Singer songwriter, Katie O’Connor who hails from Raheny in Dublin was crowned the winner of the 6th annual IMRO Christie Hennessy Song Competition with her song ‘Just Too Young’.
Katie was inspired to write the song when she was 15 after she discovered her 5 year old cousin was diagnosed with cancer.
The live final took place on Saturday, 26th November at The Rose Hotel, Tralee, with a special guest performance from the much-loved singer songwriter John Spillane. Ten finalists were selected from over 200 entries from across Ireland and beyond to perform their original song in front of a live audience and panel of expert judges.
As the winner, Katie was presented with a cheque for €1,000, courtesy of Tralee Credit Union and Kilkenny man Robert Grace received €300 as a worthy runner up for his song ‘Talk To Me’ which he co-wrote with James Foley and Glenn Herlihy.
The competition which is a tribute to one of Tralee’s most famous sons had over 200 entries from across Ireland and beyond. Now in its sixth year, the competition has grown in stature over the years to become one of Ireland’s leading song competitions and continues to attract a high calibre of songwriters from Ireland and overseas, covering a broad range of musical genres. Previous winners have included Paul McDonnell, Dave Molloy, Alan Kavanagh, Enda Reilly/Christine Deady and Míde Houlihan.
Twitter: @oconnorkatie9
