Nicky Ryan
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Dominick Ryan is an Irish music producer, recording engineer and manager for the musician Enya
. He previously managed the Irish group Clannad, the band with which Enya first performed. In 1982, when Nicky Ryan left Clannad, Enya followed him. In the video documentary Enya - A Life in Music, Enya states that it was Nicky who first had the idea of layering Enya's voice, thus creating Enya's distinctive style. They now have their own studio, Aigle Music, in Dún Laoghaire.
Nicky Ryan currently lives with Enya's lyricist Roma Ryan
. They currently reside in Killiney
, Ireland, and have two daughters, Ebony and Persia. Enya lived with them briefly in the north-side suburb of Artane
when she first departed Clannad; she now lives in Manderley Castle
in Killiney.
In his essay for the Collector's Edition of The Very Best of Enya, Nicky mentions having entered a song contest in his youth for which the prize was a visit to meet the Beatles (one of his favourite groups). He won, with a rendition of Glenn Miller's 'In The Mood
', but never claimed his prize, since he could not afford the fare to England to see them.
Shortly after finishing school, Nicky worked as a teacher at St. Mary's School For Deaf Girls, near Dublin. He began experimenting with sound engineering, attempting to create a way for the deaf children to 'hear' music.
From Hi-Fi sound, 1990: ‘I designed a speaker while I was there, to try and introduce as much bass as I could into the sprung floor of the girls’ dancing room,’ Ryan explained.
‘In order to dance, the children needed to feel as much bass in the floor and in their chests as possible – particularly in their chests because as soon as they can feel that, they know what the rhythm is doing.
‘What I came up with was a speaker design based on the lower end of a pipe organ. It was an upright speaker consisting of a 14in square box, about six feet tall, and about six inches from the floor – with a 12in speaker facing upwards, and a three inch port below that.
‘And it worked very well,’ he said. ‘The floor shook – and the kids danced away, as they were entitled to.’
In the Seventies and Eighties Nicky was highly regarded as a live sound engineer working with artists such as Gary Moore
, Planxty
and Christy Moore
. He was introduced to Clannad by their then-manager Fachtna O'Kelly. He joined them as a sound engineer in 1975. O'Kelly left Clannad in 1976 to manage the Boomtown Rats, and Nicky Ryan became Clannad's manager. He invited Eithne to join in 1979, shortly after she finished school. Nicky and Eithne left Clannad in 1982, shortly after the completion of their album Fuaim
.
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
. He previously managed the Irish group Clannad, the band with which Enya first performed. In 1982, when Nicky Ryan left Clannad, Enya followed him. In the video documentary Enya - A Life in Music, Enya states that it was Nicky who first had the idea of layering Enya's voice, thus creating Enya's distinctive style. They now have their own studio, Aigle Music, in Dún Laoghaire.
Nicky Ryan currently lives with Enya's lyricist Roma Ryan
Roma Ryan
Roma Shane Ryan is an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist, currently living in Artane, Ireland, with her husband Nicky....
. They currently reside in Killiney
Killiney
Killiney is a suburb of Dublin in south County Dublin, Ireland. It is within the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County. The area is by the coast, south of neighbouring Dalkey, and north to Shankill area in the most southern outskirt of Dublin....
, Ireland, and have two daughters, Ebony and Persia. Enya lived with them briefly in the north-side suburb of Artane
Artane
Artane may refer to:* Artane, Dublin, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland.* Artane Industrial school, an Industrial school in the above suburb.* Artane, a brand-name for the drug trihexyphenidyl used to treat Parkinson's disease....
when she first departed Clannad; she now lives in Manderley Castle
Manderley Castle
Manderley Castle , formerly "Victoria Castle" and "Ayesha Castle", is a large castellated Irish mansion built in Victorian style, in Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland. It is currently owned by the singer Enya....
in Killiney.
In his essay for the Collector's Edition of The Very Best of Enya, Nicky mentions having entered a song contest in his youth for which the prize was a visit to meet the Beatles (one of his favourite groups). He won, with a rendition of Glenn Miller's 'In The Mood
In the Mood
"In the Mood" is a big band era #1 hit recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. Joe Garland and Andy Razaf arranged "In the Mood" in 1937-1939 using a previously existing main theme composed by Glenn Miller before the start of the 1930s...
', but never claimed his prize, since he could not afford the fare to England to see them.
Shortly after finishing school, Nicky worked as a teacher at St. Mary's School For Deaf Girls, near Dublin. He began experimenting with sound engineering, attempting to create a way for the deaf children to 'hear' music.
From Hi-Fi sound, 1990: ‘I designed a speaker while I was there, to try and introduce as much bass as I could into the sprung floor of the girls’ dancing room,’ Ryan explained.
‘In order to dance, the children needed to feel as much bass in the floor and in their chests as possible – particularly in their chests because as soon as they can feel that, they know what the rhythm is doing.
‘What I came up with was a speaker design based on the lower end of a pipe organ. It was an upright speaker consisting of a 14in square box, about six feet tall, and about six inches from the floor – with a 12in speaker facing upwards, and a three inch port below that.
‘And it worked very well,’ he said. ‘The floor shook – and the kids danced away, as they were entitled to.’
In the Seventies and Eighties Nicky was highly regarded as a live sound engineer working with artists such as Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
, Planxty
Planxty
Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
and Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
. He was introduced to Clannad by their then-manager Fachtna O'Kelly. He joined them as a sound engineer in 1975. O'Kelly left Clannad in 1976 to manage the Boomtown Rats, and Nicky Ryan became Clannad's manager. He invited Eithne to join in 1979, shortly after she finished school. Nicky and Eithne left Clannad in 1982, shortly after the completion of their album Fuaim
Fuaim
Fuaim is the sixth album by Irish folk group Clannad. It was released in 1982. It was produced by Nicky Ryan and was the last Clannad album to feature younger sister Eithne Ní Bhraonáin . It is also the only Clannad album to credit her; while she performed keyboard and backing vocals on "Crann...
.