Niall Byrne studied Piano and Composition at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He was awarded first prize at the 1992 Dublin Film Festival's music competition, chaired by composer Michael Nyman. Since then he has composed music for feature films and television dramas both in Ireland and abroad. With support from the Arts council, he attended seminars on film music by Ennio Morricone at the Chigiana Music school in Sienna, Italy. He has received four IFTA award nominations for Best Music.