Anúna

ANÚNA
Background information
Origin	Ireland
Genres	Choral Celtic medieval folk contemporary classical ambient
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Danú, Gimell, Universal, Koch, Valley, Elevation, E1
Website	Anúna.ie

Anúna, generally stylised as ANÚNA, is an Irish vocal ensemble founded in 1987 by composer Michael McGlynn, for whom it has served as the primary vehicle for the creation, performance, and recording of his choral music.[1][2]

Originally known as An Uaithne, the group adopted the name ANÚNA in 1991 and has developed a distinctive sound-world centred on newly composed works alongside reimagined historical and vernacular material.[2][3] The ensemble was associated with Riverdance from 1994 to 1996, which brought it wider international visibility,[4] but it had already established an independent artistic identity prior to that period and has since maintained a sustained international touring and recording profile.[2]

Its work has extended beyond conventional concert contexts to include collaborations in theatre, film, and other media.[5]

Michael McGlynn formed the vocal ensemble An Uaithne in 1987, following his involvement with collegiate choirs at TCD and University College Dublin and his early experience within Irish choral performance and direction. From its inception, the ensemble pursued a repertoire combining medieval sacred music, Irish-language texts, traditional material, and newly composed or arranged works by McGlynn, an approach that differed from prevailing Irish and British choral traditions.[6][7]

Early performances under the name An Uaithne attracted critical attention in Dublin. Reviewing a concert at the House of Lords in 1990, The Irish Times noted the ensemble’s presentation of early Irish and English repertoire, including medieval plainsong fragments, traditional songs, and Renaissance music, performed with voices and period and traditional instruments.[8]

In September 1990, An Uaithne took part in the premiere of The Children of Lir by Patrick Cassidy at the National Concert Hall, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.[9]

A subsequent recital at Trinity College Dublin in 1991 was described as ranging from twelfth- to twentieth-century religious music and characterised by a distinctive sound shaped by the interaction of plainchant-derived melodic material and contemporary harmonic language in McGlynn’s own compositions.[10] Later the same year the ensemble adopted the shortened name Anúna. Contemporary commentary in The Irish Times observed that medieval chant, early sacred repertoire, and traditional Irish texts were being treated as living performance material rather than historical reconstruction, with particular emphasis on vocal colour, resonance, and spatial awareness.[11]

In April 1992, An Uaithne gave a concert at Trinity College Dublin Chapel with Nóirín Ní Riain as guest soloist, performing a programme of Irish vocal music spanning medieval to contemporary works.[12]

The group’s debut album, ANÚNA (Danú 001), was released in spring 1993 and consisted largely of works composed or arranged by McGlynn. Reviewing the album, The Irish Times highlighted the ensemble’s handling of medieval chant and sacred sources and praised the atmospheric qualities achieved through acoustic setting and vocal treatment, while expressing reservations about several arrangements of traditional songs.[13]

A second album, Invocation, recorded in 1994, was reviewed later that year as fulfilling and extending the promise of the group’s early work, describing Anúna as having developed into one of Ireland’s most innovative choral ensembles.[14] That year ANÚNA performed the choral parts on the soundtrack to Thumbelina, the Don Bluth animated film with music by Barry Manilow, with Michael McGlynn as chorus master.[15]

By the end of 1994, The Irish Times characterised Anúna as having established a distinct position within Irish musical life, noting that while the group drew on medieval and traditional sources, its performances avoided both academic reconstruction and commercial pastiche, instead emphasising sound, space, and atmosphere.[16]

Anúna performing in Riverdance -The Show, Dublin, February 1995. Singers left to right are:
Richard Boyle, Tara O'Beirne, Emer Lang, Tony Davoren, David Clark, Katie McMahon, Peter Harney, Máire Lang, Paddy Connolly, Miriam Blennerhasset

From 1994 to 1996, ANÚNA were involved in Riverdance from its initial presentation at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin through its development into a full stage production, appearing as part of the touring ensemble during the show’s early international run, including performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York; the ensemble sang the opening section, known as “Cloudsong”, with soloist Katie McMahon. [17][18]The Riverdance single spent eighteen weeks at number one on the Irish Singles Chart and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart. [19][20]

