LIMERICK folk singer-songwriter Paddy Dennehy will bring his acoustic show Dolans on Friday October 25.
Paddy’s deep connection to music began when he heard Mick Flannery perform Evening Train on the Late Late Show. This moment sparked a journey of influences, starting with Flannery and leading to artists like Tom Waits, Randy Newman, and Nick Cave, who became the foundation of Paddy’s musical style. While other influences emerged later, these four remain central to his sound.
During the writing of his second album, Paddy spent time working on his father’s small farm in County Limerick, where the isolation allowed him space to think, write, and play his music. The process was both cathartic and challenging. The album, Love and Be Brave, centres on the theme of loving courageously, emphasising that love is not a given but something to be earned and fiercely protected.
Paddy says, “The great driving force behind this album was the slow realisation on my part that love is not a given thing in this world. Whether it be your family, friend or partner, it is something that you have to put
yourself on the line for. That meant to me that you need to be vulnerable to the ones you love. They have the capacity to bring such great joy into your life, but also sorrow, and that’s just the deal.”
