And I remember that day being envious of that kind of peace…and so this song is about that peace I feel on that island.”
Power Over Me singer Kennedy, who this week performed his first show in eight months at a celebration of Irish music in Áras an Uachtaráin on Wednesday evening, talked about watching birds flying free and yearning to have that kind of freedom himself.
Dermot (32) from Rathcoole, Co Dublin, was catapulted to phenomenal fame with the success of his 2019 single, Outnumbered, and went from performing intimate gigs to headlining major festivals and global tours.
The former Dublin street busker this week also revealed that one of his favourite places to relax and recharge his batteries is on Inis Mór, one of the Aran Islands.
Speaking during his performance in front of President Michael D. Higgins and his wife, Sabina, who hosted the garden party for the music industry, Kennedy said: “We have a place in Ireland off the west coast where my auntie lives on Inis Mór. We spend a lot of time there as a family and it just feels very important to us.
It’s funny, even though getting to tour these songs, getting to travel so much is such a privilege, as you see more of the world you feel your real world becomes a bit smaller and it sort of gets more and more precious.
“It took me a long time to be able to play a show anywhere and so I spent a lot of time knowing who I was truly…so now I feel like there is a divide. You feel like you are who you are at home and you are who you are when you’re doing the thing that you do (performing). And so that real side of me becomes more precious and so valuable…and Inis Mor is a place where that’s very concentrated and very real to me.”
Before singing his song, For Ireland Fires And Family, which he was inspired to write on Inis Mór, Dermot said: “We were up at Dun Aengus, a cliff and an ancient fort (on Inis Mór).If you lean out over the edge it’s the most incredible thing…the sea crashing in and birds all around…and I remember one day being there…I was in the middle of a bunch of tourists and my head was spinning a bit and the birds looked kind of peaceful and I felt like I wanted to feel like that.
“I think it’s an incredible privilege to get to do this and to get to play music and travel and all that, but you do have to look after yourself. And I remember that day being envious of that kind of peace…and so this song is about that peace I feel on that island.”
Dermot includes a Michael D. Higgins speech in his live set and says it helps to keep him grounded when he’s on tour. “I find when I’m playing a headline show you sort of feel flat out from the start to the end,” he explains.
“Honestly, I hate to sound like I’m complaining…to get to do what I do, but sometimes when you haven’t been home in months and you’ve been on the road playing show after show those words have always brought me back down to where I need to be. It says, ‘you must continue to love, you must continue to dream, continue to encourage and continue to create…’
“Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted how supportive you feel in Ireland as an artist. Every open mic I did, everytime I tried to get my foot in the door you always felt welcome and never felt as if you are being excluded. It’s a great sort of thing to be a part of, to be an Irish musician.”
DERMOT Kennedy was performing at a special concert hosted by President Michael D Higgins to celebrate Irish Music Month 2024 in association with Hot Press and Independent Broadcasters of Ireland.