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That the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree is an oft-stated truism, but in Aoife Scott’s case that doesn’t make it any less valid. Born into the legendary Black Family - which includes her mother, Frances, and her aunt, Mary - she has been surrounded by and immersed in music from an early age, from listening to her grandparents, mother, aunt and uncles making music around the fire, to observing the backstage workings of festivals both here and abroad. Now she is making her own way in the music business.

Aoife moved to the west coast of Ireland several years ago and her passion for the native Irish language spoken there is reflected in her choice of songs. She possesses a voice that reflects the wild western landscape: fragile one minute and forceful the next. That character-laden voice has been quietly generating a buzz amongst her fellow musicians for several years. 

Her work includes prestigious performances with some of Ireland's finest musicians and international acts including Sharon Shannon, Séamus Begley, Cherish the Ladies, Eddi Reader, Pauline Scanlon and of course the Black Family. Hers is the featured voice on the soundtrack of the acclaimed TV series 1916 Seachtar na Cásca, which aired in September 2010, and she has made appearances on the BBC’s Imeall Geal. 

In May 2011, Aoife was selected to feature on a compliation CD in aid of the Rise Foundation. The best of Irish musicians have come together on this unique album: U2, Snow Patrol, Christy Moore, Frances Black, The Coronas, Glen Hansard, Mary Black, Brian Kennedy, Mary Coughlan, Jimmy MacCarthy and  Ciara Sidine.

Recent adventures have brought her to the
London Feis, where she played a support slot to Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, amongst other acts. Over a thousand artists competed for this slot in Fastrack to Feis and Aoife described winning it as “an unbelievable thrill”. 

She had a great time competing in Liet International 2011, a multilingual alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest. She represented Ireland as a country in the competition that took place in November in Udine, in Italy.

Aoife is excited about her soon-to-be-released debut 5-track EP, which includes songs by Don Mescall and Damien Dempsey. In an era when talk is cheap, the assertion of stellar musician Sharon Shannon that the young Aoife Scott is possessed of “a great passion with a fearless attitude” should not be taken lightly.


John Murphy 63 is following