Aisling Urwin

Biography

Aisling Urwin is a harper, composer, and songwriter from Bonane, a small village nestled between Kenmare and Glengarriff in the South West of Ireland. Her journey with the harp began at age nine when she spotted a harpist performing on Ireland's iconic The Late Late Show and immediately asked her parents if she could learn the instrument. She studied music at University College Cork (UCC), and by age 17 had already recorded her debut album, Awakening, with the help of her musician neighbor Chris Liddle — a remarkable early milestone that announced a confident young voice in contemporary Irish harping.

Her sound draws on the richness of the Irish traditional music canon while stretching the instrument into cinematic and contemporary sonic spaces. The wild landscape between the Beara Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry is a palpable presence in her work, with a deep sense of place and nature woven into her lyricism. A pivotal creative relationship began in 2018 when she met world music artist Siobhán Moore (known as Ajeet) at her own album launch at Crowley's Bar in Kenmare; the two began touring together and eventually formed the duo Woven Kin, releasing their debut album Hibernate in 2021. Aisling has cited Scottish harpist and composer Catriona McKay as her biggest professional influence, someone whose exploratory approach to the Celtic harp helped shape her own vision for pushing the instrument's boundaries.

Beyond performing and recording — including her 2025 solo album The Other Place — Aisling has built a multifaceted career as a session musician, film and television composer, and educator. Her composition work includes pieces for TG4's Cois Móire, John Spillane's folk opera Fíoruisce, and Clare Sands' immersive Gormacha project. In 2021 she founded The School of Harp, an online learning platform specialising in Irish traditional music, song accompaniment, and contemporary harp and voice — establishing herself as an important voice in passing the tradition forward while simultaneously redefining it.

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Fun Facts

• She first became captivated by the harp at age nine after watching a harpist perform on Ireland's The Late Late Show — she immediately asked her parents if she could learn, and never looked back.
• Her debut album 'Awakening' was recorded at just 17 years old, produced by her musician neighbor Chris Liddle in Bonane, long before she had any professional touring experience.
• She met her Woven Kin creative partner Ajeet (Siobhán Moore) at her own album launch at Crowley's Bar in Kenmare in 2018 — a chance encounter that turned into one of her most significant musical partnerships.
• In 2021 she launched The School of Harp, an online platform for harp and voice education, specialising in Irish traditional music and contemporary accompaniment — making Irish harping accessible to students around the world.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Catriona McKay - Scottish harpist and composer cited by Aisling as her biggest professional influence; McKay's contemporary, exploratory approach to the Celtic harp shaped Aisling's own artistic vision [Ongoing influence]

Key Collaborators

• Ajeet (Siobhán Moore) - World music artist and co-founder of the duo Woven Kin; the two met at Aisling's album launch in 2018 and have since collaborated extensively on touring and recording (Woven Kin debut album 'Hibernate' (2021)) [2018–present]
• Clare Sands - Irish singer-songwriter; collaborated on the track 'Ghost on the Waves' and Sands' immersive 'Gormacha' project (Ghost on the Waves; Gormacha project) [2020s]
• John Spillane - Irish folk musician; Aisling composed for his folk opera Fíoruisce (Fíoruisce (folk opera)) [2020s]
• Chris Liddle - Musician neighbor who recorded Aisling's debut album 'Awakening' when she was 17 (Awakening (debut album)) [c. 2015]
• Liam Ó Maonlaí - Irish musician who contributed to 'The Other Place' album (The Other Place (2025))

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz