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Pinhole to Release ‘Little Hibernia’

April 1, 2020

Cork band Pinhole have already piqued a lot of interest in their unreleased debut album ‘Come Curious’ with the release of ‘Better Than One’ in February – a political song that called on public representatives to do more. 

On April 3rd, with the release of ‘Little Hibernia’, Pinhole explores themes of Irishness and resilience in the face of adversity. 

The song is an appeal for us to look at ourselves and be proud of our collective actions. 

‘A little Hibernia / a little Hibernia / it’s in you.’ 

We all have power over where we place our attention individually and, ultimately, this makes us strong collectively. This song is an appeal for us to look at ourselves and see how strong we are; how compassionate we are; and how we should all be proud and honour ourselves,” says lyricist Ciara O’Flynn. “It seems particularly relevant at the moment.” 

The song, as the title might suggest, has its roots in an Ireland of days gone by. 

‘Is a silent tongue / a broken harp / all we’ll bequeath?’ 

This line relates to the infamous story about how, after the Battle of Kinsale in 1602, Queen Elizabeth infamously issued an order to hang the harpers, wherever found, and burn their instruments,” says Ciara, who is also an historical building consultant and has studied folklore.  “This was to prevent the Irish bards and harpists spreading news – they had huge power as a collective and this was her way of trying to break that.” 

With influences from Stump to Charles Mingus, Pinhole have been likened to everyone from Julie Feeney to Fiona Apple to Portishead. From the most delicate melodies to raw mayhem, they deliver the musical equivalent of a dark fairytale. 

The band, from Cork and Dublin, have built a strong reputation  on the back of their theatrical, energetic live shows. The fact that they booked Other Voices, had their music featured in the RTÉ television series ‘Striking Out’ and have received glowing critical reviews all on the strength of these live shows and just one previously-released single speaks volumes. 

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