In 1996, ANÚNA soprano Eimear Quinn won the Eurovision Song Contest performing “The Voice”, representing Ireland.[21][22] During the mid-1990s, the ensemble expanded its recording catalogue alongside its growing public profile. Omnis (1995) was described by The Irish Times as presenting ANÚNA at the height of its collective powers, while Deep Dead Blue (1996), later released internationally in 1999 following the group’s signing to the specialist vocal label Gimell, home to The Tallis Scholars, was characterised by Billboard as the group’s most accomplished work to date, noting its distinctive approach to choral sound and performance. In August 1999, Deep Dead Blue entered the UK Classical Specialist chart at number three.[23] [24][25]

In 1997, ANÚNA released Behind the Closed Eye, a collaboration with the Ulster Orchestra that marked a departure from the ensemble’s predominantly a cappella work and expanded its sound into an orchestral context.[26][27]

ANÚNA collaborated with The Chieftains on several recordings during the 1990s. In 1995, they performed with Sting on the track “Mo Ghile Mear (Our Hero)” from The Long Black Veil, which was later nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996.[28][29] In 1998, ANÚNA appeared as guest performers on the track “Long Journey Home”, recorded with Elvis Costello, which served as the theme for the PBS documentary series The Irish in America: Long Journey Home. The accompanying album The Long Journey Home won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999.[30][31] ANÚNA also contributed vocals to “Never Give All the Heart” on Tears of Stone (1999), which featured spoken narration by Brenda Fricker and won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000.[32][33]

Media and broadcast activity during the late 1990s included an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland on BBC Two in December 1996, and collaboration with Secret Garden on the album Dawn of a New Century, with The Washington Post noting the role of ANÚNA’s choral textures. [34][35]

ANÚNA performed at the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco in 1998, an appearance covered in the Moroccan press and noted internationally as part of the festival’s diverse programme of sacred and traditional music.[36][37]

ANÚNA performed as part of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, an appearance highlighted by Elvis Costello as his “Hot Ticket” of the 1999 London Proms.[38][39]

Entering the 2000s, the ensemble continued to develop a repertoire centred on medieval and sacred source material alongside newly composed works. Reviewing Cynara (2000), The Irish Times emphasised the album’s atmospheric focus and tonal control, while Télérama situated the recording at the intersection of ancient and contemporary practice, drawing attention to its use of early texts and its contemplative, non-theatrical character.[40][41]

In January 2000, ANÚNA appeared at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, performing at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.[42] In 2003, the ensemble performed at the Tampere Vocal Music Festival in Finland, where Michael McGlynn also served as a juror for the festival’s choral review.[43] Subsequent releases included Winter Songs (2002), alongside appearances at Proms in the Park in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra.[44] The New York Times reviewed Winter Songs later that year.[45] The album was later issued in the United States under the title Christmas Songs on the Koch label.[46]

Released internationally on the Universal Classics label in 2002, the compilation album Essential Anúna entered the UK Classical Artist chart at number six in February 2003.[47][48] This album was presented in The Irish Times as a representative survey of the ensemble’s work to date, encompassing early sacred material, traditional song, and contemporary settings.[49]

In 2004, Anúna performed at official diplomatic receptions in both Argentina and Chile during a state visit by Irish President Mary McAleese.[50] Sensation (2006) marked a further stylistic development and was reviewed as darker and more inward-looking than earlier releases, incorporating literary text settings and spoken narration as part of an expanded studio palette. The album’s title track featured spoken narration by Gilles Servat.[51][52] By the later 2000s, the ensemble’s international activity included concert performances in Japan. A feature in Nikkei Premium Life (December 2007) characterised the group’s music as drawing on medieval sacred song and emphasising quiet, contemplative listening rather than spectacle.[53]

In 2007, ANÚNA released the concert CD and DVD Anúna: Celtic Origins, recorded at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, and broadcast nationally on PBS. Billboard reported that the release and accompanying PBS broadcast formed the centrepiece of the ensemble’s expanded North American touring activity during this period.[54] Billboard described this combination of broadcast exposure, touring, and retail distribution as a coordinated North American expansion rather than a series of isolated releases or appearances.[55] In autumn 2007, in support of Anúna: Celtic Origins, the group undertook a tour of the United States, with in-store performances at Borders stores and concert appearances across the country, following the album’s success as a top-selling title for the retailer.[56] The Celtic Origins recording featured guest violinist Linda Lampenius as a soloist on the project.[57]

