Eimear Quinn

Eimear Quinn, born in Ireland and crowned winner of the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest, first attracted notice in 1995 as a participant in the Irish medieval chorale ensemble Anúna. Her voice appears on two of the group’s recordings, Omnis and Deep Dead Blue. During one of their engagements at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, songwriter Brendan Graham offered her “The Voice,” a piece composed expressly for the Irish Eurovision selection process. The song prevailed in both the national contest and the international final. After exiting Anúna in 1996, Quinn pursued an independent path that emphasized live appearances for the next five years and yielded only the EP Winter, Fire and Snow. Throughout that interval she also prepared her debut album, Through the Lens of a Tear, issued in 2001. Former Clannad musician Pól Brennan produced the record and contributed to its compositions. The release drew the interest of Sir George Martin, who placed her under contract with his publishing company and introduced her to pianist Sarah Class. She later maintained an extensive association with Steve Willaert, and a 2003 project with piper Carlos Núñez produced the Spanish hit single “Yann Derrien.” The next year she joined Liam Lawton on his album Another World and its accompanying single “Voice of an Angel,” both of which enjoyed widespread success. A number of these joint recordings later appeared on the 2006 compilation Gatherings.