Cork songwriter Jack O'Rourke has won at the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville with Silence, a song used by Amnesty International in the Yes Campaign in last year's successful Marriage Referendum - an issue close to Jack's heart.
Silence received first place in the Lyrics Category, which was judged by a panel including Tom Waits and Bill Withers and O'Rourke has now joined previous winners including Blarney singer Mick Flannery, Gotya, The Band Perry and Amanda Palmer.
Two of O'Rourke's other tracks, Shining for You and I'll Forget You in the Morning, also placed well in the Performance Category and Folk/Singer Songwriter Category.
Held annually in Nashville, the International Songwriting Competition is considered to be one of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the world.
Speaking about the win, O'Rourke said, "It’s a massive achievement to win this prize. There were over 80,000 entries from around the world for this competition so to think that I came first in any category makes me feel really proud."
O'Rourke sitting pretty after Nashville award
Founder of the International Songwriting Competition, Candace Avery said, “The judges were really impressed with all of Jack's entries. The melodies, the craft, and particularly the narrative of the songs really impressed our judging panel."
O'Rourke will appear on The Tracy Clifford Show on RTÉ 2FM next Thursday, May 5 and his new single Dreamcatcher is released on April 29.
He plays The Academy, Dublin on May 6, Dolans, Limerick on May 8, and Connolly's of Leap, Cork on May 12.