In 2008, Christmas Memories was produced as a PBS television special, recorded at Maryland Public Television, broadcast nationally, and released on DVD alongside the accompanying CD.[58] The album Christmas Memories entered the Billboard World Music chart at number six in November 2008 and remained in the top twenty for ten weeks, alongside an exclusive U.S. retail release partnership with Borders.[59][60]

In July 2009, Anúna performed with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, in a concert presented as a celebration of the music of Michael McGlynn.[61][62] The decade concluded with the release of Sanctus (2009), described by The Irish Times as marking a renewed emphasis on sacred repertoire, and the Japanese release of the DVD Invocations of Ireland.[63][64]

From the early 2010s onwards, Anúna’s activity increasingly encompassed international collaborations, media projects, and non-traditional performance contexts. In March 2012, The New York Times referred to the ensemble as “Anúna, Ireland’s National Choir” in coverage of broadcast performances and collaborations.[65] In 2011, Anúna inaugurated the Anúna International Choral Summer School at the National Concert Hall in Dublin.[66] The summer school was subsequently held at various venues across Dublin during the 2010s and continued through the end of the decade.[67][68][69][70] The initial summer schools included international choral facilitators such as Charles Bruffy and Dr Stacie Lee Rossow.[71][72]

In July 2010, Anúna performed with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, with Finnish violinist Linda Lampenius as featured soloist, in a programme that included new works and arrangements by Michael McGlynn, notably the extended fantasia "The Last Rose", based on songs by Thomas Moore.[73]

In January 2011, the ensemble joined Clannad in concert at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin as part of Temple Bar TradFest.[74] That year also saw Anúna contribute vocal performances to the Christmas album It’s Always Christmas With You! by The Wiggles, released in both CD and DVD formats,[75][76] and late in the year, Christmas Memories entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at number 95.[77] Anúna visited Japan at the end of 2011 for a tour that included concerts and educational workshops. As part of this visit, the ensemble travelled to the Tōhoku region and worked with children from areas affected by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, contributing to cultural outreach initiatives focused on recovery and community support.[78]

In April 2012, Anúna participated in the premiere of Philip Hammond’s Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast as part of the centenary commemorations of the sinking of the Titanic. The large-scale choral work involved multiple choirs and performers and formed part of a programme of public events marking the anniversary.[79] Also that year, the group featured on the soundtrack to the video game Diablo III, the score of which was later nominated for a BAFTA award in the Original Music category. Composer Russell Brower stated that Anúna was selected for its distinctive choral sound and non-classical vocal character suited to the game’s darker spiritual atmosphere.[80][81] The ensemble also released Illumination in 2012 as part of its twenty-fifth anniversary output, with a substantially revised version later issued as Illuminations and becoming the version in general distribution.[82][83]

Anúna appeared at the London A Cappella Festival at Kings Place in 2015, a programme curated by the Swingle Singers, where critics noted the ensemble’s contrasting approach to a cappella performance, characterised by stillness, resonance, and an emphasis on atmosphere rather than rhythmic display.[84] They performed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on 21 August 2015.[85] Reviewing Revelation, released in 2015, The Irish Times noted the album’s emphasis on original material by McGlynn alongside early Christian texts and Japanese-influenced works, describing it as one of the ensemble’s more texturally rich recordings.[86]

In March 2017, Anúna marked its thirtieth anniversary with a concert at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, which was attended by Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland.[87][88] Later collaborations included participation in the soundtrack to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017), contributing choral performances to four tracks composed by Yasunori Mitsuda.[89] That work was recognised with the Outstanding Ensemble award at the Annual Game Music Awards in 2017.[90] Related media activity included a promotional performance video of “Shadow of the Lowlands”, released in connection with Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which was filmed and directed by Michael McGlynn.[91][92]

