Born in Kilnamartyra, an Irish-speaking area in West Cork, Bríd (Bríd O Riordan) is a singer who immediately grabs your attention with her ability to make every song her own with a very natural and free-flowing style.

Now living in Ballyvourney, a village only a stone’s throw from her birthplace, she remains steeped in the Irish traditions.. Her childhood was that of a rural Irish child, working on her father’s farm, helping her parents with chores, looking after the animals, cutting turf, and the like. Neighbours and cousins visited each other’s homes regularly, where they danced, sang songs, and played music.

As a child, her mother schooled her in how to sing the traditional folk songs of the area. Under her watchful eye and her keen ear, she guided Brid as she sang at the 'stations' (mass in houses) in the locality. There was always the obligatory post-mortem following each performance, which inevitably led to more lessons. These lessons were given while she helped her mother bake brown soda bread.