Literature, history, art and music form the foundations of our rich culture and heritage here in Ireland; a culture which inspires people of all ages and backgrounds, and which ignites a connection between us all, via the authentic portrayal of the human experience through the Irish lens. 

I remember I heard someone say once, “that all Irish people feel they have at least one great story within them.” We are, as reflected in our cultural history, a nation of storytellers. We have grown up with folklore and tales of life here across the island, we bear witness to our complex and difficult history on a daily basis, which has been left behind in the streets of our cities and fields of our countryside, and we are told of times gone by through our musical creations. 

We are a country of storytellers, who give a voice to Ireland through an array of mediums, from literature to art and of course, music. 

Dublin acts as a microcosm for this rich culture that extends across the length and breadth of Ireland. As you stroll through the city’s streets, she exposes you to talents, both old and new. 

In fact, it was in the capital, nestled in a balcony booth, under the exquisite grandeur of Dublin’s National Concert Hall that I was exposed to a new Irish talent. Earlier in the year, whilst attending a concert for Nick Lowe, I heard the musical creations of Lorraine Nash.

Amidst a dimly lit room, on a stage she only shared with herself, stood a young musician. Intrigued by the figure before me, I straightened up in my seat as she picked up her guitar and began to sing. This lone woman in the middle of the stage commanded the audience before her to listen to her story. 

With every passing song Lorraine’s status as a modern day Irish storyteller became more and more cemented. Her distinctive vocals, traditional instrumentals and striking sound all seemed to act as an ode to the Irish cultural landscape. Following her performance I was able to sit down and have a conversation with Lorraine, who spoke of her relationship with music and with her Irish heritage. 

Growing up in County Kerry, Lorraine was immersed into the world of Irish trad music from the age of just six. Starting with the tin whistle, this young girl who had a thirst for Irish music, started to develop her skill set. Working her way through the list of instruments, Lorraine began to build up an impressive resume of instrumental talents. In fact, her individual approach to the creative process was made all the more evident when she spoke of how she employed her instrumental diversity into the construction of each single today. Lorraine described how she recorded much of the instrumentals herself, as a self-confessed “control freak” she injects herself into every aspect of the musical process taking a hands on approach. Not only with the musical side of her work but also by doing much of the artwork for her covers and shows all herself. 

With this approach in mind, I asked Lorraine if she found comfort in being so heavily involved within her creations. Lorraine told me that she had a deep “personal connection” to her music, which was crucial in order to erect an authentic sound in a “saturated” market. She continued by saying, “writing is such an introspective thing.” Through this statement Lorraine harks towards the vulnerabilities that an artist experiences when they write. 

Much of Lorraine’s music resonates with her audiences, particularly those among the millennial and gen Z demographics, as the topics of her songs are so prevalent in all of our lives, for example, image, relationships and heartbreak. When we feel both seen and heard there comes a comfort in knowing we are all humans with shared experiences. Furthermore, as human beings we are naturally curious and when it comes to art this is clearly evident. Often, through music for example, we look for these shared human experiences but we also tend to add our own analysis regarding the artist, in this case a musician, and their experiences. Look at musicians today who write about heartbreak, for example, only to find society speculating over who this could be about, thus examining another person’s vulnerabilities. 

As a society, so heavily influenced by the social media platforms we use everyday, we often compare ourselves with one another, giving rise to additional pressures around societal expectations and conventions, as well as diluting a sense of privacy and boundaries at times within our lives. With this idea in mind I found it particularly interesting when Lorraine admitted, “I find it easier to be explicit about social issues rather than your own personal issues.” It must be rather challenging to try and achieve that balance between honesty and privacy in your work, I thought to myself when speaking with Lorraine, who explained her reluctance to use social media platforms in her personal life, yet relying on them for her career. In fact, during her concert in Dublin the audience were treated to an exclusive of an unreleased single, which seems to shine a light on our complex and at times pressurised society, with mounting anxieties given the current state of our global landscape. 

