Multi award-winning folk singer Ríoghnach Connolly of Honeyfeet and acclaimed guitarist Stuart McCallum (ex-member of Cinematic Orchestra) formed The Breath in 2016, to explore their contemporary take on alt-folk. Softly-spoken Stuart and larger-than-life Ríoghnach met on Manchester’s gig circuit in the late noughties and their connection was immediate.

Crafting and sharing songs is at the core of The Breath’s mission. Connolly is a storyteller and their exquisitely crafted, honest, personal, heartfelt songs are as likely to touch on childhood summers and first love as cultural dislocation, post- colonial injustices and grief. But it’s Ríoghnach’s impassioned delivery and extraordinary stop-you-in-your-tracks voice, coupled with Stuart’s understated brilliance that is so engaging.

The Breath delve deeply into the spaces between rock, ambient and Irish folk, where layered vocals, mesmerising guitar riffs and expansive folk arrangements create a big sound. References to Celtic history and cultural loss are woven into a bewitching collection of songs that span beguiling ballads and punch-the-air anthems.

"The Breath are indeed a dream team worth inhaling."

Maximum Volume Music

"A multi-textured kaleidoscope of sound with a cinematic sensibility."

The Journal of Music