Singer Nora back home in her groove

IT was a passion she’d left on a shelf for three decades, but Camp’s Nora Rice finally re-engaged with singing upon her return from England – and now she’s even gone and recorded an album!

“I came back in 2010 after spending thirty years away”, Nora tells me while Mike O’Neill readies a fire next to us at the Railway Tavern.

“I’d entered singing competitions like Scór back in my teens, but when I left Camp I left the singing after me.”

The urge to belt out the few tunes re-emerged once reacquainted with the Camp air however, and now there’s little she enjoys more than sharing her voice with the crowds at ‘The Railway’.

Shortly after getting back to singing, some gentle encouragement was offered to her by an old friend, and on his advice Nora decided to commission a record, ‘Nora’s Favourites’, a medley of the songs nearest to her heart.

“My neighbour Jack Doyle was a lovely accordion player, and a good neighbour to me here. He’s sadly no longer with us, but he’d advised me to record a CD, and I eventually had my arm twisted enough”, she says.

“It’s my first and last record!” she states after a little chuckle. “But sure we’ll have a good night out of its launch here at Mike’s, and isn’t that the main thing?”

There are 11 tracks on the album, all recorded in Donogh Hennessy’s Studio Mhic an Daill, just outside Dingle town.

Donogh, a guitarist, is among a number of talented musicians who collaborated with Nora on the record, with concertina player Bernadette Slattery and violinist Kathleen Rowlands also chiming in with contributions.

The collection of traditional ballads is already on sale at various outlets around the west Kerry peninsula, and an invitation as warm as the now blazing fire to our right is offered by Nora. “We’ll be having the launch on October 8 at 9pm here at ‘The Railway Tavern’”, she explains.

“It won’t be all about me, there’ll be plenty more singers and musicians here on the night! Everyone’s welcome; the more the merrier, as they say!”

Photo by Tadhg Evans One of Camp’s favourite singers Nora Rice with her debut CD, Nora’s Favourites.