Hold On video

Have some big news – I’m delighted to announce I have signed a record deal with JSM in Germany, with my debut album coming out there later this year!

To mark the occasion, I’d also like to share the brand new video for Hold On with you all! Please Share if you enjoy it.

The video is directed by Simon Eustace, and features Aaron Heffernan, Mirjana Rendulic, Geraldine McAlinden and Colin Condon. Special thanks to Dogpatch Labs Dublin.

An Ri Ra Butte, and more | US Blog #3

August 1st
After driving back to New York, me and Jenni pack up our stuff at Luke’s apartment and head to our new digs. We’ve rented a deadly loft apartment in this cool part of Brooklyn called Bushwick. The streets are covered with amazing street art and every second shop is a thrift store. When we get there we’re delighted to see Peter, Magrath and Gearoid, our friends from Dublin who’re here for the rest of our time in New York. The apartment has an unbelievable roof top terrace with a beautiful view of Manhattan. I have five days off spanning ahead of me… the fun begins.

August 2nd
The next couple of days included fun touristy things like; MOMA; The Guggenheim; Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge; watching the Dubs beat Cork in an Irish bar in the city; The Statten Island Ferry; The Statue of Liberty; The High LIne; Times Square; Coney Island; on most nights, followed by a session on our rooftop terrace. Our apartment is such a hit we find random people strewn across the furniture most mornings. My days off fly by and before I know it I’m saying goodbye to my friends and my new Bushwick home and heading for San Francisco.
August 7th
After a brief moment of panic before landing, thinking the plane is about to crash into San Francisco Bay, I touch down in SFO. I’m greeted by my Uncle Michael and my cousin Maeve at baggage claim who give me the most amazing red velvet cup cake and drive me back to their home in Sunset Boulevard. Michael moved here to go to college in the 80s and, after meeting his Californian wife-to-be Sonia, never came home. They now have three gorgeous teenage girls Ciara, Maeve and Catriona. It’s so good to see them all. On the walls I see some amazing pictures of my parents and brother Danny as a kid that I’ve never seen before. We all sit down and have an amazing meal cooked by Michael. They’re such good craic to hang out with, it’s like a little bit of home.
August 8th
Back to another airport. At the gate we meet my other Uncle Shay who has pretty much the same story as Michael but lives just outside San Fran in Berkeley. We’re all heading to a festival – An Ri Ra Butte, Montana. We’re joined by Cathy, Eamon, Tesser and Bobbi who all play in my uncles’ band. Sorry forgot to mention my uncles musicians too! After a short plane ride to Salt Lake City, which includes some amazing views of the lake, we get on an even tinier plan to An Ri Ra Butte. On it we meet Brian Cunningham, a dancer from the band Teada. I had played with them a few times before when I went to college in San Jose… have a feeling this is going to be a good weekend. We arrive late into Butte and are picked up by the festival coordinators. When we arrive to the hotel the session is in full swing. I try to get to bed early… two gigs tomorrow… but somehow don’t manage it.

 

August 9th
The first gig is on the main stage at An Ri Ra Butte. For the festival the town has basically closed off its main street and the surrounding areas to make room for four stages and loads of food, drink and clothes stalls. My uncles have asked me to sing with them in their set. I know most of the songs and the high harmonies from listening to them as a kid so it goes pretty well with just the one rehearsal that morning under our belts. My own gig is in a smaller marquee stage down the road. I’m a bit nervous, no one knows me here and it’s the first gig I’ve done completely on my own. After a few songs the tent really begins to fill up. By the end it pretty packed and the response is brilliant. That night the session continues in the hotel lobby. Musicians from all over the world have come for the festival and the talent in that one room is unbelievable. Head to bed just a little bit earlier tonight… four gigs tomorrow.

August 10th
First gig is in the on the main stage with my Uncles again. When I get down to the marquee stage for my own set the tent is already packed. It’s a great feeling. I start my set, but in the middle of Tea Song the sky opens up like I’ve never seen before in my life. One second it’s a lovely sunny day the next there’s people running for shelter from rain drops the size of apples! For safety reasons the PA system in the tent the has to be turned off until the rain dies down. I sit at the edge of the stage talking to some audience members while we’re waiting but, after a while, it doesn’t seem to be wearing off. At this point the tent if full to the brim with people trying to escape the rain as well as the audience who came to see me, so I decide to get up and sing the rest of the set acoustically. Everyone goes extremely quiet and the reaction afterwards is immense. The rain eventually stops and the power is switched back on but no one seems to leave. I invite them all to my third gig of the day on the second stage. The second stage is at the bottom of a steep grassy hill which serves to act as an amphitheater for the stage. When I arrive later on for my set it seems most of the audience from the tent have taken the invite. It’s a great laugh to play for them again. Straight afterwards I sing with my uncles on the stage and the crowd love them. The session that night in the hotel tops the lot. Dancing on tables and playing on the floor until who knows what time. Amazing weekend at An Ri Ra, Butte, Montana.

