Tag Archives: Pa Sheehy

A Chat With, EP Review, Indie, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With: Pa Sheehy

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Former lead singer of Walking on Cars, Pa Sheehy, has released his new Christmas EP ‘The Christmas Fool’. I caught up with the Kerry songwriter to discuss his musical inspirations for the EP, his European and UK tour, his plans for next year and what sparked the decision to release a Christmas EP.

“Basically what happens to me almost every year, well the last couple of years.I get this lovely notion to release Christmas music around November time, but by the time November comes, it’s too late.So I found myself a bit more organized this year. I spent half the summer working on Christmas tunes.The weather wasn’t great anyway, so it wasn’t too difficult to get into the swing of things and pretend it was Christmas. So yeah, I always wanted to write a Christmas song and I just felt that it needed to be part of something bigger. So I found some songs that felt right and I’m happy to have something out there now.”

The Title ‘The Christmas Fool’ comes from one of the musical gems on the EP, ‘Abigail’ we discussed the track and why it sparked the title for the EP.

“[The title] is a lyric in a track called ‘Abigail’. I suppose for me ‘Abigail’ represents a symbol of Christmas or a symbol of sadness, loss, its a symbol of home, craic, all the things that represent Christmas. That tune is about looking back at simpler times, and times like for me probably early 20s when all your friends are in the same room at Christmas but life is very simple. It’s all about just going out and having the craic and being with your friends and it’s all easy. Then you fast forward a couple years, where everybody has their own life and everybody’s doing their own thing and that room suddenly becomes a lot smaller and the people in it become far less and it’s just a different place that everybody’s in their lives. So ‘Abigail’ represents what we had back when I guess.”

‘Abigail’ is a beautiful track. With delicate instrumentation encased in strong drums and icy piano. Sheehy eloquently captures that sort of chill and cold harshness of Christmas while balancing a warmth and cosy contrast showing the many emotions that Christmas can bring.

“Thanks very much. I had that motif, for ‘Abigail’ for like two years. I knew it was a Christmas song, but I didn’t know what to do with it or how to approach it. So I met a friend of mine one day this year, and we sat down and we got on it. Yeah, delighted to evolve into what it is now.”

Within this EP, Sheehy manages to keep the instrumentation and production sparse and organic. It is never overpowering yet is filled with emotion. The production, his voice and his choice of instrumentation all ooze passion and tenderness. Sheehy takes the time to allow the music to evolve naturally and form relatable images of Christmas within the listener’s mind. 

“Thanks for noticing that. That is something that I was very, very mindful of. I suppose a lot of my earlier career was around making songs as big as possible and like throwing the kitchen sink at it production-wise. I often look back at the music I made my early days and think its over produced and it hasn’t aged well because we used modern production a lot. Whereas I really want to just keep it as organic as possible. Because in 10 years time, a drum kit is gonna sound like a drum kit. A real piano is gonna still sound like a piano or the guitar is gonna sound like a guitar. I feel the minute you start adding too much modern sounds to it you’re going to walk away and look back in a couple of years time and think why did I do that? So I was always mindful to keep it real and keep it really organic and acoustic “

Sheehy provides a wonderful cover of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ on the EP. Again he provides a timeless and moving version of this song. With warm vocals and expressive instrumentation, he creates a soothing, warm and sombre rendition. 

“I think it was one of those Christmas songs that like its Christmassy but it’s not cheesy. Because there’s a lot of cheesy Christmas songs and they’re all great, but this one just has a little bit of class to it, I think. Yeah, to be honest, the guys that produced that track, John Bird and Jake Curran. They really brought that to life with the fretless bass and just had the little fire in the background and it feels nice Christmassy. They did really well and they didn’t overcook it”

Sheehy was in the airport heading to one of his shows while we were chatting and we discussed how the European and UK tour was going.

“Yeah, really enjoying it we had our first gig last night in Berlin and that went really well it was a nice really warm welcome and the crowd were unbelievable. So really nice way to kick off things. We’ve just landed in Amsterdam now and ‘Abigail’ and ‘So Much Wine’ are the two tracks that are on the setlist and yeah it feels really good to play live. “

“I think we’re just in time. I think if we were on tour last week, it would have been too early for Christmas songs. But it’s just the right moment I think we got lucky with the tour dates”

With a fantastic Christmas EP just released, I asked Sheehy if he plans to release more music in 2024.

