Galway’s Padraig Jack released his new single Minnie yesterday, and will be one of the first artists to return to live public shows shortly.
Minnie is taken from his upcoming album Making Sand which will be released on 25th September, after its original April release date was postponed.
Minnie was released in the UK last October to excellent reviews and lots of airplay, with BBC Radio Leeds saying that it’s an ‘absolutely lovely song…Padraig is going on to great things’, BBC West Midlands saying Padraig has a ‘beautiful voice’, and Boogaloo Radio commenting that it’s a ‘stunning track…can’t wait for more’.
Padraig composed the song on a stormy winter night on his native Aran Islands a few years ago. It was the first song he recorded with legendary music producer John Reynolds (Sinéad O’Connor, Damien Dempsey, Shane McGowan) who went on to produce Padraig’s album.
Minnie tells the story of a woman who has lost her way in life and is trapped in a loveless marriage. When she ends up in a whirlwind affair with a younger man he reminds her that there can be joy in life and that it’s not too late to ‘reignite her spark’. Eventually they part ways after a passionate evening under a Galway sunset, and Minnie seeks and eventually finds lasting love.
Padraig Jack is from a musical family. His dad is bilingual songwriter Barry Ronan and he is the nephew of the Irish poet and Aosdána member Mary O’Malley. Like his father, Padraig is proudly bilingual and writes music in both Irish and English. With influences ranging from James Taylor and The Eagles to Van Morrison and Shane McGowan, Padraig appreciates strong songwriting with a distinct point of view. He might describe his music as a mix between R.E.M. and Sinead O’Connor.
Although playing live is usually a huge part of Padraig’s career, he has had to postpone tours in the UK, Ireland, Germany and France in recent months. However, in October and November, he will be playing with Damien Dempsey at five dates around the country (see below), as well as a couple of solo gigs, so if you want to catch Padraig in his true element, tickets are available through the usual outlets. For those who can’t travel to see him, Padraig will be livestreaming a concert in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on www.padraigjack.com and his social media feeds for further details.
Sat. 12 Sep. Westport Town Hall, Co Mayo (solo concert)
Sun. 27 Sep Online Stream Event – Album Launch (www.padraigjack.com)
Wed. 30 Sep. Joe Wattys, Cill Rónán, Co Galway (solo concert)
Sat. 03 Oct. Asgard Theatre, Arklow, Co Wicklow (solo concert)
Sun. 09 Oct Róisín Dubh, Galway ( solo concert)
Fri. 30 Oct. Maritime, Bantry (with Damien Dempsey)
Sun. 1 Nov The Venue, Ratoath (with Damien Dempsey)
Sat. 14 Nov Judge Roy Beans, Newbridge (with Damien Dempsey)
Fri. 20 Nov Crescent Concert Hall, Drogheda (with Damien Dempsey)
Sat. 21 Nov The Haven Hotel, Waterford (with Damien Dempsey)
