Tag Archives: Susan O’Neill

SHE has travelled all over the world with her music, but singer/songwriter Susan O’Neill has never forgotten her Ennis roots. From early years performing as one the youngest members of the Ennis Brass Band and the Ennis Gospel Choir she has gone on to headline solo shows, take the stage with the likes of Sharon Shannon and Mick Flannery and been an invited guest to an array of artists including Phoebe Bridgers, Valerie June and The Teskey Brothers. Susan recently released her new solo album ‘Now in a Minute’ and speaking to The Clare Champion ahead of an upcoming show on October 11 in glór she reflects fondly on her younger days in Ennis and the musical experiences she learned from. She recalls, “One of the most important things I learned from was the kindness given by people like the McAllister family in the brass band who taught me to read and write music, Bernard McAllister in particular. He managed …

AWARD winning Clare songwriter Susan O’Neill has announced a new EP ‘Now You See It’ to be released September 14, and has this week released the title track as the first single from the six-track offering. Currently on tour in the US, Susan returns to these showers in September and a heavy touring schedule will include concerts at glór in Ennis, on October 8, the Milk Market in Limerick on October 1 and Roisin Dubh in Galway on October 14. Recorded between Los Angeles, Maine, Clare, and Wexford, during the spring of this year, the EP sees Susan working again with Tony Buchen – producer of ‘In The Game’, the 2021 collaboration record with Mick Flannery, Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive), and her fellow bandmates, brothers Cillian Byrne and Lorcan Byrne. ‘Now You See It’, was written whilst on the road with Mick Flannery in the US last year. Her partnership with Flannery has yielded ‘In The Game’ …

THE late Susan O’Neill was remembered at Ballyea National School on Wednesday, when a bench in her memory was unveiled. As secretary of the school Susan was a well known person in Ballyea and her former colleagues, her friends, her children, grandchildren and husband Michael were all present on the day. “She was here for 20 years, so it definitely is poignant. The grandchildren are around today, all the school kids who made a major impression on her,” said Michael. He said that one of the children who were confirmed recently had chosen the name Susan, which showed the esteem his late wife was held in. “She took Susan as her name and that epitomised what Susan meant to the school and to the kids who went to the school. An awful lot of 18 to 20-year-olds came to the house, during and after the funeral, whose lives she had touched. “She meant a lot to a lot of people, …

IN February 2021, Ennis artist Susan O’Neill embarked on her directorial debut. One year after the global pandemic began, Susan brought twenty-four multidisciplinary artists together over five days to collaborate in a very unique way in the historic Bunratty Castle. ‘The Space between- An Spás Eadrainn’   multidisciplinary art documentary will have it’s broadcast premiere on Friday March 18 on TG4. After a year of a pandemic, our social norms and structures were hastily broken down into the unknown now to be rebuilt again.  ‘The Space Between’ asks questions encompassing where the human connection and human condition sit within our creative process, Susan invited an array of musicians, authors, actors, dancers, tai chi masters, milliners, painters, potters and much more to collaborate with unlikely matches within the great hall of the extraordinary Bunratty castle. The space between journeys with Clare milliner Margret O’Connor forging colourful headpieces while immersed in a sound bath of Tibetan singing bowls conducted by Gráinne McCormick. Visual artist Myra O’Reilly paints to the sounds …

ACCLAIMED singer-songwriter Susan O’Neill has been inspiring students of Ennistymon Vocational School to write and perform a song on the subject of mental health and wellbeing. The talented Ennis woman who performs as SON, who was recently honoured at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, has been guiding 24 transition year (TY) students as part of a project that will culminate in a live performance at Dolan’s in Limerick next month. Traditional fiddler player Michelle Fahy-Rynne, who teaches Biology and Science at the school, has been one of the driving forces of the project. “We were invited by Music Generation Clare to take part in the More than Music project which is funded through the Active Inclusion Support Service,” Michelle outlined. “The aim is to collaborate with Susan to write and stage an original song. On January 14, the group will perform at Dolan’s as part of the ‘To the Moon’ charity concert organised by Karl Daly of the social …

CLARE musician Susan O’Neill was honoured at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards this week. O’Neill’s partnership with Mick Flannery continues to bear fruit with the pair taking the  Best Original Folk Track prize for Chain Reaction. It is the second year running O’Neill and Flannery have won the category. The song  is on the In The Game album O’Neill and Flannery have released this year and the pair are scheduled to perform in Ennis next month as part of a tour promoting the work.  

IT’S a case of Philadelphia Here I Come for Ennis musician SON, Susan O’Neill, however she won’t be breaking any Covid-19 travel restrictions. SON has been named among 18 Irish acts who will perform virtually at the Philadelphia Folk Festival on Saturday, August 15, with the support of Culture Ireland. For the first time ever, the festival has dedicated a full day of its programme to performances by Irish musicians. Looking ahead to her performance she said, “It’s really great to be included in the Philadelphia Folk Festival line up this year. Technology can be so wonderful and this is one of the ways it can help us to keep sharing music with music lovers across the world. So glad to be part of it all.” SON began her musical career as the youngest member of the Ennis Brass Band along with joining the Really Truly Joyful Gospel Choir. The critically acclaimed performer is a member of King Kong Company …