A scholar during the week and wowing wedding crowds at the weekend, talented Co Fermanagh singer Aoife Cathcart doesn’t know how she gets the time to fit it all in.
The popular Enniskillen musician comes from a family filled with musical talent, but has her eyes set on becoming a solicitor in the near future.
The 23-year-old first started to sing, reluctantly, when she was just 11 and her career has gone from strength to strength since then.
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Having recently released her first single and with a busy summer wedding season well underway alongside her final law exams, Aoife says she is trying to strike a balance between the two.
“I hope to have more time to do it, but I’ll hopefully be moving down to Dublin when I do qualify,” Aoife tells MyFermanagh.
“The plan is to be hybrid working so I hopefully will still have time to keep doing my music.
“I’ve a bit of split personality - at the weekend I’m pretty easy going and could get called anywhere, then during the week I’m just nine to five in the office.
“I’m 23 and from Enniskillen, and have played traditional Irish music since I was a child along with my sister and my dad.
“We’ve done that and travelled throughout Ireland going to festivals and things like that.
“Music is all we’ve ever known and it’s incorporated into everything we do as a family.
“It’s when we are at our happiest when we are all playing together.”
Aoife revealed that she was coerced into singing in her childhood, but soon realised she had an incredible talent.
“I started to sing when I was around 11, I used to have to be forced to sing and didn’t want to do it.
“But then it just took off and I was asked to do weddings, so I set up my own business in 2017.
“Since then it’s just gone from strength to strength and I released my single in March.
“During lockdown I thought it was time to really put myself out there and get a professional recording.
“I’m hoping to do an album now after I finish my qualifications as well.”
Well-known to many couples marrying around Co Fermanagh and beyond in recent years, Aoife added it was a great pleasure to be involved in so many people’s special days.
“I’ve been doing it since 2017 so it’s second nature almost at this stage, but it’s lovely to meet loads of people.
“It’s great to get recognition of going to one wedding and then getting bookings from someone else who was there after hearing you.
“I’m lucky to have it - it’s a nice break at the weekend to move into something else and I hope to always be involved in music alongside being a solicitor.”
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