The IMRO Christie Hennessy Song Competition 2018 – Live Final

The Christie Hennessy Song Competition takes place as a tribute to the life and music of one of Tralee’s most famous sons. The ten finalists below were selected from over 200 entries and they will perform their original song in front of a live audience and a panel of expert judges. The winning songwriter will be presented with a cheque for €1,000 on the night, courtesy of CARA Credit Union while the runner up receives a cheque for €300.

Featuring a special guest performance from Don Mescall.

Finalists  

Niamh Keane – ‘Lonely Sea’

A singer-songwriter from Dublin imbued with the soul and style that artists such as Norah Jones and Eva Cassidy are celebrated for. Her music is of both the indie and folk genres with story telling lyrics and melodies that linger on the ear. Relatively new to the Irish music scene it has not taken Niamh long getting her foot in the door of Dublin’s renowned venues including the Ruby Sessions, Whelans, Workmans Club, a support slot opening for Kíla and a coveted slot at Electric Picnic. Currently recording her debut EP Niamh has begun experimenting with her live performance of close knit vocal harmonies, electric guitar, strings and piano.

Allen Monahan – ‘Bird’

Allen has been writing and recording music for over 20 years and to date he has released 4 studio full length studio albums. In that time he has played around Ireland and Europe with the bands 8Ball, Ghost Estates and The Family Knife. He was nominated for a best new band Meteor Music Prize as part of 8Ball and has supported and shared the stage with such acts as Elbow, Aimee Mann and Supergrass. Just recently he has started work on his first solo record which will be a lo-fi acoustic album of original song. Married to his beautiful wife Ines and together they have two beautiful kids, Casper 3 and Leia 3 months.

Ciara Sidine – ‘Finest Flower’ 

Dublin singer/songwriter Ciara Sidine’s much-anticipated follow up album ‘Unbroken Line’ to her debut ‘Shadow Road Shining’ was released to an acclaimed reception September 2017. Dubbed ‘Celtic Americana’, Sidine’s sound is inspired by the roots of American music and by her own Irish musical upbringing.

Compared variously to Emmylou Harris, Maria McKee and, closer to home, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell, Ciara has received as much attention for her fine singing voice as for her melodies and poetic, emotionally resonant lyrics. She has appeared on Other Voices, at Celtic Connections and toured in Ireland and Holland.

Ciara is also well known in the Dublin literary scene. As a foremost editor in the book publishing industry (Ciara Considine), she has worked with many of its leading writers and personalities over two decades.

She describes her feminist politics as central to her creativity, and numerous of the songs on her upcoming album reflect that, exploring themes of choice and bodily autonomy, mother and baby homes, love and equality. ‘Finest Flower’ was inspired by testimony of women who survived Ireland’s mother and baby homes, an ode to the bond that could not be broken when all else was: the love between a mother and her child.

Ciara came to music in her early thirties, when her family were very small and her career in books well established: “I knew it was now or never. I could see the next decade passing by in the blink of an eye and it would be too late. So I accepted where I was – work, motherhood, all the madness of those years – and dedicated myself to pursuing my music however I could. It’s been an amazing journey since. As long as I know I’ve done the best record I can, the slow road works just fine for me.”

2018 has seen a Dutch tour and album release for Ciara, where she played at the Paradiso and other venues across Holland, and she is currently working on her next album.

Heather McGrath –  ‘Intoxicate Me’

Hailing from the coastal town of Tramore, Co. Waterford, Heather McGrath is a 21-year-old singer/songwriter whose love for songwriting began at a young age. Heather has been composing and writing since she was 11 years old, and as such has compiled a large portfolio of original works. She is also classically trained as a mezzo soprano (RIAM) and is studying for a degree in music.

Her style encompasses pop with a hint of country and a dash of jazz/blues fusion. Her influences include Fleetwood Mac, K.T Tunstall, R.E.M and Jack Johnson, as well as Irish artists such as The Script, Kodaline, Little Hours and Gavin James. Despite Heather’s young age, she is no stranger to the Waterford music scene. Heather has hit the festival circuit running, already putting Spraoi, The Harvest Festival, Stage of Life Festival, Dunmore East Food Festival, Waterford Walls, Summer in the City/Artbeat and many intimate acoustic gigs under her belt!

