Biography

An Irish singer-songwriter, Pat Byrne has come a long way since his first deal with Universal. In 2017, Byrne migrated to Austin, Texas. Immersed in the Texas music scene, Pat penned several new songs and released the “Rituals” LP in October 2018. In 2019, Pat took the U.S. by storm, with breakout performances at the 30A Festival, SWSX, Kerrville Folk Festival, and the Americana Festival. Along comes 2020 and live performance all but disappeared. Pat took full advantage and began work on his upcoming LP and launched his Wednesday livestream, now a residency at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck’s Live from Norfolk Street. Pat recorded “Into the Light” at the Sound Emporium studio in Nashville in late 2020, set for release and tour in summer 2021—Covid-19 permitting. “When you combine the transcendent poetry of Bob Dylan with the gritty, real-world rock-n-roll storytelling that Bruce Springsteen made so famous, and then add a dash of the political activism embodied by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seger, you’ll have Irish singer-songwriter Pat Byrne”—Folk Alley at 30a Songwriters festival “The raspy melodic soul of Byrne’s voice recalls the emotional spells the late Austin troubadour Jimmy LaFave used to cast, though Byrne’s songwriting bears a distinctive Irish stamp. He’s more contemporary than strict traditionalists, putting him more in the league of Glen Hansard or Luka Bloom; yet at times he conjures a deeply old-school feel.”—Peter Blackstock, The Austin American Statesman