US Blog #1

Back from my debut US tour and I had such an unbelievable time playing 14 dates across the States! There have been lots of people asking me about the tour and wondering how I got on, so I thought I’d share a few stories from the time I was there in this US blog! I’ll be posting a few blogs on my website this week. First US blog is here…We arrive into JFK on Friday afternoon. The plane journey over had been spent planning all the touristy things we need to do between shows. I’m travelling with my best friend Jenni; self proclaimed Tour Manager/ Personal Assistant/ Groupie No. 1. We’ve been friends since first year in Our Lady’s School Terenure and followed each other to UCD, so it seems only fitting that she be my partner in crime on my first solo American Tour! We got a yellow cab out to Brooklyn, current home of our close friends Luke, Feargal and Greg, who I’ve know almost as long as Jenni. They’ve been kind enough to put us up for the first few nights that we’re in New York. All from Dublin, the three lads are doing internships in the city while writing for the debut album of their band Half Of Me. I first met Luke in Irish college when were 14 and ended up studying music with him at college. He’ll be joining me on tour playing bass, and a little keys and guitar too. As Jenni and the boys head into the city to meet friends,  me and Luko get down to some serious rehearsing; our first show is tomorrow night in Manhattan and we’ve never played together before (unless you count over Skype).
US blog New York
27th July
I’m woken by Maggie (Luke’s better half/Assistant PA/Groupie No.2) with an amazing vegetarian omelette and grilled tomatoes. Sharing the bed with me is Jen and our good friend Paddy (Groupie No.3/ “The Diva”) who arrived last night. They’re both horribly hungover, so me and Luke head into the back garden to rehearse before sound check. We arrive in the afternoon to the venue The Red Lion in Manhattan. We’re greeted by my brother Danny and rest of the The Coronas. They only planned these gigs in New York less than a month before and it was just a happy coincidence that I had already planned to be here doing my own gigs and was able to do support for them. Don’t get to hang out with him and the lads as often as I’d like since they moved to London so it’s really great to see them. Tonight’s gonna be fun, I can feel it! Sound check runs smoothly and before we know it doors are open. At this point I’m nervous. I’m so used to having a band around me, especially a guitarist. In order to do this tour I had to start seriously playing the guitar so I could back myself. Tonight’s the moment of truth. By the time me and Luke go on the crowd are in flying form. It takes a song or two to win them over but by the end it seems they’re loving it! Come off stage buzzing and watch The Coronas show, amazing; forgot how good it is to see them in a small venue. Get to join them for Heroes or Ghosts and Heyday at the end. Have a great night hanging out with the lads and some friends after the show. We all end up in another bar somewhere in the city but am home by 3, have another show tomorrow!
US blog Brooklyn
US blog
US blog
28th July
We head to meet The Coronas and their friend and New York booker Conor Doyle in the city. They’re all staying in a beautiful apartment off Central Park. While we’re in the area me and Luko head in to the park to go for a busk, we get to see the John Lennon memorial while we’re there. Afterwards we head to Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers for sound check. As the doors open the crowd pile in and it looks like they’re are gonna be even crazier than the audience last night. As I go on stage they don’t disappoint. The Coronas don’t disappoint either and all too soon I’m walking off stage after Hey Day. After the show we meet up with some of the lads’ friends and some friends I met earlier in the year on Joanie Madden’s Irish Festival cruise; the Loughran sisters Neidin, Blaithin and Erin and Mickey Coleman. All trad musicians who live in the area, the session afterwards is brilliant! We sing songs in Dolan’s till the wee hours… Great night.
US blogUS blog
29th July
My phone buzzes, it’s a message from Danny, “Come up to Yonkers, we’re having a session”. It’s 3pm. Poor Luke had to be in work this morning so, after we get some food in the city, me, Jen and Paddy get the subway out to Yonkers. We end up in a small Irish bar and have a really nice session with some of the girls from the trad band Girsa and the rest of the Loughran sisters, as well as a whole load of other talented people. Jenni and Paddy are the only ones not singing but by the end of the night (after a whole load of drink) I convince them to sing ‘Oró ‘se do bheath’ abhaile’  (the only song they know all the words to); it goes down a bomb! Around 4am the three of us head back to the subway and continue the sing song on the ride back to Brooklyn.  It takes over two hours but it was worth it just to see the view sun rise over Manhattan from the Williamsburg bridge.
US blog
Will post another US blog soon…

Synchronicity video

Here it is! The video for the new single Synchronicity! Had such great fun making this, thanks so much to the amazing Myles O’Reilly of Arbutus Yarns who directed. Hope you all like it.

‘How Long’ video

Here it is – the video for our second single ‘How Long’! Click here to watch it.

 

Please help us spread the video by sharing it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere online. We’d really appreciate it. We hope you like it.

Thanks to Alan for directing & editing, to Aaron for our amazing puppets, to Whelan’s, and to all our friends who helped.