Diane Cannon is a singer and musician from Meenlaragh, a small town outside the village of Gortahork in the heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht. As a youngster, she frequently won competitions and competes successfully to this day, most recently winning first place in the prestigious competition, Comortas Cuimhneacháin Shéain Óig Uí Thuama at Oireachtas na Gaeilge. Diane is a member of the award-winning choirs, Cór Thaobh a Leithid and Cór Loch Lao in Belfast and has had the opportunity to perform for the president of Ireland at Áras an Uachtaran. She also sang at the National Concert Hall with Donal Lunny and most recently in Belfast with Andy Irvine of the internationally renowned Planxty and also Scottish singer songwriter Dick Gaughan. Diane also regularly performs and records with her equally talented seán-nós singer and daughter Kelly Ní Chanainn, whom she proudly raised mentoring and steeping her in traditional Irish music and language. They have both worked recently with Lillis Ó Laoire and Manus Lunny on a recording of an old, forgotten Tory Island version of An Draighnean Donn for Tionscnamh Lugh. Diane is also currently working on recording her new album of contemporary and traditional music with artists such as John Mc Sherry, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, with others yet to be announced with producer and multi-instrumentalist Donal Ó Connor. “For a number of years, I have been working and researching - with Lillis Ó Laoire - forgotten songs of my native area, great songs although they have never been recorded,” she says. “I would love to breath new life into these old songs, rejuvenating them with modern arrangements and state of the art recording while still remaining true to the core tradition.