In such an open society, connected in what seems to be a smaller world, achieving balance is difficult. Balance between privacy and raw openness and a balance between escapism and reality. I posed the question to Lorraine, “Do you feel it is important for art to be a form of escapism for the consumer, away from daily life – or do you want to provoke conversation by focussing on reality, both the good and the bad?” 

Lorraine explained how this presented a “catch-22” for artists. We all want something to create a remove from the stresses of life, hence why we have feel good music playlists or a light hearted comfort show in our Netflix queue. However, as an artist, there is also a responsibility to comment on the society in which we live, this is something Lorraine touched on. Listening to her music you may be drawn in by the distinctively Irish traditional tones of its sound, or the vocals alone, perhaps you never really stop to think too much of the message. However, there are songs, with a particularly striking message, which is too big not to comment on. I found this in Lorraine’s song, ‘February Snow.’ Throughout this piece Lorraine commented on the climate anxieties, which engulf more of us each day, as we are inundated with broadcasts and stories of natural disasters, images and videos of man’s impact on climate and terrifying projections of what our future may look like if climate change is not taken seriously once and for all. 

As I sat in the balcony, my mind wandering as often happens when enjoying a concert, I found my attention completely captured by this song. Whilst others are often subjective, open to interpretation, this poignant piece was rather clear, climate anxiety is a shared human experience, which affects many of us and is becoming distinctly grounded within the context of this generation. 

Like many Irish musicians, poets and artists before us who have commented on the society in which they live, Lorraine too is following in their footsteps, holding a mirror up to the society in which we live today thus commenting on our community, especially here in Ireland. 

In fact, this sense of community was an integral part of our conversation. Lorraine talked of being an active member of the Irish trad community, particularly in her native County Kerry, from the age of six. Growing up, trad was all Lorraine knew as it played through the rooms of her family home, and formed the backdrop to her music career as she grew up and began writing songs at age sixteen. As Lorraine grew into a young woman, influenced by the world around her, she found herself listening to other musicians, including Laura Marling, and developing an appreciation for different styles, thus forming an authentic and distinctive sound of her own. 

As her sound matured so too did her respect for the Irish language, which she often weaves through her musical pieces. We laughed together at the shared idea of things seeming silly, even uncool as a child or teenager, only to realise that they can be the most wholesome and most beautiful parts of our identity as we grow up – for Lorraine, this was the Irish language. As the world today fawns over Irish individuals like Barry Keoghan, Cillian Murphy and Paul Mescal, our culture is having somewhat of a revival as the world looks on, whilst cementing the place of Ireland as an exceptional oasis for art and culture.

With this contextual landscape in place, it seems like the perfect backdrop to discover the sounds of Lorraine Nash. Coinciding with her solo performance at the Sligo Live music festival, Lorraine released her latest single, ‘Steel Hearts.’ When asked about her new single she answered,

‘As a self-identified people pleaser, I wrote this song reflecting on how it’s a trait that seems deeply ingrained in Irish culture. Steel Hearts is about how constantly putting others before ourselves doesn’t always serve us well. It’s about finding balance—doing right by yourself while still being mindful of others.’ 

The dedication, passion and hard-work of both Lorraine and her team, whom she praises, is evident through this single. The melody appears to linger as the words of ‘Steel Hearts’ seemingly melt into your skin with an earthy determination. 

With her music featured on RTÉ Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Scotland, the path on which Lorraine moves is sure to be a successful one. If you have not yet heard her pieces then go and listen! You can find her on Spotify and keep up to date via her Instagram (linked below) or, better yet, experience her songs live at one of her gigs, you will not be disappointed. 

Instagram: @lorrainenashmusic

Dates of gigs:

Sun 10 Nov – Coughlans, Cork 

Sun 17 Nov – The Cobblestone, Dublin

Wed 11 Dec – Bridge of Song, Castlebar