[1] He was born in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland in 1948 and educated in England and Canada, with choral training in the Schola Cantorum tradition under Geoffrey Tristram at St. Peter's School and Christchurch Priory, Dorset UK.
It was after an extended stay in Ghana in 1970 to 1971 that Crilly began his searched for collaborators in a new approach to Celtic music; one that would step outside the traditional constraints.
In 1973, in Montreal, Crilly teamed up with fellow Irishman Toby Kinsella, guitarist Richard Chapman, fiddler Elliot Selick, singer and guitarist Pierre Guérin, and percussionist Ed Moore to form Na Baird, the Montreal Celtic band which was to become Barde.
Chris Crilly's rhapsody for violin and piano, The Eagle and the Loon (1997), was commissioned by Mohawk violinist Tara-Louise Montour.
He has also composed music for television series, animation, and documentary films, including: Strings/Cordes, The Boys of St. Vincent, Frank the Wrabbit, Short Infinity, and Eckhart.