In 2017, Anúna participated in Takahime, a full-scale Noh theatre production presented at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo. The work was a Celtic Noh adaptation of At the Hawk’s Well by W. B. Yeats, staged to mark the centenary of Yeats’s play and longstanding cultural exchange between Ireland and Japan. Anúna provided the choral music for the production, which was composed and directed by Michael McGlynn in collaboration with Noh master Umewaka Genshō of the Kanze school. Coverage in The Japan Times situated the project within the established Noh repertoire, describing it as an integration of Irish choral music within a traditional theatrical framework, while the specialist journal Music Magazine treated the production as a critically significant contemporary engagement between Noh and non-Japanese musical traditions, emphasising the structural role of Anúna’s vocal writing within the stage work.[93][94]

International concert activity during this period included appearances in Japan, such as the Xenogears 20th Anniversary Concert in 2018, with recordings subsequently released as part of the official anniversary audio project, and television appearances on Nippon Television’s music programme のどじまんTHEワールド！～令和元年～ in 2019.[95][96][97]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anúna adapted its activity towards filmed performance, online presentation, and broadcast projects. ANÚNA: On a Cold Winter’s Night is a 50-minute filmed Christmas concert recorded by candlelight in St Bartholomew’s Church, Dublin. The programme was first broadcast by Ireland’s Irish-language public service broadcaster TG4 on Christmas Eve 2020 as part of its seasonal schedule, and was rebroadcast during TG4’s Christmas music programming in 2021. It was also broadcast internationally by Sweden’s public service broadcaster SVT under the title Julkonsert från Irland.[98][99][100]

In 2020, Anúna participated in VOCES8 Live from London, a large-scale online choral series that gained international visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the series, Michael McGlynn created and directed a filmed programme titled ANÚNA: A Whisper of Paradise, recorded in St Bartholomew’s Church. Reviewing the Live from London Christmas festival, The Arts Desk drew attention to the programme’s integration of choral performance with visual imagery and its use of space within the church setting, while Seen and Heard International emphasised the ensemble’s unconducted performance practice and the relationship between music, architecture, and filmed presentation. The programme was later broadcast in Ireland on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2025 by TG4 as part of its Christmas schedule.[101][102][103] A studio album and downloadable film version of the programme was released on CD and digital platforms in November 2025.[104]

In November 2022, it was reported in specialist choral coverage that Anúna’s performances at St Bartholomew’s Church, Dublin on 3 December would be the ensemble’s final public concerts in Ireland.[105] In its own statement at the time, the ensemble indicated that it would continue to perform outside the Republic of Ireland, including in Northern Ireland, and would maintain its international touring and recording activity following these concerts.[106] In a subsequent review of the album Otherworld, The Irish Times critic Tony Clayton-Lea referred to the announcement and its reception, noting that McGlynn had stated a year earlier that Anúna would no longer perform in Ireland and observing that the announcement attracted little public response.[107]

Subsequent broadcast activity included Anúna’s performance at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast on 15 March 2024 as part of Belfast TradFest and the city’s St Patrick’s Weekend programme. The concert was recorded and later broadcast in March 2024 by BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle under the title Anúna Live in Concert.[108][109]

The studio album Otherworld was released in 2023 and described by The Irish Times as resisting easy categorisation and continuing the ensemble’s long-standing artistic independence rather than pursuing accessibility or convention.[110]

In December 2024, Anúna presented a one-off programme titled Yuki Onna (雪女) at Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo as part of the ensemble’s first Japan tour in ten years. Based on the short story of the same name by Lafcadio Hearn, the programme was presented as a special performance within a nationwide tour of nine venues across Japan. The programme combined choral music with elements of Noh theatre and featured guest performers Reijiro Tsumura (Noh), Tamami Tono (shō), and Mitsuhiro Kakihara (ōtsuzumi). The music was composed and arranged, and the programme directed, by Michael McGlynn, with production by Keiko Kawashima. Japanese media described the work as part of Anúna’s continuing engagement with Japanese culture and Noh-related collaborations, rather than as a standalone concert event.[111][112][113]

