Artist description Gerry O’Beirne Irish songwriter, guitarist and singer. Gerry O’Beirne was born in Ennis in County Clare. Gerry is not only a self-taught master of the six and twelve string guitar, he is also a renowned songwriter. Several of his songs have been covered by artists on the Irish music scene. Maura O’Connell recorded Half Moon Bay on her album Stories as well as Western Highway, Shades of Gloria and The Isle of Malachy. Mary Black recorded The Holy Ground and named her CD after it. Cathie Ryan recorded Shades of Gloria and The Lights of San Francisco. His first and long awaited solo album Half Moon Bay is receiving much deserved critical acclaim, and features his own compelling performances of his songs, as well as his beautiful instrumental music. His songs tell of a yearning for home, romantic love, and the spiritual qualities of place. Gerry has called many places home (Ireland, Africa, England, California, Mexico), but after listening to his music, it is clear that ‘home’ is anywhere he can sit with his twelve string guitar and play.As a boy, O’Beirne was raised in Ghana in West Africa as well as in the West of Ireland, and listened to the music of those places as well as contemporary artists such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles. It was while working for a book publisher in London that Gerry bought his first guitar. He soon returned to Ireland and became involved in traditional Irish music.His own writing is a hybrid of the passion found in traditional music and the freshness of contemporary song.Gerry O’Beirne has toured around the globe with several bands and artists including Patrick Street, The Sharon Shannon Band, Midnight Well (which featured his slide playing), The Waterboys, Andy M. Stewart, Martin Hayes, Kevin Burke and Andy Irvine.He has performed at the White House, opened for the Grateful Dead, and played electric guitar with Marianne Faithfull. As a producer Gerry has a large number of albums to his credit including Promenade for Kevin Burke and Micheal O’Dhomhnaill (winner of the Grand Prix Du Disque at Montreux), Irish Times by Patrick Street, Man In The Moon andDonegal Rain by Andy M Stewart, First Footing by Anam, The Connaughtman’s Rambles by Martin O’Connor, Up Close by Kevin Burke, Lifting The Veil by Fiona Joyce, To Anyone At All by Clandestine, and many more.Gerry’s album has been chosen as one of the best 12 independent releases of the year by Performing Songwriter magazine, who feature him in an article and interview in their May 2000 issue, and the album has also been chosen as one of Folkworld’s top ten albums of the year.

Music Style Original folk,guitar music, singer/songwriter,world music, original songs and guitar music

Musical Influences Irish/African/pop/classical

Similar Artists myself

Artist History Gerry O’Beirne Irish songwriter, guitarist and singer Gerry O’Beirne was born in Ennis in County Clare. Gerry is not only a self-taught master of the six and twelve string guitar, he is also a renowned songwriter. Several of his songs have been covered by artists on the Irish music scene. Maura O’Connell recorded Half Moon Bay on her album Stories as well as Western Highway, Shades of Gloria and The Isle of Malachy. Mary Black recorded The Holy Ground and named her CD after it. Cathie Ryan recorded Shades of Gloria and The Lights of San Francisco. His first and long awaited solo album Half Moon Bay is receiving much deserved critical acclaim, and features his own compelling performances of his songs, as well as his beautiful instrumental music. His songs tell of a yearning for home, romantic love, and the spiritual qualities of place. Gerry has called many places home (Ireland, Africa, England, California, Mexico), but after listening to his music, it is clear that ‘home’ is anywhere he can sit with his twelve string guitar and play.As a boy, O’Beirne was raised in Ghana in West Africa as well as in the West of Ireland, and listened to the music of those places as well as contemporary artists such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles. It was while working for a book publisher in London that Gerry bought his first guitar. He soon returned to Ireland and became involved in traditional Irish music.His own writing is a hybrid of the passion found in traditional music and the freshness of contemporary song.Gerry O’Beirne has toured around the globe with several bands and artists including Patrick Street, The Sharon Shannon Band, Midnight Well (which featured his slide playing), The Waterboys, Andy M Stewart, Martin Hayes, Kevin Burke and Andy Irvine.He has performed at the White House, opened for the Grateful Dead, and played electric guitar with Marianne Faithfull. As a producer Gerry has a large number of albums to his credit including Promenade for Kevin Burke and Micheal O’Dhomhnaill (winner of the Grand Prix Du Disque at Montreux), Irish Times by Patrick Street, Man In The Moon andDonegal Rain by Andy M Stewart, First Footing by Anam, The Connaughtman’s Rambles by Martin O’Connor, Up Close by Kevin Burke, Lifting The Veil by Fiona Joyce, To Anyone At All by Clandestine, and many more.Gerry’s album has been chosen as one of the best 12 independent releases of the year by Performing Songwriter magazine, who feature him in an article and interview in their May 2000 issue, and the album has also been chosen as one of Folkworld’s top ten albums of the year.

Group Members Gerry O'Beirne

Instruments guitar, 12 string guitar, national steel guitar

Albums Half Moon Bay

Press Reviews "Gerry O’Beirne has written some of the best new tunes to come out of Ireland’s Celtic music scene. O’Beirne’s guitar playing is always a thing of wonder and his lyrics have become increasingly poetic and emotionally deep.” - Dirty Linen“The instrumentals are out of this world. A self taught master of the 6 and 12 string guitar, the playing of O’Beirne is superlative and subtle beyond words.” - The Sunday Times“His works are simple, elegiac and exquisitely worded pen pictures of life’s experiences.” - Rock ‘N’ Reel“A masterpiece.” - Folkworld “He’s a lovely singer, a powerful performer and a master musician.” - Evening Herald “While much of his material (Isle of Malachy, Shades of Gloria, Western Highway, The Holy Ground) is best known sung by others, Gerry reclaims his songs. He involves the listener with a gentle intensity that allows the beauty of his melodies to envelop and sweep them along: images abound of mountains and deserts, foreign lands, and County Clare, loves lost and loves won.” - Irish Edition“The highlight of the recent Waterboys concerts at the Olympia Theatre was a truly mesmerizing bottleneck solo.....by guitarist Gerry O’Beirne.” - In Dublin“If you like poetry in music, and a soulful performance, ‘Half Moon Bay’ is for you. A virtuoso whose guitar is an extension of himself.” - The Music Matters Review“Material comes from Paul Brady, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin and Lennon & McCartney, but the highlight is Gerry O’Beirne’s beautiful ‘Half Moon Bay’.” - Q Magazine (of Maura O’Connell’s ‘Stories’) “He should be compulsory listening for any aspiring ambitious guitarist. It’s not just his technical dexterity and brilliance that catches the imagination, it’s the inventive use of arrangements, lyrics and melody.” - The Word“A songwriter of of immense articulation and descriptive power and blessed with a solid confident delivery." - Irish Music Magazine

Location Dublin, Dublin - Ireland

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