The Breath

The Breath is Stuart McCallum, acclaimed guitar whiz and ex-member of The Cinematic Orchestra, and Ríoghnach Connolly, multi award-winning folk singer. Softly-spoken Stuart and larger-than-life Ríoghnach met on Manchester’s gig circuit in the late noughties and their connection was immediate. They formed The Breath in 2016, a singer-songwriter duo to present their contemporary take on alt-folk.

For them, it’s all about the song. 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.