Josephine Mulvenna

Josephine Mulvenna is a singer and actor from Belfast. Her childhood rooted in Irish song and dance, she was involved in Fleadh Cheoil, Feis and Scor, was a student of the Belfast School of Music, a member of the Ulster Youth Theatre and a graduate of the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Wales.

With her repertoire of Irish traditional, folk and ballad music, Josephine has performed on ‘Corner House’ (BBC/RTE), ‘11th Hour’(BBC), ‘The Kelly Show’ (UTV) on several occasions and sang on ‘Cula’(TG4) on location in Belfast and recently RTE television’s ‘Fleadh Cheoil’ series produced by Forefront Productions from Letterkenny in County Donegal.
Performing in the ‘Rhythm of the Celts’ produced by Jim Aiken she was the solo Irish singer in the Celtic production at the Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre in Scotland and travelled to Boston U.S.A. where she sang at a Belfast Trade Mission as part of a musical contingent under the direction of the late BBC Producer Tony McAuley, sang for the Irish Cultural Centre, gigged at McGann’s, the Burren and on local radio. At home Josephine has performed at the Belfast Festival at Queens supporting Kieran Goss at the Whitla Hall and both Beginish and Joe Burke at the festival Folk Club. Josephine has gigged at the Front Page and Kitchen Bar in Belfast performed at the Northern Lights Festival in Ballycastle, Feile an Phobail, An Chultúrlann Belfast, at Whelan’s, Harcourt Hotel, and Chief O’Neill’s in Dublin.

Josephine will perform at An Creagan Bealtaine Festival in April where she will guest with outstanding musicians Brendan Hendry, Brendan Mulholland and Gerard Thompson, she will then perform at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Belfast in May, Rathlin Airs Festival in August, Coleman Traditional Music Festival Gurteen County Sligo and Gig ‘n the Bann Portglanone in September and Feile Frank McGann Strokestown County Roscommon in October 2006.

Josephine recorded an album ‘Spirit of the Song’ for the Chart Label Dublin, sang for president Mary McAleese at Aras an Uachtaraín, runs a voluntary appeal called the ‘Irish Emigrant Homeless Appeal’ through organising concerts involving Irish music, to date the appeal has raised €100,000, Josephine is returning to the NCH Dublin on June 12 2006 producing another concert featuring artists Mairtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden, Seamus O’Dowd, Mairéad, Michael and Triona Ní Dhomnaill and Christie Hennessy and Comhaltas Dublin and Belfast branches among others raising funds for Teach Na Eireann Day Care Centre in Coventry.

Josephine writes an ‘Irish Music Column’ for the national daily newspaper ‘Daily Ireland’. She will be joined at Belfast and forthcoming festivals by Lurgan guitarist Gerard Thompson, Brendan Hendry (The White Hare Band) from Bellaghy on Fiddle and Brendan Mulholland (Craobh Rua) from Glenavy on Flute and whistles.