Loreena McKennitt was born in Morden, Manitoba, a town of Irish, Scottish, German and Islandic inhabitants, and raised by her mother, a nurse, and a father, who was a livestock trader. Though she had aspirations to be a veterinarian, Loreena also had a passion for music which she expressed in her Highland Dancing and her singing and piano lessons steeped in the classical traditions.

Inspired by Yeats and the music of Breton harpist Alain Stivell, Planxty and the Bothy Band, McKennitt traveled to Ireland in 1982 where she found a kindred spirit in the life and the land of the emerald isle.

Elemental was Loreena's first release, sold out of her car. Word of mouth from cafes and bookstores increased and Loreena soon found herself performing for the soundtrack of films like Boyo in 1985 and Heaven On Earth in 1986. To Drive The Cold Winter Away is a collection of Christmas carols which Loreena recorded on location at a church, a monastary, and an artists' retreat.

Learn more about Loreena McKennitt by clicking on the links on the left. You can also order her music and works by clicking on its titles.