Saint Cera

Saint Cera of Ireland (alternately Chera, Chier, Ciara, Cyra, Keira, Kiara, Cier, Ciar) was an abbess in the 7th century who died in 679. Her history is probably commingled with another Cera (alternately Ciar, Ciara) who lived in the 6th century. However, some authors maintain that monastic mistakes account for references to Cera in the 6th century or that a single Cera had an exceptionally long life span.

Life

There are two stories connected with the saint(s). In the first story, Cera's prayers saved an Irish town from a foul smelling fire. When a noxious blaze broke out in "Muscraig, in Momonia," St. Brendan instructed the inhabitants to seek Cera's prayers. They followed his instructions, Cera prayed in response to their supplications, and the fire disappeared. Since St. Brendan died in 577, this story likely refers to an earlier Cera. "Muscraig, in Momonia" may refer to Muskerry, an area outside of Cork. "Momonia" refers to southern Ireland in at least one ancient map.

Ciara

Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25, 1985), known mononymously as Ciara (pronounced /siːˈɛrə/, see-ERR-ə), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, eventually moving to Atlanta, Georgia where she joined the girl group Hearsay (not to be confused with the British group Hear'Say); however, the group disbanded after having differences. It was at this time Ciara was noticed for her songwriting. In 2002, Ciara met music producer Jazze Pha. With his help, she signed a record deal with LaFace Records.

In 2004, Ciara released her debut studio album Goodies, which spawned three hit singles: "Goodies", "1, 2 Step", and "Oh". The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned her four nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. She released her second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution, in 2006 which spawned the hit singles "Get Up", "Promise", and "Like a Boy". The album reached number one in the U.S. and was certified platinum.

Ciara (album)

Ciara is the eponymously titled fifth studio album by American recording artist Ciara, which was released on July 9, 2013, by Sony Music Entertainment. This album is the artist's first release under Epic, since publicly asking the now-defunct Jive Records to release her from her contractual obligations. The singer cited a lack of label support and financial funding for her previous albums Fantasy Ride (2009) and Basic Instinct (2010). On this fifth studio album, Ciara is reunited with her long-term mentor and friend L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records. Reid is credited with discovering Ciara in 2003 along with signing her to his LaFace Records label and executive-producing her debut studio album, Goodies (2004).

On Ciara, the singer is reunited with music producers Rodney Jerkins and Jasper Cameron, who have respectively worked on previous Ciara singles and albums. The duo were joined by The Underdogs, Soundz, D'Mile, Oligee, Josh Abraham and Mike Will Made It, amongst others. Writing contributions come from the likes of singer-songwriters: Wynter Gordon, Livvi Franc and Ali Tamposi, along with a number of contributions from Ciara herself. Rappers Future and Nicki Minaj respectively have guest vocals on the album, whilst Ciara herself is listed as a featured artist on the song "Super Turnt Up", a record where she raps and takes credit for co-producing the song.

Ciara (given name)

Ciara /ˈkɪərə/ is a popular Irish language female name and was tenth on the list of most popular names given to baby girls in Ireland in 2006. It is the feminine version of the name Ciarán, meaning "dark-haired" in Irish Gaelic, and was also the name of Saint Ciara, a seventh-century Irish saint venerated by the Roman Catholic Church. The name's spelling is often Anglicized as Keira, Kiera, Keara or Kira.

In the United States, the name Ciara is also sometimes pronounced /siːˈɑːrə/. This pronunciation may have been further promoted in part by the popularity of a perfume brand called Ciara (pronounced see-AR-ə, "C-R-uh" after the initials of Charles Revson) created by Revlon in 1973. It is also occasionally used in the United States as a spelling variant of the name Sierra, as popularized by the American R&B singer Ciara Harris.

Some notable people named Ciara