Declan O'Rourke
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Declan O'Rourke (born April 26, 1976) is a singer-songwriter from
Kinvara Kinvara or Kinvarra () is a sea port village in the southwest of County Galway, Ireland. It is located in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Kinvarradoorus in the north of the Barony (Ireland), barony of Kiltartan. Kinvarra is also ...
, Ireland.


Career


Early career to 2010

At the age of 13, when living in Australia with his family, O'Rourke was given his first guitar by a priest in
Kyabram Kyabram () is a town in north central Victoria, Australia. Kyabram is located in the centre of a rich irrigation district in the Goulburn River Valley, north of Melbourne. The name of the town is thought to derive from an Aboriginal word Kia ...
who recognised his potential and love for music, hence the title of his debut album ''Since Kyabram'', released in October 2004. The album's launch took place over three sold-out nights in Whelan's of Wexford St, Dublin and was broadcast live on national radio. ''Since Kyabram'' entered the official Irish album charts at Number 5 and was the only new Irish entry in the Top 75 album chart that week. ''Since Kyabram'' quickly went gold, then achieved double-platinum status. Since the release of the album, O'Rourke has completed multiple sell-out nationwide Irish tours, the second of these culminating in a full capacity show in Dublin's Olympia Theatre in March 2005. O'Rourke has been among the few solo performers selected to appear on both the second and third TV series of ''Other Voices''. O'Rourke tracks were included on the No. 1 selling compilations '' Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2'' and '' Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 3'' in aid of The National Children's Hospital in
Tallaght Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres. Up to th ...
and
Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
Relief Fund. O'Rourke performed at the first Irish Woodstock in
Inistioge Inistioge (; ) is a small village in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Historically, its name has been spelt as Ennistioge, Ennisteage, and in other ways. The village is situated on the River Nore, southeast of Kilkenny. Inistioge ...
,
Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
. He has played guitar on stage with
Bic Runga Briolette Kah Bic Runga (born 13 January 1976), recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Runga ...
on her European tour,
Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...
on the UK and Irish legs of their 2006 tour, including performances at Wembley Arena and their sold-out December performance at the old Point Theatre in Dublin. O'Rourke opened multiple shows for
Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, gu ...
during the come-back concerts at Vicar Street, Dublin. He performed on the same bill as
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
for three consecutive shows while playing guitar with
Paddy Casey Paddy Casey is an Irish singer-songwriter from Crumlin, Dublin. Biography He received his first guitar when he was 12 and left home soon after and began busking and gigging for about 12 years. At about the age of 24 he was approached by Sony ...
. O'Rourke played guitar for
Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...
during their Oxegen Festival performance in Ireland in July 2007. Snow Patrol's lead singer, Gary Lightbody, gave a very positive review of O'Rourke's second album, a preview copy of which, he revealed, the band had been listening to backstage. O'Rourke attracted praise from
Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...
for his song "Galileo (Someone Like You)" (co-written by Seamus Cotter) which he cited in an interview with Q Magazine as the song he most wished he'd written from the past twenty years; he later included O'Rourke's recording of the song on an album of his favourite songs included with a special edition of the magazine dedicated to him. Weller invited O'Rourke to perform at the
100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...
in London. And, on his recent mini-residency at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Weller invited O'Rourke on stage as a special guest to perform a duet of "Galileo". Other notable fans of O'Rourke are
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
guitarist,
Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as a member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, and a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing lead guitar with several Brit ...
,
Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is a British Rock music, rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist from Middlesbrough. Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty-five studio albums, ...
, and
Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...
who describes O'Rourke as a "most talented singer-songwriter... ossessinga rich, soulful, musical voice and a brilliant instrumental ability".
Eddi Reader Sadenia "Eddi" Reader Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 August 1959) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known for her work as the lead vocalist of the Folk music, folk and soft rock band Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo caree ...
once said that he was "one of the finest songwriters on the planet". In October 2007 Declan released his second album, '' Big Bad Beautiful World'' after performing selected tracks on Irish radio. ''Big Bad Beautiful World'' beat its forerunner by debuting at number 4 in the Irish charts, but unlike ''Since Kyabram'' it was released in Ireland alone. O'Rourke released two singles from the album, the title track 'Big Bad Beautiful World' and 'Whatever Else Happens', both of which are performance standards for him. Following the album release, O'Rourke was nominated for Best Irish Male at the 2008 Meteor Ireland Awards. O'Rourke completed limited tours of South-Eastern Australia in 2008 and 2009, finishing the latter tour with a sold-out performance at Sydney's The Basement venue, which was filmed for later broadcast by
ABC Australia The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...
. In October 2010, O'Rourke was invited to open shows for American singer-songwriter
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. Since 2006, in addition to Prine and
Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...
, O'Rourke has completed tours with Paulo Nutini,
Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...
,
Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...
,
The Cardigans The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden in 1992. The main lineup of the band consisted of guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead sing ...
, and
Nizlopi Nizlopi were a British folk and alternative duo formed in Leamington Spa, England, by Luke Concannon on vocals, guitar, and bodhrán, and John Parker on double bass, human beatbox, and backing vocals. History Formation The duo grew up in ...
, among others.


