Sandie Purcell is a composer, fiddle player and primary school teacher from Kill in Co. Kildare. Sandie began learning the fiddle with Mary Greevy at the age of seven and composing followed just a couple of years later. In 1996, at the age of thirteen, Sandie won the IMRO Composition Award with the jig “The Crooked Picture” which she performed at the Hawk’s Well Theatre in Sligo.

Sandie holds a BMUS from DIT Conservatory of Music where she was taught the fiddle by Kevin Glackin and whistle by Paul McGettrick and Peter Browne. Sandie took Composition as a specialist subject and was supervised by Dr. Grainne Mulvey. Sandie also holds an MA in Composition from DCU and a HDip in Primary Education.

During her time working at Na Píobairí Uilleann from 2008 to 2013, Sandie began playing the uilleann pipes under the tutelage of Gay McKeon. Her interest in piping music was ignited and in 2014 Sandie was commissioned by Dublin City Council to compose a piping work to commemorate The Battle of Clontarf. It was performed by the renowned piper Mark Redmond and a short film of the piece was made by Warrior Films Ireland.

In 2022, Sandie was commissioned by the committee of Féile Liam O’Flynn to compose a piping piece in memory of Liam O’Flynn, entitled The Open Road. The piece was again premiered by virtuoso uilleann piper Mark Redmond at the inaugural Féile Liam O’Flynn.

Sandie featured as the Irish Traditional Music Archive’s “Composer of the Month” in the Saothar series in September 2022 (https://www.itma.ie/saothar/sandie-purcell/). Her publications include the tune-book “101 Original Compositions of Irish Traditional Music by Sandie Purcell (2007)” and the album The Crooked Picture (2008) by the band Reelan, who formed for the making of the album. Both of these were supported by The Arts Council.