“Lorraine Nash’s openness, vulnerability, sincerity, strength, life experience, lyrical expertise, and unadulterated, rooted, gorgeous musicality shine through every moment of All I Can Be. I love her music”. Ron Block of Alison Krauss & Union Station
‘Carraig Aonair’, Lorraine Nash’s first single in the Irish language is released today, 5 March 2025. This track will be featured on the Deluxe Edition of her Debut Album ‘All That I Can Be’ with 3 other tracks ‘Winter Sun’, ‘Getting Started’, and ‘Steel Hearts’ releasing on 7 March 2025.
2024 was a busy year for Lorraine, having performed extensively in Australia, The Cambridge Folk Festival, All Together Now, Electric Picnic, then subsequently signing with Live Booking Agency ‘Midnight Mango’ for UK and Europe. She also opened for the legendary artist Nick Lowe at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, and is now over the moon to be playing Orlagh House, Dublin with Andy Irvine and Scullion on St. Patrick’s weekend, as well as supporting The Hothouse Flowers on their upcoming 2025 UK summer tour.
In Jan 2025 she performed on The Late Late Show to celebrate 20 years of TradFest, dueting with Mike Hanrahan of Stockton’s Wing on the iconic song ‘The Voyage’.
Lorraine is a 26 yr old multi-instrumentalist from Co. Kerry. She began her musical journey at the age of 6, going on to play Piano, Guitar, Fiddle, Tin Whistle and Flute. While her traditional background, and artists like Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and Mike McGoldrick inform her work, her love of Folk and Americana is also a huge influence, in particular artists Gillian Welch and Laura Marling.
Her music has been featured on RTÉ Radio 1, Mark Radcliffe’s Folk Show BBC Radio 2, The Ralph McLean Show on Radio Ulster, Iain Anderson on BBC Radio Scotland, and Frank Hennessy on BBC Radio Wales.
About the song and video Carraig Aonair: ‘The song hails from the 1690’s, written by Conchubhar Ó’Laoghaire in memory of his sons who tragically drowned at sea. They had gone fishing when their boat was wrecked, leaving them stranded on the Carraig Aonair, (The Lone Rock, also known as Fastnet Rock). Before they were drowned by the rising tide, one of the men managed to scratch a final message into the boat using the buckle of his shoe. The song was written about Fastnet Rock in Cork and I wanted to honor its origins but also convey my own interpretation of it, musically and visually. When listening to recordings of the song, I couldn’t help but picture the rugged cliffs of west Kerry I know so well. Therefore, we chose to film the music video on the Dingle Peninsula. This is the first song I’ve recorded that I didn’t write myself, which gave me the freedom to be creative in ways I hadn’t before. Knowing that many of the listeners won’t be fluent in Irish, I tried to tell the story through the instrumentation as well as the lyrics. Soundscaping was a completely new experience for me, but it turned out to be deeply rewarding. I aimed to capture the tension, the crashing waves, and the wild wind of the Irish coast — as well as the sorrow and lonesomeness of the song’. Lorraine Nash
“The Future of Irish Folk”. John Meaghar, Irish Independent
Upcoming Gigs 2025:
Thur 6 March – ‘Ghost Light Sessions’, Balor Arts, Co. Donegal
Fri 14 March – Orlagh House, ‘Billy Brennan’s Barn’, Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin
Sun 30 March – Crowleys ‘Behind Closed Doors’, Kenmare, Co. Kerry
Fri 6 June, Boilershop, Newcastle – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
Sat 7 June, O2 Ritz, Manchester – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
Sun 8 June, Cheese and Grain, Frome – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
Tues 10 June, Komedia, Bath – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
Wed 11 June, Leadmill, Sheffield – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
Thurs 12 June, O2 Institute, Birmingham – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
Fri 13 June, O2 Kentish Town Forum, London – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
Sat 14 June, The Factory, Torquay – Hothouse Flowers UK Summer Tour
“Lorraine Nash is a skilled musician & talented lyricist… & deserves your attention now.” – Americana UK