Dear Patrons,

Hello and welcome to this new chapter in my life. A Patreon page has been something that has been in my thoughts for a long time now. I wanted to create an ad-free space where I could share my thoughts, my music and more behind the scenes footage of making and releasing my debut album. You have all been such an integral part of my journey and your support and words of encouragement have been the backbone of making this album. By signing up as a patron, you are not only supporting my creative team and I by giving us the opportunity to continue creating content and music for you all, you are also keeping the creative industry alive during such an uncertain year by directly supporting the artists that you love. So thank you for your love and support and I am so excited to share what I have in store for you all, here on Patreon.

I want to give you all first access to my debut album before it’s even completed, so that you continue to be part of every step of the process. I would love to listen to it for the first time with you, so that we can share that moment together. I hope this space will be somewhere that our online community can stay connected and inspired. I’m really looking forward to sharing my bi-weekly podcast with you all. I hope it will be a place where we can discuss topics that light the fire in us, answer questions in more detail that have come up in the past and discuss life, music, writing, inspiration, Ireland, family, wellbeing and the journey to now.

This year has been a year of writing, reflection and going inwards, in order to create music that I believe in, and that I love. Every song on the album tells a story and it’s been such a exciting experience sharing some of those songs with you already. I can’t wait for you to hear the others. They are so close now to being finished.

Most of the album was written in the west of Ireland. I am so thankful to have been living there for that creative time because it is the most inspiring and scenic place that I have ever lived. I walked the beaches every day for an hour and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore centered me in a way that I have not felt in years. The cold sea air allowed me to access a mindful part of my soul which I hadn’t had time to tap into for a while. Now listening back to my songs, I realise that so many of the ideas were born on those beaches in Salthill and it will forever be a a place full of magic. The rain….let me tell you about the rain. It rains a lot in the West but those walks in the rain made me so conscious of my breath and my mind and my thoughts. Most days it rained at least for some of my walk and it was in those moments that the awareness of simply being, made space for my creativity to just flow. So I have new found appreciation for the rain and the wind and the sea.

We are now in the final production stages of completing the album. Everything got delayed due to different lockdowns here in Ireland but we are doing as much as we can remotely. It’s been an incredible learning experience and we have had to be patient and resourceful and thinking outside the box is the new normal. But in a way it has kept the creative mind flowing and the experience of making this record will be one we will never forget!

This year for me, and I’m sure so many others, has been the year of the unknown. Something I used to avoid at all costs for fear of stepping out of my comfort zone. This year gave me no choice but to go head first into that unknown and embrace the fear and uncertainty in all its glory. I have noticed that the unknown can be incredibly humbling for the ego. We make so many plans for life and we put ourselves under so much pressure to live up to what we expect our lives to look like. We give so much thought to the external that we forget the beauty of our vulnerability and what lies inside. So much of the time our egos and ideas of what we must achieve in life, can be the most limiting thing we can do for our creative minds. So this year I wrote a letter to the unknown, thanking it for all it has done for me this year;

My Letter To The Unknown At first you terrified me, The thought of you alone would freeze my body in bed,

until I took a deep breath to break the silence of you looming. I would spend the evenings wondering how others fraternized with you so effortlessly,

without any signs of fear or retaliation. Sometimes in the morning, first thing, the thought of you was not so overbearing and

I could even flirt with the idea of possibly dipping my toe into the pool of you.

But then, as the sun would rise the doubts would start to rise with it.

The thought of you overpowered me once more. Then one day I couldn’t stay anymore, The safety blanket of my existence had outgrown me,

and my mind and body wanted more from the every day. It started to take over my every thought, every breath, every dream.

So one day I decided to be brave. I decided to get to know you. I had thought about this day for so long and agonized over what it would be like,

could be like, what a failure it may be and how I might want to turn back instantly. But no. I was well and truly and totally one hundred per cent wrong.

You were open and honest and realistic. You gave me a sense of self and purpose

and drive and created a light that had slowly been flickering begging for a new battery. You cracked me open and all of the words and songs and thoughts and feelings that had

been kept inside the bubble wrap packaging of who I had become, came bundling out.

So much so, that I could barely keep up when I was writing if all down. I realized that it was my mind all along that was keeping me from you! Keeping me from all of the wonderful things that you bring out in me. You have always been there, Waiting for me to open your door, So patiently, as I battled with myself. This year I decided to get to know you, which allowed me to get to know myself. And I will be forever thankful for that!

This is my letter of thanks to the unknown.

For anyone reading this that may feel the same, but the fear of failure is holding you back , just go for it. Because starting something new that lights up your soul will bring you more joy than standing still in your comfort zone ever will. I promise you that. trust your intuition. You have the brightest light within you but it’s up to you to allow it to shine. Being truthful to who you are will never let you down !

We have recently moved back to Dublin and we are settled in now, after a few months of unpacking and making our new place a home. It’s nostalgic to be home again, after so many years of living on tour. I grew up in Dublin and I love it so much. I love that my grannies live nearby now and that I get to swim with my family most mornings which is something that I cherish, every day. We recently got a new dog which some of you may have seen in social media. His name is Dónal Óg and he is a Bernese mountain dog / collie cross. He has been such a joy and as far as puppies go, he is very well behaved. He is a great companion for our little Dig who is ten and they are like brothers already. We are going to teach Dónal to swim next week so he can join us in the mornings.

I am looking forward to bringing you some music live from my kitchen soon. My mum and dad kindly gave me their old dining table which is the table where we sang all of our songs, growing up. So I want to sing some songs to you from that table very soon. Stay tuned. Chat to you all again soon. Dea Ghuí , Éabha x