In 2025, Anúna released the studio album Eilífð, recorded from 2022 to 2025 in Ireland, Iceland, and the United States, featuring eight original compositions and two arrangements by Michael McGlynn. The album emerged by revisiting material from the 2023 release Otherworld, with several tracks replaced, remixed, and re-recorded to form a distinct recording; all original music on Eilífð was composed by McGlynn, with production and editing by McGlynn and Brian Masterson. Reviewing the album, The Arts Desk described Eilífð as a “re-working of Otherworld” that blends vocal traditions and takes listeners on a “carefully-plotted journey” culminating in the finale “Earth Song / Maalaulu”, highlighting the eclecticism and harmonic complexity of pieces such as “Ēarendel”. Irish Music Magazine also noted the album’s atmospheric and harmonic character.[114][115][116] The title track, “Eilífð”, brings together all three constituent ensembles of the ANÚNA Collective, Anúna, M’ANAM, and Systir, within a single vocal work.[117]

Alongside Eilífð, Anúna released several further recordings in 2025, including Sanctum, Tochairm, Transcendence, A Whisper of Paradise, and the EP Ever Come to an End. Sanctum was issued as a digital-only release, while Tochairm, Transcendence, and A Whisper of Paradise were released on CD in addition to digital platforms. Ever Come to an End, a four-track EP released to digital platforms in June 2025, features music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda for the video game Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Writing about the release, Mitsuda stated that the song “Ever Come to an End” represents “people enduring in a lightless cloud sea, starting to walk towards a sunlit sky”, and that the vocal performance added “new dimensions and meanings” to the music.[118][119][120][121][122]

Two additional vocal ensembles associated with Anúna were established in the late 2010s. M’ANAM was founded in 2018, followed by Systir in 2019. M’ANAM is a male vocal ensemble established in 2018, performing with between six and eight singers.[123] The group’s self - titled debut album, M’ANAM, was released in 2019 and reviewed in The Irish Times.[124] In January 2020, M’ANAM appeared with Anúna at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, performing at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.[125] The ensemble has also appeared at international vocal festivals, including HarbourVOICES! in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.[126] Its repertoire includes Irish - language song, Scottish puirt à beul, Old Icelandic material, and early European texts.[127] M’ANAM appear on the opening track, “Clarity (feat. M’ANAM)”, of the album tres (2018) by the Japanese instrumental group mouse on the keys.[128] The ensemble are credited as performers on Warbringers: Jaina (2018), part of the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth animated short series produced by Blizzard Entertainment.[129]

Systir is a vocal ensemble centred on female voices, established in 2019. It performs with flexible forces and typically features six or more singers on stage.[130] Concert activity in the mid - 2020s included performances in Japan and China, including an appearance in Shanghai as part of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival.[131][132][133] Its repertoire draws on medieval and early vocal material alongside later traditional and contemporary sources. Following a major line - up change in 2023, the ensemble continued with a newly constituted membership.[134]

The ensemble’s original name, An Uaithne, derives from an early Irish classification of music associated with three affective modes: Goltraí (lament), Geantraí (joy), and Suantraí (lullaby).[135][136] From its earliest performances, Anúna combined newly composed works by Michael McGlynn with material drawn from medieval sacred sources and traditional Irish texts. These sources were treated as contemporary performance repertoire rather than as historical reconstruction, with emphasis placed on sound, atmosphere, and textual clarity.[137][138]

McGlynn’s compositional approach draws on medieval polyphony and Irish traditional music alongside selected modern influences, while largely bypassing the baroque and romantic choral canon. Axel Klein described this synthesis as producing a highly individual musical language within contemporary Irish composition.[139]

Japanese music critic Shinya Matsuyama has situated Anúna’s work outside conventional Celtic or early-music categorisations, describing its sound as one in which medieval Irish sources and chant-derived modalities coexist with elements associated with twentieth-century art music, including the use of dissonance and unstable harmonic colour. Writing in 2014, Matsuyama observed that the ensemble’s music frequently creates a sense of movement between historical and contemporary sound-worlds rather than adherence to a single stylistic tradition. He further identified Anúna’s non-conducted performance practice and emphasis on mutual listening among singers as central to its aesthetic, characterising the ensemble’s approach as an “art of listening” in which individual voices function within a consciously balanced collective texture.[140]

