Born in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Kennedy grew up steeped in the rich history and sound of traditional Irish music, where she played in the award winning ceilidh band Ceoltoiri Oga Oghrialla. In 1995, Kennedy moved to Scotland and co-founded the highly recognized trio Fine Friday. As a member of Fine Friday Kennedy toured extensively in support of Gone Dancing (2002) and Mowing the Machair (2004), both critically acclaimed albums. In addition to Fine Friday, Kennedy occasionally sits in with the Celtic big band The Unusual Suspects, has been a member of Harem Scarem, a contemporary/pop Celtic group, with whom she toured the UK and Ireland alongside Will Oldham (also know as Bonnie Prince Billy, the popular American folk-poet and hipster icon). She also currently plays with Anam, a well-established traditional group focusing primarily on Gaelic songs.
In 2005 Nuala was awarded a scholarship to complete an immersion course in Scottish Gaelic and returned for a fourth year as a soloist to the Celtic Colours International Festival in October 2006. She has developed strong links with Cape Breton and the music and people there. She was the recipient of the 2006 UK Thyne Scholarship to investigate living composers in Cape Breton. Nuala also collaborated with contemporary flutist Jane Rigler in New York in January 2006 and some of their music appears on ‘The New Shoes’.
When she is not in the studio or on the road, Kennedy is a much sought after teacher and she has earned several scholarships and various academic accolades.
She has tutored at the Boxwood Flute School, for Newcastle University, worked for Channel 4 ‘ideas factory’, teaches regularly for Feisean Nan Gaidheal and for ABC, an innovative new creative music program.
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