Biography

b. Galway, Ireland. Sean Tyrrell sings and plays the guitar, mandocello and banjo, and first became known in Ireland as the composer of a musical interpretation of Brian Merriman’s satire on eighteenth-century sexuality, The Midnight Court. It revealed both Tyrrell’s affection for poetry and his ability to adapt such literary sources into a vibrant musical framework. His own material was drawn from the neglected traditions of writers and poets including Johnny Mulhern, David Callinan, John Boyle O’Reilly and Louis MacNiece. His debut album also included a piece from nineteenth-century Presbyterian John Frazier. The material was gathered over a 20-year period and performed intermittently during that time, animating material by Mulhern such as ‘Demolition Man’ or Callinan’s ‘House Of Delight’. A line from Boyle O’Reilly’s poem ‘Trilogy’ gave the album its title. Also included was ‘Blue Green Bangle’, featured on Sean Keane’s All Heart No Roses album. The dynamism of the collection owed much to the participation of established musicians such as Davey Spillane, Mairtin O’Connor and Greg Boland.