“I have a song coming out on the 12th of January. Its a  cover. Myself and my friend Hannah Cullen have recorded an acoustic version and its set for release on the 12th of January and then after that, I’ve got loads of music on my laptop and I have made no plans. I need to make January my planning month so at the minute I just have loads of music but no plan as of yet.”

Pa Sheehy is a musician to treasure. His ability to evoke raw images and capture emotion within his songwriting and musicianship is captivating and makes his music timeless and relatable on many levels. His songs are heartfelt, raw and catchy. ‘The Christmas Fool’ is a glorious listening experience and a moving example of his talent.

Stream ‘The Christmas Fool’ Below


Author: Danu

Indie, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Pa Sheehy ‘Surrender’ feat. Sinead White

Pa Sheehy has released his new single ‘Surrender’ feat. Sinead White. Pa Sheehy paved the way for his debut solo EP ‘The Art of Disappearing’ with the radio hit ‘Róisín’, which received widespread acclaim, and on release, the EP shot to Independent Number 1 in the Irish album charts. To celebrate the release he also took to the road for a sold-out nationwide Irish Tour. Sheehy’s upcoming live dates include Indiependence Festival, Cork on the 29 July as well as a host of European Tour dates.

Featuring cinematic soundscapes and sweet harmonies from Sinead White, ‘Surrender’ is a compelling new tune from Pa Sheehy. Sheehy has a knack for narrating relatable stories through vivid songwriting and emotive musicianship and ‘Surrender’ is a sublime example of this. His warm vocals croon evocative lyrics that ignite the senses and engage the listener’s imagination “now I wait for you with the coffee getting cold” while warm guitars twinkle behind the bittersweet melody before string elements and a gentle piano elevate the track to its hair-raising chorus. ‘Surrender’ is an absolute musical delight from Pa Sheehy. The track is a joy to listen to and beckons repeat plays.

Speaking about the single Pa Sheehy said: ‘This song swivels through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Contrasting imagery that creates a longing for what was and a sadness for what is. It was written in the middle of nowhere with a few friends this time last year. Some songs are hard to write and some songs just fall on your lap. This song was written so easily. I hope people can connect with it the same way I do.’

You can catch Pa Sheehy Live at Indiependence Festival, Cork on the 29 July as well as a host of European Tour dates.

EU Tour Dates

  • 10.10 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 11.10 – Maschinenhaus, Berlin, Germany
  • 12.10 – Artheater, Cologne, Germany 
  • 18.10 – Academy, Dublin, Ireland 
  • 19.10 – Dolans, Limerick, Ireland 
  • 20.10 – Limelight 2, Belfast, Ireland 
  • 22.10 – Omeara, London, UK 

Stream ‘Surrender’ below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With, Indie, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With: Pa Sheehy

Cuan Dingle have announced three live-stream concerts from the Dingle Hub on the 30th – 31st of October. The series is an online celebration of artists based on the Dingle Peninsula and features Dréimire, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Niamh Varian Barry, Gerry O’Beirne, Billy Mag Fhloinn, Maggie Breen, Pa Sheehy and Julie Jay over the two days. Tickets priced at €10 are on sale now from https://tvlive.ie/. Each concert will run for 1 hour, featuring one music act (45 minute live performance) and one non-music act (15 minute pre-recorded segment).

I caught up with singer-songwriter Pa Sheehy who will be performing on part three of the event on Sunday to talk about the livestream, his new EP ‘The Art Of Disappearing’, and his first solo tour. 

At 9 pm on Sunday Pa Sheehy will perform followed by one of the most exciting new voices on the Irish comedy scene, comedian Julie Jay. The performances will take place in the Dingle Hub which overlooks the beautiful Dingle Marina. The Dingle Hub has a strong creative connection to the community on the Dingle Peninsula. The concerts will highlight the incredible views of the Dingle Marina with a multi-camera production, paired with the highest professional sound and lighting. Being part of the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht, Cuan Dingle will also incorporate the Irish language into the series with a number of performers fluent in Irish.

“Yeah, it’s all going to be live there on Sunday night. It looks like a great set up and it’s a good lineup so yeah it will be good craic”

After a decade fronting the Irish chart-conquering Walking On Cars, Sheehy decided last July that it was time to leave the group and has released his own music and EP called ‘The Art Of Disappearing’, which hit the Top 10 Irish Charts. We discussed how daunting it was for him to go solo and discover his sound outside of a band aesthetic

“ The first few months was all about taking a step back and re-evaluating everything. Then I spent an awful lot of time in the studio over the last 18 months trying to figure myself out a bit and just writing songs every day and sooner or later, it just kind of dropped. I was like okay, this is where we’re going. So what you are going to hear in the first EP is the end of my Walking On Cars, kind of vibe and a step into a new world. Then a second EP, that’s when you really get to know what I found when I sat on my own for a year, it’s more chilled out, a bit more acoustic. Yeah, it’s just a different step from Walking On Cars.”