The ensemble’s vocal sound developed through the deliberate combination of trained and untrained voices. The resulting timbre has been described as both powerful and fragile, and as lying outside established categories of early music, folk performance, or conventional chamber choir practice.[141][142] Performance practice has been central to Anúna’s musical identity. Performances frequently employed mobile singers and spatialised sound, engaging directly with architectural space and altering conventional audience perception.[143][144]

Within Irish musical life, Anúna has been characterised by the integration of movement, spatial awareness, and repertoire spanning medieval, traditional, and newly composed material, rather than adherence to a single stylistic tradition.[145]

The choir has evolved over time, and has had over 250 singers participate, but some members have remained active over periods of 25 years or more. Members described as involved from a very early stage include Monica Donlon[146][147] and opera singer Miriam Blennerhassett from Howth (both of whom Michael McGlynn had met at UCD),[148] as well as Garrath Patterson.[149]

Miriam Blennerhassett is an Irish mezzo-soprano, and has been the Chorus Master of Anúna, also featuring as a soloist on CD, DVD and in performance. She features as a soloist on the albums Omnis, Invocation, Sensation, Deep Dead Blue, Celtic Origins and Behind the Closed Eye. She appears as a soloist on the Invocations of Ireland and Celtic Origins.[citation needed] Blennerhassett is a founder member of Anúna.

Lucy Champion is an English singer, and has been Education Co-ordinator with Anúna, as well as a featured soprano soloist with the choir. She appears as a soloist on the albums Christmas Songs, Invocation, Sensation, Anúna, Sanctus, Cynara, Deep Dead Blue, Christmas Memories, Celtic Origins and Behind the Closed Eye. She appears as a soloist on the DVDs Invocations of Ireland and Celtic Origins. She was Concerts and Events Manager for The Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Administrator and Education Manager for the Wren Orchestra in London, Education Manager with the National Concert Hall in Dublin[150] and is currently a choral clinician and educator, most recently giving a series of workshops at Dublin's National Concert Hall in 2009/2010.[citation needed]

John McGlynn is a tenor with Anúna and an Irish singer-songwriter. He is also Michael McGlynn's identical twin brother. His distinctive guitar style features on many of Anúna's albums. Originally an architect[citation needed] by trade, he currently acts as a director of the choir, touring in that capacity throughout Europe and the US. He released his solo album Songs For A Fallen Angel in 2000 and has formed a trio entitled Sweet June. His arrangements and original songs appear on a number of Anúna releases. "If All She Has Is You" appears on the Celtic Origins album and concert DVD and has been covered by Celtic Woman soloist Lynn Hilary on her debut solo album. Other arrangements and original pieces include "The Fisher King", "Buachaill ón Éirne", "Siúil a Rúin" and "O Come All Ye Faithful". He features as a soloist on the albums Christmas Songs, Invocation, Anúna, Deep Dead Blue, Christmas Memories, Celtic Origins and Cynara. He appears as a soloist on the DVDs Invocations of Ireland, Celtic Origins and Christmas Memories.[citation needed]

A number of singers who have left the choir have gone on to achieve international recognition in their own right:

• Eimear Quinn, a soprano, was a member in 1995 and 1996, and won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1996 while a member.[151] She has recorded numerous solos with the choir, including "The Mermaid", "Diwanit Bugale", "The Green Laurel", "Gaudete" and "Salve Rex Gloriae". She appears on the albums Omnis and Deep Dead Blue.
• Ian King, a British songwriter working in the English folk music genre, was a tenor with Anúna from 1996 to 1997. His debut album, Panic Grass and Fever Few gained four-star reviews in the Guardian and Observer newspapers in the UK, and he was featured on the 2009 thirtieth anniversary cover of the influential fRoots magazine.
• Julie Feeney is a successful solo female artist and she sang alto with Anúna from 1997 to 2001.
• Hozier, also known as Andrew Hozier-Byrne, was a member of Anúna from 2009 to 2012, and appears as a soloist on their 2012 release Illumination singing "La Chanson de Mardi Gras". He toured and sang with the group internationally including performances in Norway and the Netherlands.[152]
• Dónal Kearney and Zach Trouton of the Northern Irish band Trú, nominated for Best Album at Northern Ireland Music Prize and ranked in MOJO's Top 10 Folk Albums of the year, met in ANÚNA. Kearney is featured as a soloist on "Na Coille Cumhra" and "Summer Song".[153]

