Patsy O’Brien in Concert

Overview

“One of Ireland’s leading songwriters ” -NY Irish Echo

Patsy’s award-winning songwriting reflects a strong interest in roots Americana and Jazz influences. He shines as a solo performer and we’re delighted to welcome him back to the Celtic Junction!

Patsy says that he fell backward into the world of traditional Irish music. He moved from his native Cork to Dublin to study music, mostly Jazz, and found himself hanging out in bars with lots of live Irish music.

Although Irish music, traditional and otherwise, was something that had grown up with in childhood, he was more interested in rocking out like his heroes: Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, et al.

It was in some of those aforementioned Dublin bars that he was offered the opportunity to sit in on sessions with his guitar, and he quickly discovered that traditional Irish music deserves more than a passing glance, being endlessly fascinating and incredibly beautiful, revealing more and more layers the deeper he explored.

Years later, Patsy’s guitar skills have found him frequently treading the boards and collaborating with many giants of the Celtic/World music scene including Eileen Ivers, Paddy Keenan, Cathie Ryan, and Teada, among others.

With critically-acclaimed solo albums under his belt along with numerous live and studio collaborations, it’s no surprise that Patsy’s songwriting ability and guitar prowess are in demand at guitar workshops all over the country, and that NPR saw fit to feature one of his song arrangements on their prestigious All Songs Considered.