“ I guess, every decision I had to make was just trust my gut, and sometimes I got it wrong sometimes I got it right. A prime example of that was the single, Róisín. That took me so long to finish because I was so undecided on what parts to put where. There was so much that I muted on the record in the last maybe month of making I just kind of threw everything that burst out of me onto the song and it became apparent that I had too many ideas in there. It was one of those things where I needed an outside head and I remember one day I showed the song to my sister, and she listened to it, she loved it. Then the following week, I changed a little bit and I took out the post-chorus because I felt there were way too many melodies on it, and I played it to her and she was like, man, that’s the best part of the tune, what are you doing. I was like, Okay, I needed to hear that and so I put it back in and obviously, that was a good move to actually talk to someone outside of me and get their two cents on it.”

“ It was a case that I knew it was a good song, but I didn’t know where I wanted it to end up for a long time in the process of making it. So it took me three times of recording it to finally say okay, this is the one. I went to London around this time last year, and I met up with a few producer buddies of mine. We recorded it and it just felt really flat and not what I had envisioned at all. I came home and I was gonna delete everything and start again and slowly but surely it started falling into place. Day after day I’d come back to it or I’d hear something else that was a little bit wrong. I just tweak it and eventually, it all just fell into place.”

‘The Art Of Disappearing’, is an utterly time stopping EP filled with heartfelt emotion and moving songwriting. It’s lyrically deep and personal and Sheehy explained how difficult it was to express these raw emotions.

“ To be honest, I avoided a lot of these songs for a long time. But every time I sat down with a guitar, the same themes would come up for me and that means that I need to write about this and get it off my chest and move on to something else. So yeah, the themes in the EP are pretty grim, pretty sad, pretty close to home. But I feel now that they’re written, I can move on to some more lighter subjects.”

Sheehy cements himself as a powerful and vivid songwriter in the Irish music scene with this EP. He uses expressive, eloquent lyrics that perfectly place you in the setting of the songs or depict the gripping emotions within, “Oh you know I still remember the day you chose to go. Mom was in the kitchen, saying, “now we’re on our own”.- ‘I Saw You At A Funeral’

“I don’t think that’s something you can look at while you’re writing. I just do my own thing and if people like it then great. If people acknowledged the skill in it along the way, sure, isn’t that kind of a bonus.”

“I’m not sure. I feel I’ve so much yet to prove because, obviously I left the band and it’s just only my first outing. I feel I’ve got so much work to do and so much more to prove to myself, to be honest.”

“ And that’s so exciting. I can’t wait for the next round of songs. I have a tour planned for next March. A couple of dates in Ireland, a couple of dates around Europe. So yeah, like you say, I get to do my own thing and there’s a magic and a freedom that I really enjoy.”

There is a cinematic quality to the EP. A fine example of this is within ‘Drop Me In The Ocean’. Sheehy creates a beautiful and mesmerising backdrop through the use of soft piano and echoed backing vocals that contrasts the tracks powerful and evocative melody. It’s quite the remarkable tune.

“ I love that song. I wrote it with a guy called Jamie Norton. He’s a UK based songwriter and he is an amazing piano player. So basically in the last year, the whole writing scene, when I got bored of myself, I was like, Okay, I need to write with some new people. Basically, everything was on Zoom. So I had a Zoom call with Jamie Norton, who I had written with before so I knew we vibed and I had this vision in my head. I’d been listening to a lot of Radiohead at the time, so I was really into, loose acoustic guitar sounds, lazy drums, really organic sounding.”

“We wrote a song and I sang it and I recorded it. I recorded the drums, the bass, the electric guitars. I had this vision for it and I was like, this is great, this is exactly what I’m going for. I sent the song to Jamie and I was like, what do you think of this?, add a few bits if you want but I think we’re on the right track. What he sent me – he took the drums out, he took the bass out, took the guitars out and he just laid down this piano for the chords that we were playing and it just gave everything the song was about a deeper meaning and a deeper feeling.”

