - from such luminaries as Liam O'Flynn,
Davey Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, The Voice Squad, Noel Eccles and
Eoghan O'Neill - certainly strengthens and enriches this recording.
While a truly great singer like Connolly could doubtless rise above
uninspired accompaniment, when she's joined by Ireland's finest,
well, it's simply the difference between a good album and a fantastic
one."
Valparaiso,
her second solo album, reaches out to the world and draws themes
and musical influences from far off places but always returns to
Ireland as home. It highlights her versatility as a singer and a
songwriter and features some of her own compositions, such as the
title track Valparaiso, as well as some songs specially written
for her by Sebastion Barry and Shaun Davey and songs by Sonny Condell,
Leo O'Kelly and Irving Berlin. It also features a re-recording of
the Granuaile's 'Ripples in the Rockpools' and Shaun's 'The Quite
Land of Erin'. As with all of her work Rita delivers with a natural
ease and clarity that never fails to please an audience.