When just 16, Heather supported 70’s Irish showband legend Rob Strong and played as part of the relaunch for Teenage Kicks in Garter Lane. Her debut single, ‘Intoxicate Me’, recorded in Camden Recording Studios Dublin, was just released on September 6th 2018.

Gemma Bradley – ‘Berserk’

Gemma Bradley is a contemporary R&B/pop/Soul artist hailing from County Derry but is currently based in Dublin, Ireland.  Spending most of her youth tirelessly gigging she has gained a solid reputation for herself in the Irish gigging circuit.  Combining her unique soul infused vocal sound with sprinkles of Pop and R&B she is a welcome breath of fresh air to the local music scene.   

Gemma’s single ‘Berserk’, released in February 2018 was supported and played on RTE Radio 1, BBC’s Across the Line, Highland Radio, LMFM, Dublin 98fm, U Radio, Philadelphia’s Craic radio, The Kitchen Table, Power XR California and many more. 

Gemma has earned critical acclaim from blogs and music tastemakers both internationally and in Ireland, leading to a number of festivals/shows, Supporting Sam Wickens, Paddy Nash and Kaz Hawkins, a performance at the O2 in London as a part of The Big Music Project, Bare in the Woods, Glasgowbury, Women of the World, Other Voices Music Trail, F Festival and local and national radio play on, RTE Radio 1, LMFM, Dublin South FM, Dublin 98FM, Irish TV, BBC ATL and BBC’s Gerry Kelly and John Toal show.  She is now reaching new heights and starting to make her mark in Dublin by playing venues such as The Workman’s Club, Generator and is just fresh from her Whelan’s One’s to Watch 2018 performance. She is a very promising artist – and is most definitely one to watch!

Emma Langford – ‘The Belle And The Ruin’

Having been shortlisted in 2018 for the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards (‘Best Emerging Artist’) and the Irish Post Music Awards (‘Best Folk Act’), it comes as no surprise that since releasing her debut EP in 2016, Emma Langford has quickly established herself as a staple of the folk circuit on the Irish and international scene. She has worked alongside internationally recognised artists Ron Sexsmith, Beoga, Wallis Bird, Mary Black, Phil Coulter, Eddi Reader, and Declan O’Rourke; and is a frequent touring support act for Mick Flannery, Jack Lukeman, and Mundy.  

Hailing from Limerick in the South-West of Ireland, Emma Langford’s distinctive voice is described by  song-writing legend Phil Coulter as “a breath of fresh air“. She deftly blends traditional Irish lilt with folk and jazz nuances; while delicate guitar work complements a clear intuitive sense of melody. Her winning combination of insightful lyrics and witty demeanour create the mesmerising live on-stage presence for which the young artist is well known. 

In October 2017 her debut album ‘Quiet Giant’, described by The Irish Times as “an enduring piece of work”, was released alongside a music video showcasing her hometown of Limerick City to accompany the album’s dark, strident folk-rock single, ‘Closed Book’. The record continues to receive considerable airtime on national and international radio, and remained in the independent Irish charts and in national radio playlists for many weeks following its release, securing the young artist’s place as a firm fixture of the national music scene.  

Following its release, she was invited to tour internationally with Germany’s Irish Folk Festival, receiving rave reviews and breaking tour records for CD sales. Langford’s sound however is made to be heard live, with a natural tone and resonance that is truly breath-taking – and razor-sharp wit to boot.

Paddy Dennehy – ‘Strange Wings’

Newcomers to Paddy Dennehy’s music have a tendency be blown away. His first ever gig in Dublin was performing on ‘The Late Late Show’ after their booking team stumbled across him on YouTube. His first time playing his own material in Cork was a personal invitation from Glen Hansard to join him onstage at the Everyman Theatre after hearing him play ‘Hard Times’ on an old upright piano at the back of Benner’s Hotel in Dingle. The first full band show to a mesmerised audience at Electric Picnic’s ‘Trailer Park Stage’ left no one in doubt that they were seeing the beginning of something quite special indeed.

