Nuala Kennedy brings Shorelines Trio to east coast

“I haven’t played in Dundalk for a while so I’m really excited about coming back to the town and bringing these musicians with me,” says traditional musician Nuala Kennedy, ahead of her gig in An Táin Arts Centre on Friday night.

It sees her joined by Tara Breen and Tony Byrne to form The Shorelines trio as they perform music from her latest album Shorelines, with Ravensdale fiddle player Gerry O’Connor as special guest.

‘I can’t wait to bring the music of Shorelines to Dundalk,” says Nuala, who grew up playing traditional music in Dundalk. “It has been a long time brewing in my mind, and now the music is out there and expanding as we perform it. The theme delves into the role of women in song; with this tour we can shine a light on the work of some of our foremothers while also playing some great live music. Tara and Tony are internationally regarded players and have performed in huge venues around the world. Now we have the opportunity to perform together at an Tain with our friend Gerry ‘fiddle’ O’ Connor.”

Nuala’s travels have taken her to Scotland, where she lived for 18 years, and the United States, where she has soaked up musical influences to add to her traditional Irish roots before settling in Ennis, Co Clare with her musician husband and their young children.

“Shorelines was inspired by the coastline of Co Clare,” she says of the album which was released last year.

It is, she says “a woman’s journey from darkness into light” as she wanted to put a new twist on the old Irish songs which often portray women as the victim.

“In a lot of traditional songs, women are abandoned or forsaken or worse. I wanted to take her from the first song, sitting by the side of the road, from being abandoned, to building a boat, going on journey and making a new life.”

Shorelines which is Nuala’s fifth album, was released in July 2023 and has received acclaim in the national press at home and abroad, both for its musicianship and concept.

She had, she says, been so fed up with the fate assigned to women in most traditional songs, that she wanted to deliver a positive narrative, in which a woman can emerge from the other side of her struggles to a new life.

The album was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Nuala, newly moved to Ennis, found camaraderie among other women and was inspired by their resilience.

Fiddle virtuoso Tara Breen, who has played with The Chieftains and guitarist Tony Byrne of Danu fame, feature on the album and accompany her on stage for this tour.

Nuala has collaborated with the legendry Louth fiddle player Gerry O’Connor on many occasions and is looking forward to playing with him in An Tain.

They were both touring the United States recently, although their paths didn’t cross.

“Gerry was doing a solo fiddle concert tour there and I was on tour with Kevin Burke, fiddler with The Bothy Band.

“We did a tour of Denmark together last year and also made the record Oirialla a few years ago so we have worked together a lot of over the years. I am really looking forward to having twin fiddles on stage and it’s going to be great to hear that sound.”

“I’m looking forward to sharing the music of Shorelines and sing the songs from the record. All the songs on the night are coming from a women’s perspective, tell the story from her point of view.”

For each date on the Shorelines tour, Nuala, Tara and Tony will be joined by a different guest musician.

“It’s an interesting and challenging tour as we’re performing in eleven counties and in each county, we have a different featured artist collaborating with us. It means that every concert is different from the one before.”

Nuala is no stranger to collaborating with different musicians across different genres.She works with the well known American Indi-poet Bonnie Prince Billy (with whom she will tour Ireland later this year) Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) and Mike Scott (The Waterboys) amongst others. She has also recorded improvised soundtracks to the hit TV series ‘American Gods’ while living in Los Angeles.

She was delighted to find herself on the same lineup as Dundalk singer Toisin at a recent concert in tribute to Janice Ian.

“I sat down beside her and discovered that she was from Dundalk. It was so funny. She was absolutely incredible and I was blown away by her performance and it was great to connect with her.

Nuala is just back from touring the United States with fiddler Kevin Burke of the Bothy Band and Gerry was also doing a solo fiddle concert there.