Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin is a Dublin-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical roots are in sean-nós singing – the style of his father – and he grew up listening to the likes of Sorcha Ní Ghuairim, Seán ‘ac Dhonncha, Colm Ó Caoidheáin and other greats from the tradition. He is also influenced by folk singers from the English language tradition such as Liam Weldon, Luke Kelly, Anne Briggs, Margaret Barry and Thomas McCarthy.
Eoghan is a member of the Dublin-based band Skipper’s Alley, he has worked with Mary Ann Kennedy from Scotland, and Ruth Keggin from the Isle of Man on their Aon Teanga: Un Chengey album (2015). He has performed with folk/electronica band Jiggy, and has featured on both their albums, Translate (2017) and Hypernova (2020). He also collaborates with Clare fiddle and viola player Ultan O’Brien, their debut album Solas an Lae won best album at the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2021.
Over the past few years Eoghan has come into his own as a solo artist and songwriter. His songs – written in both English and Irish – build on his sean-nós singing foundations, yet combine hard-hitting lyrics with other musical influences to create a rich, contemporary sound.
Following on from his recent single ‘The Deepest Breath’, Eoghan shares ‘Anáil na hOíche’, the second taste of his forthcoming debut album.
Speaking of the song, Eoghan says:
“This song and the last song on the album, Bánshoilse (First Light), are kind of sister songs. They have the same melody and some lyrical crossover but a very different arrangement.
The song is about a time in my life where I was experiencing a lot of mental turmoil. The first song is in the middle of that turmoil. The sister song is about emerging from that.”
‘Anáil na hOíche’ | Single on Bandcamp
‘Anáil na hOíche’ | Streaming platforms
The bones of this came when I was rehearsing for something else with Ultan (O’Brien). He had his viola tuned to a strange tuning (6-4-3minor) and he plucked a few notes. I’d been wanting to write this for ages, whatever it was about Ultan’s playing just sort of burst a dam and most of it came out. We worked on it with Kaitlin (Cullen-Verhauz) then afterwards. I think her vocals add a real wildness to the song.”
This song, and record, was recorded, mixed, and produced by Alex Borwick at Hellfire Studios and at his own studio.
Eoghan’s forthcoming album is a collection of songs he written over the past few years, both in English and in Irish. “Writing them has been quite a cathartic experience for me – many of them were songs that I probably wanted to write for a while before I got there. They brewed and stewed for quite a bit before they emerged. The writing process is often like this for me – something bubbles under the surface for a while, but ultimately when I sit down to write, most of it just comes out in a kind of a flow.”
“The Deepest Breath is not really a sean-nós album, but sean-nós singing is the foundation for my singing and I think it affects my writing too, in both languages. I learned my singing language as a child from my father first, then as a teenager and young adult listening to lots of different singers. Now in the last few years I feel as though I am able to build with it and develop my own melodies and songs.”
The Deepest Breath, the debut album from Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin comes out November 10th 2022.
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