I wrote previously about how I came to write the song Moi Aussi. I sang it live at the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern on St. Patrick’s Day, a performance which served as the basis for the video below. The video was published to mark World Down Syndrome Day 2018 on 21 March. As I…Continue readingThe Moi Aussi video
Category: Blog
Update March 2021: A new video for WDSD21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7TABLQ6j1w – and those who’d like to learn or teach the song can find resources here. My friend Ruth asked a couple of months ago whether I might be willing to see if I could come up with a new song for the opening ceremony – or…Continue readingMa première chanson en français
I decided to give my website a fresh lick of paint recently in the form of a new WordPress theme that’s optimized for musicians. I guess the most notable feature is the nifty music player that sits at the bottom of all pages. What’s really nice is that it will keep playing as you click…Continue readingNow singing at a digital retailer near you
Luka Bloom performed for GLAS at the Collège des Coudriers in Geneva last Saturday and I had the honour of being his opening act. To sing my own songs for a crowd of around 250 – including many, many friends – while a musician of Luka Bloom’s stature waited in the wings was an exhilarating experience. My…Continue readingHis name is Luka
I turned forty last month. My birthday fell while we were visiting my extended family in Ireland, so it was lovely to catch up with my three sisters (with “middle Meave” putting in a surprise appearance all the way from Singapore), my parents and a plethora of nieces and nephews. The big celebration was back…Continue readingThe one where forty-three different people performed on stage in Mulligans over the course of a single evening
I was thinking a while back about how much I’ve enjoyed those few times I’ve heard other people singing songs that I wrote. That train of thought prompted me to kick off a discussion on the WeAreTheMusicMakers (WATMM) subreddit, where it became clear there would be interest in an initiative where songwriters would agree to…Continue readingCover Me, Cover You
My Silver Son is a song I wrote for my second son Declan, just before he turned two. I finally managed, a couple of months ago, to write one for my first son Robert. First In My Eyes is a song about being a father, making the most of the time we have with our kids,…Continue readingA song for Robert
In May 2008 I spent a wonderful few days at the Listowel Writers’ Week, where my friend David and I had decided to join a series of songwriting workshops. Glen Hansard had originally been slated to lead the course, but being in unexpectedly high demand having won himself an Oscar, he pulled out a few…Continue readingFarewell to Maeve, my Liza
I spent a couple of years working in Amsterdam for EAZA, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, as Communications and Membership Manager. Its Executive Director at the time was Lesley Dickie, a Scotswoman whose many passions included an obsession with the fossa, an obscure (to most people) carnivore from Madagascar. Lesley’s PhD focused on…Continue readingThe world’s only song about the fossa?
Three weeks, three very different gigs, three very different audiences. One Tuesday morning in late November I finally delivered on a promise to bring my guitar down to the crèche that Robert and Declan attend, the Little Green House in Gland, to join in song-time. I had an enthusiastic audience, none more so than Robert, who…Continue readingPlaying to the crowd