'Songs of Brendan Graham' concert for Clonbur

There will be a very special evening in Clonbur Community Centre on Saturday, March 2nd, when Idir Dhá Loch presents Songbook - The Songs of Brendan Graham.

It is an evening of stories and songs by Brendan Graham, told by Cathy Jordan and Feargal Murray with special guests Barney McCabe and Friends.

Fresh from their successful concert at The National Concert Hall, where a stellar lineup of artists celebrated the songs of Brendan Graham, Cathy Jordan and Feargal Murray are touring the show, Songbook, in Ireland in March 2024 and Clonbur Community Center is looking forward to hosting this unique show on March 2nd at 8pm.

Brendan Graham is thrilled about the tour, which is centred on an album Cathy and Feargal made of his songs.

"It is a thing unexpected as it is humbling when a singer of the calibre and international respect as Cathy Jordan suggests that she would like to make an entire album of one’s songs. My initial response was ‘Are you sure you want to take that risk?'

"In one sense, this was not a spur-of-the-moment or a planned thing. Since the mid-1990s, some of my songs were first demoed by Cathy and Feargal. Always, they were ‘simple’ voice and piano demos on which the song itself would rise or fall. So, this album just ‘grew’ over those 25 years and while there are wonderfully sensitive musicians from Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Sweden, the aim has still been the same… that of to ‘let the song speak’. I am grateful to them all and particularly to Cathy and Feargal for doing so."

Cathy Jordan has known Brendan for almost three decades.

"He asked me to record demos of newly composed songs for his first novel, The Whitest Flower. I had never really thought about the songwriting process before, having sung mostly traditional songs with unknown authors. This collaboration, however, became one of the most important in my career. It was a mentorship and masterclass in songwriting, as well as a cherished friendship for many years.

"Over the years, pianist Feargal Murray and I recorded dozens of first-time demos for Brendan. In the process, Brendan taught me about the significance of each word and syllable and their importance within the lines of a song. His patience and attention to detail have always been an inspiration to me. 

"It has been an honour to be the first to give voice to Brendan’s newly penned gems. This album is inspired by those demos Feargal and I made over the years. It forms a link between the old tradition I’ve long been part of and the more modern 'folk tradition'. I hope these songs will be the traditional songs of the future and form part of the deep well of songs that give us a window into our past. They sing of love, loss, leaving, elemental things, shifting seasons and desires, country, emigration, and blessings."

Songbook - The Songs of Brendan Graham will take place in Clonbur Community Centre on Saturday, March 2nd, at 8pm. Tickets - €25 (plus booking fee) on sale from Tí Bhurca Clonbur and Eventbrite.

The event is a fundraiser for Clonbur Community Centre.