DAOIRÍ FARRELL has been called "one of the most important traditional singers to emerge in the last decade", by a key figure in Irish music, and a former Planxty member, Dónal Lunny.
Farrell has also earned the praise of Christy Moore (another former Planxty man ), who said: "I've been listening to Daoirí's emerging sounds since first hearing him at the Góilin Singers Club in Dublin when he was a young lad...always a treat to hear him sing."
Galway will see why this former electrician, turned traditional singer and bouzouki player, is held in such high regard when he plays the Róisín Dubh on Sunday February 23 at 8pm.
Turned onto folk music by watching Christy Moore on TV, he released his debut album, The First Turn in 2009, before studying at the University of Limerick, where flautist Fintan Vallely introduced him to the singing of the late Liam Weldon, a formative experience. He then cut his teeth at the Góilin Singers Club and worked with Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Arty McGlynn, and Sean Keane.
In 2013, Farrell won the All Ireland Champion Singer award at the Fleadh in Derry, and in 2015 won the prestigious Danny Kyle Award at Celtic Connections in Glasgow. In 2016 he was invited to Manchester to do a live session on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe, after which he toured Britain, and released his second album, True Born Irishman.
In 2017 he won Two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards – Best Traditional Track and Best Newcomer – and performed with a six piece line-up at the awards ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In 2018 he toured the UK with Transatlantic Sessions, while last year saw the release of his third album, A Lifetime Of Happiness.
Tickets are available from www.roisindubh.net; OMG@Zhivago, Shop Street; and the Róisín Dubh.