Some of the singers who have featured as soloists in Celtic Woman are ex-members of the group:

• Méav Ní Mhaolchatha is a soprano recording artist, who was a member of the choir between 1994 and 1998.[151] She has recorded numerous solos with the choir, including "Midnight", "The Lass of Glenshee", "Geantraí", "When I was in My Prime" and "The Mermaid". She appears on the albums Omnis, Deep Dead Blue and Behind the Closed Eye.
• Órla Fallon is a solo recording artist traditional music who was a member of Anúna in 1996.[151] In 2010, her PBS Christmas Special "Órla Fallon's Celtic Christmas", also released as a CD and DVD, features Anúna on the track "Away in a Manger" performing with her.[154]
• Deirdre Shannon began her professional career in 1996 when she became a member of Anúna and features as a soloist on the original album release of "Behind the Closed Eye" as a soloist on the track "1901".
• Lynn Hilary was a member of Anúna between 2000 and 2007.[151] She has recorded numerous solos with the choir, including "Midnight", "Codhlaím go Suan", "The Last Rose", "The Road of Passage" and "Annaghdown". She appears on the albums Christmas Songs, Invocation, Sensation and Behind the Closed Eye. In 2012 she featured as a soloist on two tracks, "Siosuram So" and "Summer Song" from the Anúna album Illumination (2012). She also features as a soloist on the Anúna album Revelation (2015).
• Éabha McMahon is a sean nós singer and joined Celtic Woman in 2015. She features as a soloist on two Anúna albums "Christmas Memories" (2008) and "Revelation" (2015).
• Tara McNeill sang with Anúna from 2010 to 2016 and joined Celtic Woman in 2016 as featured violinist in the show.

The group has released many albums and several DVDs since 1991:[155]