Performing with some of the greatest acts in Ireland and abroad (Imelda May, Mick Flannery, Lisa Hannigan to name a few…) has provided something of a ste ep learning curve for Paddy. “I remember coming away from the gig in King John’s Castle in Limerick after supporting Imelda May thinking ‘Jesus, I think I might have something good here, but ‘good’ isn’t enough. My songwriting needs to get better, I have to work on my voice and my delivery if I want to keep performing on that level.” This assessment led to many recordings being scrapped, songs taken apart and pieced back together and every aspect of the show being subject to scrutiny. “It took a long, long time for me to get a grip on what I want to do and how I wanted to deliver it.“

Paddy Dennehy’s debut album ‘Strange Wings’ will be released in early 2019. References to Nick Cave, Randy Newman and Leonard Cohen can be heard throughout the album suggesting a classic school of songwriting where each lyric has clearly been carefully chosen and every melody crafted with the utmost care in pursuit of the timeless song.

Liam O’Shea and The Grunts – ‘Everytime (We Kiss Goodbye)’

Liam O’Shea is a prolific musician from Cork city. He is a vocalist with Cork Band ‘The Grunts’ which was formed over 10 years ago and taking their influences from Roy Orbison, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure and the Pixies..

The track ‘Everytime (We Kiss Goodbye)’ details the emotions associated with a love that is broken but the heart doesn’t see this. Both parties instead of calling it a day continue to feed emotionally off each other producing a longing never sees resolution. Like two bits of coral chipped from dazzling reef they sink into the gloom briefly engaging before the final dispersal. In this song I tried to capture both musically and lyrically this interplay.

Liam’s (and the Grunts) latest album ‘Cult Before Country’ saw the band headline across Ireland while also supporting such acts as Riche Ramone of the legendary Ramones, the Sultans of Ping, and Delorentos. The band had a song placements in the Maurice O’Carroll Movie ‘Dead Along the Way’ and Jenn Mcguirk’s Tae Talks 1 & 2 comedy sketches. The band also toured in the UK and US, appearing on Dead TV and taking in legendary venues like Madame Jo Jo’s in London and the Trash Bar and Bowery Electric in New York City back on tours. The band’s releases have received airplay and support from Dead TV, Today FM DJs Alison Curtis, Dave Couse, 96FM’s fantastic Michael Carr and Red FM’s Ash Keating.

Leila Jane – ‘Look Away From Our Creation’

Leila Jane began writing songs at age 15 after listening to the full recordings of the 1930’s blues player Robert Johnson. After an appearance at the Cambridge folk festival in 2013, Leila Jane was described as “Somewhere between Janis Joplin and Sandy Denny’’. Since then Leila has been gigging widely and travelling to the USA to pick up inspiration for her songs. Taking influences from all genres of American roots music, Hot Press Magazine stated ”Donegal Native Leila Jane evokes the best of classic blues while adding a fresh, native twist”. 

In 2015 she received the Imelda May scholarship to study songwriting at BIMM Dublin. Here, she has enjoyed developing her sound and bringing in some top musicians to play in her band. They include rock n roll guitar playing from Stuart Doyle, Alice Grollero providing the grooving heartbeat on bass and Danni Nolan on drums; coolly locking in foot stomping and body swaying rhythms. 

Last October she released her EP Decision Maker which was described as ”one of the best Irish EPs of 2017” by music blogger Remy Connolly. 

So far this year Leila has played support for artists such as Angie McMahon, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Tandem Felix, Karl Blau, Riley Pearce  and Shannon and The Clams.

ELKAE – ‘Sold’

ELKAE is an emerging electronic soul artist songwriter and producer setting out in a genre of her own. 

Taking inspiration from the music world and settings around her, she combines ambient production and live instrumentation to set her apart from the crowd. Bass and synth driven beats run parallel to her powerful soulful voice to consume the listener and immerse them in her world. 

Having made her stamp on the Dublin live music scene as a singer-songwriter, ELKAE has had a busy summer of live shows including 2 slots at this years Electric Picnic. ELKAE is set to break apart and release her first string of singles this Autumn co-produced and mixed by Michael Heffernan.