Eleanor McEvoy

Eleanor McEvoy graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an honours degree in music and worked as a violinist in the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for five years before taking the plunge to leave the classical world behind to concentrate on her real passion—song-writing.

In 1992, her song ‘A Woman’s Heart’ was the title track for the ‘A Woman’s Heart’ anthology album. ‘A Woman’s Heart’ has since gone on to become the best-selling Irish album in Irish history and in April 2019 was shortlisted to the top 10 in the search for RTE’s Ireland’s Favourite Folk Song.

Her eponymous debut album was released by Geffen records in LA in 1993, this was followed with tours in the USA, Europe and the Far East. She moved to Columbia Records in New York for her second album ‘What’s Following Me?’, the first single, ‘Precious Little’ was a top ten radio hit in the USA.

Since then, Eleanor has gone on to become an artist and performer known throughout the world. She has had numerous cover versions of her songs by performers such as Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, Phil Coulter, Bella Hardy (BBC Folk Singer of the Year) Eliza Carthy, Derek Ryan, Jack L and Saint Sister. Her songs have been used in many TV and film soundtracks, most recently, Channel 4’s award winning TV series “Derry Girls”.

McEvoy’s song ‘Sophie’ is used internationally in treatment centres to treat patients with eating disorders and was described by David Smith in The Guardian as “an anthem that is touching, inspiring and consoling thousands of anorexic girls around the world.”

In February 2020, she played four sold out concerts in the National Concert Hall and National Opera House with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra alongside Wallis Bird and Maura O’Connell as part of the ‘Woman’s Heart Orchestrated’ concerts which were televised on RTÉ. Straight after this she began a tour of Australia which was halted abruptly by COVID-19.

During lockdown, she was appointed by Minister Catherine Martin to the Arts and Culture Recovery Task Force.

She has remotely recorded a new album which is due for release in October 2021. She writes “This album reflects on the past and looks to the future whilst processing the varying emotions of an enforced lockdown,” – it’s entitled ‘Gimme Some Wine’.