''Mag Pai Zai'' to ''Arrivals''

In April 2011, O'Rourke released his third studio album. ''Mag Pai Zai'' under his own label, Rimecoat Records. It topped the success of his first two albums, holding its own in Ireland's Top 10 Album Charts for four consecutive weeks, and made 'Album of the Week' on BBC Radio Scotland and RTE Radio 1. 'A Little Something,' the album's first single climbed to no. 2 in Today FM's Top 40 Singles Charts. Mag Pai Zai also made it into The Irish Times' ‘101 Irish Albums to Hear Before You Die.' The album title is the phonetic representation of 'Magpie's Eye', a term that appears in the track, Langley's Requiem. It is based on the true story of the
Collyer brothers Homer Lusk Collyer (November 6, 1881March 21, 1947) and Langley Wakeman Collyer (October 3, 1885), known as the Collyer brothers, were two American brothers who became infamous for their bizarre natures and compulsive hoarding. The two lived i ...
, a pair of hermits in New York, who in the 1940s were found dead amid mountains of rubbish they had hoarded in their Harlem brownstone. In 2013, ''Mag Pai Zai'' was released in the US, becoming O'Rourke's first release stateside. The album garnered attention from national media outlets, The Wall Street Journal, Spin, American Songwriter, Travel & Leisure, NPR’s World Café and USA Today. American Songwriter streamed the entire album upon its release. From Oct 2014 to Sept 2015, O’Rourke decided to try something completely new, releasing a brand new track every month exclusively to subscribers of his mailing list and followers on social media platforms. He called the project ''Howlin’ Lowly Moons''. O’Rourke released his fourth studio album ''Gold Bars in the Sun'' in late 2015. The album was the artist's first Vinyl release. ''Gold Bars in the Sun'' was largely composed of songs featured in the ''Howlin’ Lowly Moons'' project, and included ‘Lets Make Big Love’ a duet with
John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
. In October 2016 O'Rourke released, ''In Full Colour'', the culmination of his previous work spanning a dozen sold-out concerts over 10 years, performing with the accompaniment of a full Orchestra. The fifth studio album consists of 16 tracks, all backed by the RTE Concert Orchestra. It reflects the evolution, and journey his songs have taken as a result of these highly energised, sold-out concerts, and includes re-imagined, re-recorded, versions of some of the artist's most popular material, along with brand new songs including the acclaimed ‘Children of 16’. The record, released on the ‘Maiesta Music’ record label, and distributed by Warners, reached the highest chart position yet for O’Rourke in the Irish charts, climbing as high as number 3. In October 2017, a song cycle 15 years in the making was released, chronicling stories of the great Irish famine. A culmination of 25 books on the history of Irish workhouses and one of Ireland's darkest histories, Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine featured some of the best musicians the Irish traditional music world has to offer. Mick McGoldrick, Dermot Byrne, Floriane Blancke, Jack Maher, Chris Herzberger, Catriona Frost, Rob Calder and
John Sheahan John Sheahan (born 19 May 1939) is an Irish musician and composer. He joined The Dubliners in 1964 and played with them until 2012 when The Dubliners' name was retired following the death of founding member Barney McKenna. Sheahan is the last ...
all feature on the album.


Notable recordings by other artists

Scottish singer
Eddi Reader Sadenia "Eddi" Reader Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 August 1959) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known for her work as the lead vocalist of the Folk music, folk and soft rock band Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo caree ...
recorded "Galileo (Someone Like You)" for her 2007 album ''
Peacetime Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such a ...
'' and O'Rourke's anthem "Love is the Way" on her 2009 album '' Love is the Way''.
Jacqui Dankworth Jacqueline Caryl Dankworth (born 5 February 1963) is a British jazz singer. She is the daughter of jazz singer Cleo Laine and musician John Dankworth. Career Dankworth was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. She attended St. Chris ...
, daughter of Jazz legends
Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Hitching; 28 October 1927) is an English singer and actress known for her scat singing. She is the widow of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth and the mother of bassist Alec D ...
and the late Sir
John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...
recorded O'Rourke's "Galileo (Someone Like You)" for her 2009 album ''Back To You''. Swedish pop singer
Peter Jöback Peter Arne Jöback (born 4 June 1971) is a Swedish singer, actor and musical artist. Jöback has acted in musical theatre, with lead roles in West End productions of ''Miss Saigon'' and ''The Witches of Eastwick''. He is also known for his port ...
recorded O'Rourke's "(I Can See) A Little Something" for his eleventh studio album ''East Side Stories'' released in 2009.
Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...
recorded "Galileo (Someone Like You)" on his fifth studio album ''Illuminations'' released in November 2010. In November 2011 the album ''This is the Moment'' recorded by Paul Byrom, formerly of Celtic Thunder, included "Galileo (Someone Like You)." In 2016,
Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...
interpreted Declan's song, 'Lightning Bird Wind River Man' featuring the track on his album, 'Lily' released by Sony Records.


Personal life

O'Rourke married to stuntwoman Eimar O'Grady in 2015.


Discography

*'' Since Kyabram'' (2004) *'' Big Bad Beautiful World'' (2007) *'' Mag Pai Zai'' (2011) *''Howlin’ Lowly Moons'' (One Song Per Month Project) (2014) *''Gold Bars in the Sun'' (2015) *''In Full Colour'' (2016) *''Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine'' (2017) *''Arrivals'' (2021)


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orourke, Declan Living people Irish male guitarists Irish male singer-songwriters Irish singer-songwriters Musicians from Dublin (city) 1972 births 21st-century Irish male singers 21st-century Irish guitarists 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music 2020s in Irish music