Muireann Bradley is bringing the old blues into the here and now

There’s a fond memory that Muireann Bradley has kept close to her heart throughout her music career.

“I've got a memory of one of the songs that I play, Candyman,” she says, her face lighting up. “I have a really strong memory of when I was very young, maybe five or six. It is sung like a call and response. So there's a woman singing in it and then there's a man who responds and I remember doing that with my dad when I was really young. I just really loved doing that with him and I thought it was so fun.”

Candyman is one of many old blues songs that the now 18-year-old Ballybofey musician performs at her gigs. The ragtime style of the 1920s and 1930s blues musicians is the biggest influence on Muireann’s sound, having grown up hearing the likes of Blind Blake, Reverend Gary Davis, Memphis Minnie, Elizabeth Cotton and Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Music is a family affair, with her interest in old blues music coming from her dad, John.

“He’s always been really into it,” she adds. “He was actually a stay-at-home dad for a few years. He plays the guitar, so we would have grown up listening to him playing all that stuff.”

Muireann received her first guitar from her dad when she was about nine years old, and he also taught her to play.

Her parents’ support has been instrumental in her many accomplishments so far. Having taken a break from study at Abbey Vocational School this year to focus on music, Muireann recently completed a six-date tour of North America.

An exciting opportunity for any young musician and particularly for Muireann, visiting the US, where the blues genre originated.

Starting in New York, the tour brought her to the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, Mayfest in North Carolina, and the home of country music - Nashville, Tennessee. She also performed in Chicago and Toronto, Canada, before finishing up in Philadelphia.

Nashville stands out to Muireann as a place she’d like to return to in the future, as well as Mississippi and Memphis for their history of blues. Mayfest in North Carolina also proved a special occasion on the tour.

“I was actually invited there by one of my biggest heroes, Roy Book Binder,” says Muireann. “He's like an old blues guy. He would have learned from people like Reverend Gary Davis, who I listen to all the time.

“They’re my biggest heroes, and he would have toured with Reverend Gary Davis in the 60’s, so it was really cool to meet him.”

Closer to home, Muireann recently played the welcome gig of the Rory Gallagher International Festival at the Abbey Arts Centre in Ballyshannon. She attracted a full house and described the crowd as “amazing”.

Looking towards the summer, Muireann is hoping that a quieter spell in gigs will allow her time to hone in on her songwriting skills for her next album. Of course, blues will factor into the album's sound, but she also enjoys contemporary country music, naming Sierra Ferrell as a younger influence.

Muireann’s previous album, I Kept These Old Blues, launched her name in front of millions in both Ireland and the UK when it caught the attention of the producer of the Jools Holland Show on BBC.

“My dad had this idea to send out the album to people and he sent it to the producer of the Jools Holland show,” Muireann explains. “We got word back from her and then she emailed my dad that she’d already bought the album herself.”

At first, Muireann thought she was to perform on Later… With Jools Holland. However, she was shocked to discover that she was actually scheduled to sing on Jool’s Annual Hootenanny for the countdown to 2024, watched by 2.7 million people.

Having only performed a few local gigs previously, Muireann was understandably nervous to perform on live television to such an audience. The teenager proved herself against veteran performers Rod Stewart, Ruby Turner and the Sugababes, who also took to the stage that night. Off the back of her appearance, I Kept These Old Blues reached the top ten of the UK Albums Download Chart.

A few months later, Muireann achieved another ‘pinch me’ moment in her budding career when she performed on The Late Late Show on RTÉ, sharing the couch with Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal. Her preparation strategy for important gigs is simple: practice.

“All those musicians from the 1920s and 1930s shouldn't be forgotten, they're such amazing musicians. The younger generation should definitely keep their memory alive.”

READ NEXT: Acclaimed writers to judge Allingham Poetry and Flash Fiction Competitions

Muireann’s future aspirations focus on performing more gigs, writing more music and travelling to more countries.

Candyman may have been a unique song for her to grow up with, but perhaps it will be Muireann’s version that sparks another youngster's affinity with blues music in the future. 

Seeing younger audiences at her gigs means a lot to Muireann. “I really love to see people that are my age and people in their 20s at my gigs,” she says. “Those who seem to be into that kind of music as well.”