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 John Boorman's must recent film 'The Taylor of Panama'. Rita has performed in many venues including London's Albert Hall, The Stade de France and the Chicago Symphony Centre, and many countries including England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain and the United States of America. As well as collaborations with Shaun Davey - 'Granuaile', 'The Pilgrim' and 'The Relief of Derry Symphony'- Rita has also recorded two solo albums: 'Rita Connolly', and 'Valparaiso'. She recently recorded a new anthem for the Special Olympics, composed by Shaun Davey, which will be performed at the opening ceremony in Dublin in June 2003. 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.
QUOTES "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." "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."
Recordings
Films
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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.