“I was just knocked out when he sent it back, a part of me was sickened because my vision of the song was destroyed but what he had created, what he turned the song into was incredible. When he sent the piano track to me, I just started putting subtle kick drums and subtle strings on it just to move it along but it didn’t need a whole lot once the vocal and the piano were sat nicely. Then from the piano, the ‘ooh’s’ jumped out at me and I sent them back to him and he was like, ‘Yes, man, we’ve done it!’. So it was just one of those things that grew and grew and took a few turns on the way.”

A track that stands out in the EP is the nostalgic ‘The Years Never Waited’. The harmonies and sweet arrangement create a perfect hazy atmosphere. Sheehy aptly captures feelings of the sweet memories we all have that make you smile through pulsing beats and sun-speckled guitar causing the listener to reminisce on their own youth while enjoying the refined musicianship and captivating soundscapes within the track.

“I suppose it defines where I was at that time. I’m in my early 30s and as you grow up, you just lose touch with friends and you don’t hang out as much. People go off and do their own things, people move away and have families, people have busy jobs and you just don’t keep in touch as much as you’d like. This song captures that in a nostalgic way rather than a super sad way. I didn’t want the vocal to be too harsh. So what you’re hearing on the record is three different vocal styles blended into one. The harmony is very prevalent in it so yeah, I wanted it to be a smooth soft vocal and I didn’t want to go to chesty on it. I was just looking for a new style to use my voice in.”

The EP is penned in a very emotive indie, singer-songwriter style yet Sheehy slips into a soft country rock-esque tone for closing track ‘Through The Fields’. It’s a beautiful end to the EP.

“To be honest, that song was in my pocket for about five years. It was never a Walking On Cars song. So when I left, I looked at the batch of tunes that I did have that weren’t in Walking On Cars world and that was one of them and I really wanted to bring it to life. The last lyric in the song is “goodbye from me”. That’s just to say thanks for listening to EP, I’ll see you on the next one kind of thing. It just felt nice as the last tune”

Sheehy has embarked on his first tour as a solo artist playing to a sold-out Whelan’s, Dublin on the 27th October and sold out Roisin Dubh, Galway on the 28th October 2021 as well as a sold-out show at St. James Church, Dingle on the 30th October.

“Yeah, I’m loving it. We did Cork, Cyprus Avenue on Monday, and that was incredible. That was a full room it was a really nice moment. People were singing along with the EP tracks and people were really enjoying the new music. I played an hour set and all new music so I think people are just interested to see what I’ve been up to for the last 18 months. ”

‘The Art Of Disappearing’ is a heartfelt collection of tracks filled with themes of loss, nostalgia and love. The EP is a sublime and passionate display from Sheehy and boasts the artist’s melodic mastery and meaningful songwriting. His performance on the Cuan Dingle live-stream is sure to be a timeless display. Cuan Dingle have selected a diverse and entertaining lineup for this live stream event and it is one not to miss. 

Tickets for the livestream are priced at €10 and are on sale now from https://tvlive.ie/.

Stream ‘The Art Of Disappearing’ below 


Author: Danu

Event News, Live Music

Event News: Cuan Dingle Announce Three Live Streamed Concerts From 30 – 31 October

An Online Celebration Of Artists Based On The Dingle Peninsula

Featuring Dréimire, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Niamh Varian Barry, Gerry O’Beirne, Billy Mag Fhloinn, Maggie Breen, Pa Sheehy and Julie Jay

Cuan Dingle have just announced three live-streamed concerts from the Dingle Hub on the 30 – 31 October. The series is an online celebration of artists based on the Dingle Peninsula and features Dréimire, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Niamh Varian Barry, Gerry O’Beirne, Billy Mag Fhloinn, Maggie Breen, Pa Sheehy and Julie Jay over the two days.

Tickets priced at €10 are on sale now fromhttps://tvlive.ie/ Each concert will run for 1 hour, featuring one music act (45-minute live performance) and one non-music act (15 minutes pre-recorded segment).

Cuan Dingle kicks off on the 30 October at 9 pm with innovative guitar duo Dréimire who are joined by guest singer Clodagh Kearney, as well as internationally renowned and award-winning poet Dairena Ní Chinnéide who will perform some of her work.

Sunday 31 October sees two concerts take place. At 6 pm critically acclaimed singer and violinist Niamh Varian Barry and renowned guitarist and singer/songwriter Gerry O’Beirne are set to perform, followed by folklorist Billy Mag Fhloinn and poet Maggie Breen. At 9 pm Cuan Dingle present Pa Sheehy whose recently released Debut EP ‘The Art Of Disappearing’ hit the Top 10 Irish Charts, followed by one of the most exciting new voices on the Irish comedy scene, comedian Julie Jay. 

