Our featured artist of the month for February is Dublin’s Daoirí Farrell. Described by Dónal Lunny as “One of the most important traditional singers to emerge in the last decade”; his third album, A Lifetime of Happiness (reviewed here), was released earlier this month. It’s an album that displays a deep love of traditional and contemporary Irish song, an album where Daoirí not only pays homage to some great songs, but also to those who inspired him to become a professional musician.
Following an appearance at Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Daoirí is preparing for a tour in Australia before returning home for his Lifetime of Happiness tour – so I was pleased to be able to put a few questions his way about the new album and the influences behind it. The first concerns the four performers Daoirí has always cited as his most important influences, I asked him whether there are unique aspects of the music of Liam Weldon, Christy Moore, Frank Harte, and Len Graham that inspire him, individually, or if there’s a common thread that links them and draws him to their work.
“These four singers are indeed people that I’ve quoted in the past, among many others of course, but these four, in my opinion, all share the common aspect of having been massive influences on people, like myself, whether they perform or listen to Irish or folk music.
“I think if you asked any of my music friends that they would all know of these mentioned musicians. I do also think that they each have unique aspects about them.”
Daoirí has often mentioned the importance of playing music sessions around Dublin, and especially at the famous Góilin Singers Club. I asked him if that was his first experience of performing for a live audience.
“Yes, I guess the Dublin session scene is where it all started for me. It was at sessions that I was able to try out different material and indeed different instruments. I would make the day of a particular session a deadline each week to try out different material and the likes”. So that was when you first started learning songs with a view to performing them live? “I suppose the first time I started learning songs for the purpose of performing them to an audience would have been in the first two years of my time in music college in Dublin. I would have arranged songs and tune sets on the banjo and Bouzouki and then would perform them in venues such as The Cobblestone and Aras Chronain along with my college pals”. When he first started performing, Daoirí was an apprentice electrician, and it was through listening to the likes of Christy Moore and Planxty that he fell under the spell of Irish song. “I would have played in or went to listen to different sessions before and during my apprenticeship as an electrician. I do remember practicing the banjo and mandolin in the car on the building sites during the break times. Great times”.
Having taken the decision to become a full-time musician, Daoirí then embarked on a series of traditional music courses around Ireland. First with the BCFE Ceoiltor Irish Music Performance Course in Dublin, then a B/A Applied Music Degree at the Dundalk Institute, Co, Louth, and finally a Music Performance Masters at the University of Limerick. I asked Daoirí if they all brought something different to his development.
“Probably the best and most fun years of my life.
“They all brought totally different aspects of my development as a musician. I had great guidance in each of the colleges and I would recommend these courses to anyone who had an interest in Music performance as a career”.
Also a talented instrumentalist, on his earlier albums Daoirí has played banjo, guitar and bodhrán. On A Lifetime of Happiness, though, the bouzouki is his sole instrument of choice. He’s often mentioned, whilst performing live and during interviews, Beatrice, his custom-made instrument from Dublin, so I was keen to learn more about her.
“The instruments that I play are all made by Joe Foley from Churchtown here in Dublin. He has been making Bouzouki’s now since before I was born and I have a few different instruments that he has made. Joe also made the instrument that I called Beatrice. I’ll let you in on a secret. I call them all Beatrice, haha. Each bouzouki sounds totally different but some things that they have in common is that they are all incredibly sturdy, reliable and most importantly, they sound as good acoustically played as they do amplified. That’s why I like Joe’s instruments, plus the fact that he is a lovely man and a great friend to me”.
Dónal Lunny, another artist who’s been a major inspiration, produced A Lifetime of Happiness. He’s been an admirer of Daoirí’s music since The First Turn. What brought them together for the new album?
“I always wanted to record an album with Dónal and this new album is the outcome. I asked him one day would he be able to do a half day with me in the studio recording two songs and it went really well. It was after that I knew I had to do a full album with him and here we are”. And were any of the songs on the album in development as you were touring last year? “Yes some of the songs were in development last year and I find that I do most of my research for new material when I’m travelling on my own from venue to venue”.
