Daoirí Farrell has been described by legendary folk musician Dónal Lunny as one of the most important traditional singers to emerge in the last decade. Mark Radcliffe, host of BBC Radio 2's Folk Show described him as a force of nature. Daoiri’s video of The Creggan White Hare has received 130,000 views on YouTube.
A former electrician, who decided to change profession after seeing Christy Moore perform on Irish TV, Dublin-born traditional singer and bouzouki player Daoirí is receiving high praise indeed.
His debut album, The First Turn, was released in 2009. Since then he has spent several years studying traditional music and performance at The University of Limerick. It was here that Fintan Vallely introduced him to the singing of the late Liam Weldon, an encounter that was to prove formative to his sound and his approach to folk song.
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Daoirí had cut his teeth as a singer in Dublin’s famous Góilin Singers Club, where he was spotted early on by Christy Moore, and at other sessions across the city, many of which he still visits.
He found work accompanying artists including Christy Moore himself, as well as renowned artists like Dónal Lunny, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Alan Doherty, Danú, Dervish, Julie Fowlis, Arty McGlynn, The John Carty Big Band, Kíla, Sean Keane, Gerry O’Connor (Banjo), Gerry O’Connor (Fiddle), Lynched and more.
Daoirí finally stepped into the limelight when he launched his own solo live career at the 2016 Celtic Connections festival. He combines his solo work with that of Four Winds, a group he founded with Tom Delany, Caroline Keane and Robbie Walsh in 2015.
This month sees the long-awaited release of his second solo album, True Born Irishman. The ten-track album was recorded in Dublin across the first half of 2016 and was produced by Daoirí with Tony Byrne and Robbie Walsh. It features contributions from, among others, Michael McGoldrick, and is dedicated to Liam Weldon. launches the album at Whelan’s in Dublin on 25th October and returns to the UK for more live dates in November 2016, including support to Sharon Shannon.
True Born Irishman is available from www.daoiri.com.
For more of the latest trad music news and tunes, go to www.TradConnect.com.
