Visit the website of Geraldine's brother, Paul Bradley, fiddle maker & player. visit website >>
Promoter's Area
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The Trad Centre
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Geraldine's Biography
Geraldine grew up with music and singing. Her eldest brother, Pat played accordion and began a family interest in traditional music, although he was completely self taught. Geraldine's mother, Shiela, influenced her greatly towards singing. As a great reciter of poetry at home, she was one to quote tracts from Shakespeare to make a point. It was the narrative and lyrical aspect of songs therefore that initially attracted Geraldine to songs and singing. Geraldine's father, Willie Bradley played the cornet in the Camlough Band. He read music well and had a sharp sense of timing. He also had the ability to sing notes in perfect pitch, which amazed Geraldine.
Geraldine's sisters were all good singers, and her brothers taught themselves and each other to play traditional music on; accordion, flute, fiddle bodhrán and mandolin and became well known for their talents. Geraldine states: "The din when they were all practicing was memorable, as I’m sure it still is to the neighbours!"
Geraldine began learning traditional and folk songs whilst at primary school and continued learning from records as a teenager. The process was encouraged by visits to the Gaeltacht in Donegal for a month or two each summer, where she actively sought out new songs and sang on various occasions on Raidió na Gaeltachta.
Geraldine was privileged to meet the renowned singer, Neilli Ní Dhomhnaill when Geraldine was fifteen and a student in Rann na Feirste. Geraldine spent an afternoon in her kitchen with AJ Hughes listening to her songs and recording them on audio tape with the clock ticking in the background. Whilst studying at Rann na Feirste, Geraldine was also taught by Huidi Phaidi Huidi (Aodh Ó Duibheannaigh) and heard himself and John Grainne, a relative of Huidi, singing and storytelling in the college.
Later at Fleadheanna Cheoil Geraldine enjoyed plenty of musical exchange with other singers such as John Kennedy of Cullybackey and Paddy Tunney of Fermanagh. Geraldine first met Sean Ó Gallcobhair, Doire at a Fleadh in Cootehill in 1982. Sean, then in his sixties, had a great love for and knowledge of Songs and their relationship to the human soul. It was an instant case of "Aithnionn Ciarog Ciarog Eile" (One Earwig recognises another) when Geraldine met Sean. They spent many hours singing and talking about singing; Geraldine recalls: "If I feel nervous prior to performing I recall his pleasure at hearing the songs I sang in his company and his words of encouragement: “Sing, girl, sing!"