Year	Title	Format	Tracks	Soloists	Guest artist(e)s	Cover art	Notes	Reference
1990	An Uaithne	Cassette (only)
1991	An Uaithne	Cassette (only)
1993	ANÚNA	CD	16				1995 Billboard Top World Music Albums (Peak no.11).[156] Re-recorded and re-released 2005
1994	Invocation	CD	14				Re-recorded and re-released 2002
1995	Omnis (Original edition)+	CD	15
1996	Omnis (Special Edition)+	CD	16				Entirely re-recorded
1996	Deep Dead Blue	CD	13				Remastered and Remixed 2004, nominated for a Classical Brit Award 2000[157]
1997	Behind the Closed Eye	CD	13				Remastered and Remixed 2003 (re-released)
1998	Ocean	CD	5				Limited release promotional EP of five songs, commissioned by BT and the ESB
2000	Cynara	CD	15
2002	Essential Anúna++	CD	24				Released world-wide on Universal Classics and Jazz [158]
2002	Winter Songs++	CD	13				Re-released as Christmas Songs by Koch Records, 2004
2005	Anúna Live at Annedal++	CD	21				Swedish release (21 tracks)
2005	The Best of Anúna++	CD	21				European release, different to the Essential compilation
2005	Essential Anúna++	CD	19				US-only release, Koch Records
2006	Sensation	CD	11		Gilles Servat (Recitation)
2006	Celtic Dreams	CD	13					Valley Entertainment[159]
2007	Celtic Origins	CD, DVD	19				2007 Billboard Top Heatseekers (Peak no.10) & Billboard Top World Music Albums (Peak no.6).[156] DVD: USA public television "enhanced release" of Cleveland, Ohio performance (23 tracks)
2008	Christmas Memories	CD, DVD	14				2011 September, Billboard 200 Album Chart (Peak no.95),[160] 2008 Billboard Top Heatseekers (Peak no.23), Billboard Top World Music Albums (Peak no.6).[156]
2009	Invocations of Ireland	DVD	19
2009	Sanctus		7
2010	The Best of Anúna (New edition) ++	CD	22
2010	Christmas with Anúna	CD	13
2012	Illumination	CD	15
2013	Relics	Digital, CD	14
2014	Illuminations	CD	14				Full Remix of "Illumination", with the addition of Linda Lampenius on the tracks "Fegaidh Uaibh", "Greensleeves" and "Scarborough Fair".
2015	Revelation	CD	12
2016	Sunshine/Shadows	Digital Only	5
2017	Takahime (single)	Digital Only
2017	Songs of the Whispering Things	Digital Only	7
2017	A Christmas Selection ++	CD	22
2017	Selected 1987-2017 ++	CD	21				Limited Edition CD release, 1000 copies
2017	Selected II 1987-2017 ++	CD	21				Limited Edition CD release, 1000 copies
2018	Transcendence ++	Digital Only	13				Previously released as "Sanctus", but Remastered and Remixed. Includes new tracks "Lorica" and "Transcendence".
2019	Anúna : Collection ++	Digital Only	15				Compilation, includes two previously unreleased tracks "Blackbird" and "I Will Give My Love an Apple"
2021	When the War is Over	Digital Only	4
2022	Evocation	Digital Only	11				Remix Compilation, 11 tracks.
2022	"Christmas from Ireland"	Digital Only	13				Release of the soundtrack to the 2020 film "ANÚNA : On a Cold Winter's Night". 13 Tracks.
2023	Otherworld	Digital, CD, Vinyl	11	Lauren McGlynn, Aisling McGlynn, Þórhallur Auður Helgason
2025	Eilífð	Digital, CD	10	Lauren McGlynn, Aisling McGlynn, Þórhallur Auður Helgason, Lucy Champion, Bjarni Gudmundsson, Karl James Pestka, Caitríona Sherlock, Pétur Oddbergur Heimisson, Bryndís Guðjónsdóttir, Lorna Breen
2025	Sanctum	Digital Only	14	Monica Donlon, Miriam Blennerhassett, Aisling McGlynn, Máire Lang, Eimear Quinn, Kim Lynch, Michael McGlynn, Lucy Champion, Andrea Delaney, Nejc Rudel, Joanna Fagan, Derina Johnson

+ Both albums amalgamated into a single, remastered release in 2003
++ Indicates a compilation

• With Barry Manilow – Thumbelina (1993)
• With The Chieftains and Sting – "Mo Ghile Mear" from the album The Long Black Veil (1994)
• With the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Davy Spillane (Uilleann pipes), Kenneth Edge (saxophone), Máire Breathnach (violin), Noel Eccles (percussion) – Riverdance (1994)
• Riverdance: Music from the Show (1995)
• With the Ulster Orchestra – Behind the Closed Eye (1997)
• With The Chieftains and Elvis Costello – "Long Journey Home", title track of the album Long Journey Home (1998)
• With The Chieftains and Dadawa – "Tear Lake" from Tears of Stone (1999), Japan only
• With The Chieftains and Brenda Fricker – "Never Give All The Heart" from Tears of Stone (1999)
• With Secret Garden – "I Know a Rose Tree": also available on their albums: Dawn of a New Century (1999), Once in a Red Moon (2002) and the DVD A Night with Secret Garden (2000)
• With Ashley MacIsaac – "The Wedding Funeral" from the album Ashley MacIsaac (2002)
• With Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club – "Be Yourself", "True Friends", "Bob & God" from the album Be Yourself (2002)
• With Moya Brennan and Iarla Ó Lionaird – "Is Mise 'N Gaoth" from the CD Music of Ireland: Welcome Home (2010)
• With Órla Fallon – "Away in a Manger" from Orla Fallon's Celtic Christmas (2010)
• With The Wiggles – "The Cherry Tree Carol", "The Little Drummer Boy", "Ding Dong Merrily on High" & "We Three Kings" from the CD and DVD It's Always Christmas With You! (2011).
• With Yasunori Mitsuda – Xenogears Original Soundtrack Revival Disc –the first and the last– (2018).

• Anúna discography at Discogs Anúna discography at MusicBrainz
• Official website
• Michael McGlynn's official website
• interview with Michael McGlynn, Choralnet US