Paul Cunniffe (23 June 1961 – 11 August 2001) was a British-born, Irish singer-songwriter. He fronted the 1980s punk band

Blaze X Blaze X (1979–1981) were an Irish new wave band. The band was formed in Tuam, County Galway by friends Paul Cunniffe and Paul Ralph. They released a single in 1980, "Some Hope" which became Larry Gogan's 'hit song of the week' on 2FM. Its B ...

Early life and career

Cunniffe was born in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, England, and then lived in

Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port ( ) is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, north of Chester, south of Birkenhead, southwest of Runcorn and south of ...

, but moved back to his family's hometown of

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

in Ireland at the age of 14. In Tuam CBS he formed

with friends Paul Ralph,

Davy Carton Davy Carton (born 10 April 1959) is a singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist from Tuam, County Galway, in the Republic of Ireland. He is best known as a core member of the Saw Doctors, the folk-rock band he co-founded with Leo Moran and others ...

and Ja Keating. After Blaze X split, he moved to London. He began to write songs on his own, and play on the Irish pub scene around the capital. He won the London Pub Entertainer of the Year award in 1996. He went on to form a short-lived band with a group of friends, naming themselves "Tuatha" a reflection of Paul's time in Ireland. With only a small number of well-received gigs under their belt, they disbanded and Paul went on to more appearances on the London Irish pub and club circuit, initially appearing with Chris Nash (whistle and bodhran player) in a number of live performances before his return as a solo artist. He wrote the first version of the

Saw Doctors The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they have achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in the Republic of Ireland including three number ones. Their first number one, "I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts ...

number 1 single, "

I Useta Lover "I Useta Lover" (, eye dialect of "I used to love her") is a 1990 song by Irish rock group The Saw Doctors. It is the second single off the '' If This Is Rock and Roll, I Want My Old Job Back'' album. It stayed at the #1 position in the Irish chart ...

". He also wrote the track "Funny World" which is covered by the

on their album ''

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

''. Following his death, an album of his songs entitled ''Excuse My Accent'' was released to critical acclaim. Many songs on this album evoke a sadness which seems to be in Paul's life. In the documentary, ''Man of Music, Heart of Gold'', Kenny Ralph describes him as having frailty in life, similar to the life of

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

. Others, such as ''Sunshine'', suggest otherwise; ''Sunshine, lights up a cloudy day, moonlight helps me to find my way. You can't beat the feeling, when you've made it on your own'' . ''Dreams'' is considered the song which most aptly displays Paul's fine talent for words and the English language. There were only 500 copies of this album pressed. A catalogue of unreleased songs may be released at some point in the future. There still exist rehearsal recordings of Paul with Tuatha, which may one day come to light. They include versions of "Taking The Easy Way Out", "Excuse My Accent", "Courting In The Kitchen", and The Saw Doctors' hit, "N17". In keeping with Paul's sense of humour, these sessions were recorded in a hall attached to a Catholic convent in Roehampton, South West London. Paul left behind his partner Jo and three children. A no-budget documentary about his music entitled '' Man of Music, Heart Of Gold'' was shown to a packed audience in his hometown of

on 19 August 2007. The film had its

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

premiere on 6 December 2007 in Monroe's Tavern.

Death

Paul died in suspicious circumstances, following a fall, in

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

, east London on 11 August 2001. In January 2010, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' claimed that Paul fell from the balcony of Paul Roundhill's flat, and that the circumstances surrounding the fall have never been discovered.

Discography

Albums

* ''Excuse My Accent'', (posthumous) 2003

References

External links