The performances will take place in the Dingle Hub which overlooks the beautiful Dingle Marina. The Dingle Hub has a strong creative connection to the community on the Dingle Peninsula. The concerts will highlight the incredible views of the Dingle Marina with a multi-camera production, paired with the highest professional sound and lighting. Being part of the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht, Cuan Dingle is honoured and proud to incorporate the Irish language into the series with a number of performers fluent in Irish. 

The Cuan Dingle series is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, under the Live Performance Support Scheme 2021.

The Cuan Dingle have put together a diverse and eclectic lineup that is sure to put on a riveting performance. Make sure to check it out 


Author: Danu

Indie, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Pa Sheehy ‘Róisín’

Pa Sheehy has released his second solo single, ‘Róisín’, alongside announcing the release of his debut EP ‘The Art Of Disappearing’ on 24 September and dates for his first solo tour.’The Art Of Disappearing’ EP is available to Pre-save/Pre-order via pasheehy.com and Golden Discs now. Fans who pre-order the physical EP will have access to the pre-sale for the live shows on 4th August at 10 am.  Tickets will go on general on sale on 6th August at 10 am via Ticketmaster.ie and Pasheehy.com.

‘Róisín’ presents Pa Sheehy’s earnest and emotive songwriting through beautiful musicianship and refined arrangements. Sheehy spreads cinematic soundscapes over vivid lyrics to create a heartfelt and goosebump-inducing tune that surges with emotion as he captures timeless mental images of Róisín, “It’s your touch, It’s your face, It’s your cause, It’s like the rest of the world is on pause”. A delicate piano laments over pulsing beats creating a sense of unease and tension as the song builds, becoming more vibrant with ethereal guitars leading the way to the captivating crescendo. Sheehy has a knack for crafting evocative music filled with passionate melodies and honest lyrics and ‘Róisín’ illustrates this perfectly. The track is a first-rate tune and a fine example of Pa Sheehy’s compelling songwriting.

Speaking about his new single ‘ Pa Sheehy said: “How many times can you let down the one you love before they say goodbye?.. when I went to college I had it all! Captain of the local soccer team, I had a little car and a beautiful girlfriend. Róisín. Fast forward 18 months. I didn’t play sport, dropped out of college and I had made it impossible for Róisín to stay. Why? Alcohol. I loved what it gave me and I put it before everything and everyone. I never labelled myself an alcoholic, but after going to a bunch of councillors it became obvious that I was. A reluctant me did everything I could to keep tabs on it but after spending my rent money on a piss up and couch surfing around Cork I finally asked for help. Everything I had was gone. I spent a month in a rehabilitation centre. The first one to visit me was Róisín. I stayed sober for a while but In the end, we had decided to call it quits, not because of a lack of love but I couldn’t put her through this again. I was lost, so was she. This song is a gift to her. Some people deserve to have their name sung from a stage.”

Watch the video for ‘Róisín’ below


Author:Danu

Indie, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Pa Sheehy ‘I Saw You At A Funeral’

Pa Sheehy frontman of the Irish chart-conquering band Walking On Cars, has released his debut solo single ‘I Saw You At A Funeral’. 

‘I Saw You At A Funeral’ is a beautifully arranged tune wrapped in delicate instrumentation and poignant songwriting. This emotional track drifts through icy keys, soft backing vocals and delicately building soundscapes as Sheehy’s vocals express the song’s emotional lyrics. “Oh you know I still remember the day you chose to go. Mom was in the kitchen, saying, “now we’re on our own”. Sheehy takes a minimalist approach which heightens the song’s stirring message. ‘I Saw You At A Funeral’ is a thought-provoking, time-stopping piece of music and an utterly compelling debut solo single from Pa Sheehy. 

Speaking about the new single ‘I Saw You At A Funeral’ Pa Sheehy said: “This is a song I find easier to sing than talk about. I didn’t want to give this part of my life too much attention because I was doing my best to focus on the good things in my life. But every time I sat down to write a song, it was always the first thing that jumped out of me. So I knew I had to get it out of my system. After it was written, it was all about not over doing it with the production. With such a blunt song it didn’t need any bells and whistles. A little keyboard arpeggio and some atmospheric sounds was enough to glide it home. My siblings listened to it once but won’t listen to it anymore. I take that as a compliment.”

Stream ‘I Saw You At A Funeral’ below 


Author : Danu