Donegal singer-songwriter Seán Feeny to play original music live for the first time
After more than a decade away from the stage, Seán Feeny will perform his original music live for the first time this November
Donegal singer-songwriter Seán Feeny is preparing to step back onto the stage this November with three special performances marking the first live performances of the original music from his debut album Galactic Tides.
He will begin the new chapter at The Nerve Centre in Derry on Saturday, November 7, supporting acclaimed Irish band The Riptide Movement, with Derry’s Lavengro also on the bill.
The show is presented by Small Town Entertainments and begins at 8pm. Following that he will join a special edition of the monthly open mic night, Clubeo at Leo’s Tavern, Meenaleck, on Friday, November 20 at 9pm, celebrating the legacy of the late Moya
Brennan.
The night will have an added personal significance as he joins old friends and fellow musicians in his home pub.
The month will conclude with a trip to Belfast, where he will support Galway folk trio The Whileaways at the Crescent Arts Centre on Friday, November 27 at 7.30pm, in a show presented by Music Capital. Tickets for the Belfast performance are already running low.
For Seán, these performances represent a significant moment in a musical journey that has taken a very different route from the traditional path of a recording artist.
While he performed on some of Ireland's biggest stages in his younger years, including The Point Depot, The Odyssey Arena and Millstreet, it has been more than a decade since he last stood on a stage.
Now, after spending years working behind the scenes in journalism and marketing, Seán has returned to songwriting and released his debut album Galactic Tides earlier this year.
The ten-track album, produced by Donegal musician and producer Orri McBrearty, explores migration, memory, family, ancestry, identity and belonging.
The album has already received widespread media and radio support, including coverage from RTÉ Radio 1, Hot Press, The Irish News, Belfast Telegraph and The Irish Daily Star, alongside international coverage in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, the US and Canada.
It has also received a positive review in RnR Magazine, which described Galactic Tides as “thoughtful and mature”, noting Seán’s considered approach to songwriting and the album's blend of folk, rock and Americana influences.
But it is the move from the recording studio to the live stage that represents the biggest change for Seán this year. “I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about it,” he said. “It's been well over a decade since I've stood on a stage, and these songs have existed in my head, on recordings and in videos for so long that the idea of finally performing them live is both exciting and daunting.
“The last year has also been a particularly challenging one personally, following the loss of my father, Seán Snr, this summer. Music has been a constant throughout that time, and I think these shows are about looking forward as much as anything else.
“I've spent a long time thinking about getting back on stage, and eventually you have to stop thinking about it and just do it. These three dates feel like the right way to begin.”
For Seán, the performances also represent a return to the places and people that have shaped his musical and personal journey, from his father’s native County Derry and Belfast, where his mother grew up, to his home community in Donegal.
“I'm really looking forward to getting out there and finally giving these songs a life beyond the recordings,” he said.
“The three shows are all very different, which makes it even more exciting. Supporting The Riptide Movement in Derry, coming home to Leo's for Clubeo, and then heading to Belfast with The Whileaways. It's a brilliant way to start.”
The November dates are the beginning of a new chapter for Donegal’s Seán Feeny, with further live opportunities already in the pipeline for 2027. “I don't know exactly where this next stage is going to take me, but that's part of the excitement,” Seán said.
“I've got the album, I've got the songs and now it's time to get out and play them.” To listen, watch and follow Seán Feeny, visit: http://www.seanfeeny.com