There are old friends playing on A Lifetime of Happiness. Robbie Walsh, of course, on bodhrán and Pat Daly on fiddle. The album, though, seems to embrace a wider range of influences, in terms of personnel, than The First Turn and True Born Irishman. I wondered if Dónal Lunny’s role as producer was an important factor in that?
“Dónal’s role was very important and we both sat down and done a certain amount of planning out on both the song arrangements and who I wanted on the album before we went near the studio. They were all musicians that I played with before so it meant going into the studio was an enjoyable and comfortable experience because I knew all the musicians that played on the album very well”.
At Celtic Connections in 2015, Daoirí was the winner of the prestigious Danny Kyle Award, an open stage event to encourage new musical talent. This year, he returned to host The Dublin Session, featuring Declan O’Rourke, Caoimhe Hogarty, Ye Vagabonds and a cappella quartet Landless. That must have been a particularly satisfying experience? “I really enjoyed the gig at Celtic Connections this year. Each performing guest brought some songs to the table and we had assigned practices that we attended in advance of the gig. Sean Og Graham was musical director on this gig and he was amazing”. I asked if he’d been able to soak up the festival atmosphere while in Glasgow, but not surprisingly, Daoirí’s touring schedule is rather full “I didn’t catch any other gigs. I was in and home because I had other gigs to do. But we did get to meet others who were to play at Celtic Connections”.
At the end of February Daoirí embarks on an extensive Australian tour, then it’s back to UK & Ireland for the Lifetime of Happiness tour. The full schedule is included below. There are sure to be some memorable gigs, so the only remaining question is whether these are all solo performances?
“These are all solo performances and I am very much looking forward to them”.
With Daoirí Farrell’s impressive talent for sharing song and story, I’m certain there are many more looking forward to them too.
Song of the Day: Windmills
Our Song of the Day is Windmills, from Daoiri’s new album, on which he shared the following:
“I was introduced to this song by a good friend of mine, Pat Goode. I was sitting in his kitchen when he sung the song for me and I instantly fell in love with it. I later found out that the song was written by Alan Bell. Actually, my mammy and her pals met Alan at a folk festival in Portugal late last year (Costa Del Folk) and My mam put us in touch. He said he was delighted I was recording the song and even sent me his most recent recordings. Such a lovely man.”
https://soundcloud.com/daoiri-farrell/09-windmills/s-z2wTj
Order A Lifetime of Happiness here http://daoiri.com/
THE LIFETIME OF HAPPINESS TOUR – SPRING 2019
MARCH
20 – LIMAVADY, Roe Valley Arts Centre
21 – Bangor Castle
22 – DOWNPATRICK, Down Arts Centre
23 – DUNGANNON, Ranfurly House & Arts Centre
24 – BELFAST, The Duncairn
29 – LLANDEILO, Llandeilo Acoustic at The Angel Inn
30 – CARDIGAN | ABERTEIFI, Theatr Mwldan
31 – BUILTH WELLS, Wyeside Arts Centre
APRIL
01 – NR. CARDIFF, Acapela
02 – BIRMINGHAM, Kitchen Garden Café
05 – BASINGSTOKE, The Forge at The Anvil
06 – SOUTH PETHERTON, The David Hall
07 – Topsham Folk Club
08 – NR. HENLEY-ON-THAMES, Nettlebed Village Club
09 – CAMBRIDGE, The Junction
10 – CAMDEN, LONDON, Cecil Sharp House
12 – BLAXHALL VILLAGE HALL, Blaxhall Sessions (FOLKEAST.CO.UK)
15 – SHREWSBURY, Henry Tudor House
17 – NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, Tyneside Irish Centre
18 – STIRLING, The Tolbooth
Ticket links and more details here: http://daoiri.com
Photo Credit: Desmond Farrell