Performer, Composer, Arranger & Producer of original Irish music.
An extremely versatile musician, Cillian started playing music when he was eleven years old learning both the acoustic guitar & tenor banjo simultaneously. Along with these instruments Cillian also plays electric guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, tenor guitar & bass keys. In his earlier exploits as a young musician he won All-Ireland titles under the 15 - 18 category including tenor banjo solo and acoustic guitar accompaniment in 2009. He has toured globally since the age of 16 with various different groups at venues including West Point, NY, The Lincoln Center, NY and the National Concert Hall of Ireland. On the 20th of December 2010 Cillian received the pleasure of performing for the famous U2 at a private welcome home gig in Dromoland castle from their 360-degree world tour where he was lucky enough to be invited for a jam with frontmen Bono and the Edge.
Through the years Cillian has performed with many artists such as Pádraig Rynne (Notify), Kevin Burke (Patrick Street), Pauline Scanlon and world-renowned fiddle player, Frankie Gavin (De Dannan). However, Cillian’s most notable work is with bands MOXIE & ATLAS.
Cillian is one of the founding members of the Irish contemporary music quintet, MOXIE, who have been an ensemble for over 6 years & have countless achievements to date including performing live with the Ulster Orchestra on BBC, performing live on RTÉ radio with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, performing on FOX news in the U.S., making countless appearances on national radio & TV stations in Ireland & abroad, completed tours in the U.S., Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Australia, Spain, Scotland, France & of course, Ireland.
In late 2016 Moxie were invited to Hanoi in Vietnam to accompany & perform for the president of Ireland (Michael D. Higgins) & president of Vietnam (Trần Đại Quang) for the annual cultural visit. In the same year Moxie were invited to play at the U.S ambassador’s residence in Phoenix Park, Dublin for the 4th of July celebrations. Moxie have released one EP in 2012 titled ‘Extended Play’, an album debut called ‘Planted’ in 2014 & ‘Eyes on Pluto’ a single in October of 2017.
Moxie have also been lucky enough to compose the soundtrack to the hugely successful
dance show ‘Prodijig: The Revolution’ which broke the Cork Opera House’s box office sales
with an astounding 36 residential shows in July of the year 2016.
ATLAS compromises of Doheny (Guitars) & Cillian King (concertina), both natives of Limerick, Ireland, who first crossed paths through the Irish traditional music festival circuit as teenagers where they immediately struck up an intense musical friendship having diverse but similar tastes in music & composition.
Making an album together had always been an aspiration but with Doheny touring heavily with his neo-Irish outfit 'MOXIE' and King on the circuit as a session musician while completing his studies, they decided to use that time to grow as musicians and as people, and Atlas was shelved temporarily. However, in late 2014 when the time was right, the pair became housemates in Dublin and began definite work on their debut album. All composition and pre-production for the album took place in the Dublin apartment with both Cillian's still juggling several other projects and studies at university.
In late November 2015 ATLAS launched a Kickstarter campaign to secure funding to record 'Affinity' and with popular demand for the record, they reached their target with time to spare. Filmed and recorded in an old church which has become a centre for the arts in Belfast, 'Affinity' which sees Atlas accompanied by string quartet and percussion, represents all the music these musicians have grown up with and the music they have to come to love in more recent times. From delicate string arrangements, reminiscent of Sigur Ros to cascades of sound from the ethereal world of Jon Hopkins, they have added an ingredient that is inherently Irish to the mix to create a record that encompasses where they have come from and where they are going.
Cillian has been described by Kieran Hanarahan of Stocktons Wing as “one of the most
innovative newcomers on the acoustic guitar & tenor banjo in recent years with a unique approach to
the music and a technical ability that is unsurpassed”.