Íse

?se. (biog) I was born into a family of Lighthouse Keepers and Master Craftsmen in a small coastal town called Balbriggan, north of Dublin, Ireland. I suppose this is what gave me the patience and perfectionism that is in everything I do....especially music! One of my earliest memories is of the sound of my Fathers trumpet alarm call resonating throughout the little two up one down house every morning 'cause he needed at least half of the 11 kids to push his beat up Bedford van .

I was born into a family of Lighthouse Keepers and Master Craftsmen in a small coastal town called Balbriggan, north of Dublin, Ireland. I suppose this is what gave me the patience and perfectionism that is in everything I do....especially music! One of my earliest memories is of the sound of my Fathers trumpet alarm call resonating throughout the little two up one down house every morning 'cause he needed at least half of the 11 kids to push his beat up Bedford van ....and on a Sunday morning as he played the trumpet, marching behind him, around and around the table before he took us on our Sunday mystery tour. He would put one of the armchairs into the back of the van and we'd all pile in. Two lucky kids up front and 9 bobbing heads behind fighting over whose turn it was to sit in the armchair! But as soon as the singing began, harmony ruled.......literally! We'd usually end up on a local beach picking shells or washed up coal. Or in the Autumn, out in the countryside picking wild crab apples and damsons but all the way there and all the way back, we'd sing along with our Dad to all his favourite musicals like some madcap Irish version of the Von Trappe family!

My eldest brothers voice was noticed by a local priest who was an accomplished musician and voice trainer. He became a champion boy soprano and there were many reel to reel recordings of his voice in the house. I use to listen to them mesmerised and at an early age learned to sing some of the classical standards from them. But by ten I was more interested in my older siblings record collections....mostly Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Neil Young and Cat Stevens.

I left school with buckets full of naivety and dreams of becoming a musical diva, a rock star and an opera singer! So, with the desire to explore all my childhood dreams.....I joined Sinead O'Connor's ex rock group Ton Ton MaCoote, was a cast member of the Willy Russell musical Blood Brothers and was also singing the classics at weddings and funerals! Then disaster struck. My youngest brother of 13 died and my World shattered!

But a metamorphosis had begun.....I shaved my head, changed my name and formed a band called ?Restless Natives? where I screamed my anger and angst out in punk pop songs! As time went by my writing softened somewhat and that's when Nicky Ryan, Enya's producer/writer got involved. He was convinced he could get me signed to a major label but despite his belief, the timing wasn't right and in retrospect....nor was I!

So onward to Dave Quirke, a Dublin entrepreneur and visionary who loved what
we were doing and impulsively started a record company called Influx around us. The song we were releasing as our first single was picked up for a Noel Pearson (My Left foot, The Field) movie. I was also asked to record the theme song and it was in the recording of this song that I finally allowed the ?Angel? to resurface in my voice.

It was a voice I had rarely used in Restless Natives because it didn't express how I'd been feeling, but now it was coming from a deeper place. It wasn't just that beautiful young sweet voice that had made people cry at weddings and funerals. It had the experience of living in it now.....the joys and the pain!

Then in 2003, in a walk-in wardrobe in my apartment on Dublin's N.C.Rd., guided by my partner/producer Kevin O'Byrne, I started recording my d?but album
?ANGEL ONE?.

It's a journey from Tears to Joy.......from fear to Love.......a journey that never ends.

?se