Donegal Singer-Songwriter & Seafaring Troubadour Cuan Releases New Single “On A Ship”
Wry, Raw & Real: Living on the wild coast of Donegal, Cuan writes songs deeply rooted in personal truth.
Equipped with a stripped-back acoustic sound and poetic lyrics, the seafaring troubadour explores unexpected life happenings with sardonic wit and unflinching honesty.
New single ‘On A Ship’ is a portrait of a life shaped by cycles of departure and return; from land to sea, and through ebbs and flows. Working on a rotating basis as a deck hand maintaining lighthouses and marker buoys along the Irish coastline and further afield, Cuan’s unconventional career brings a unique perspective to his songwriting, where he navigates moments of solitude, comradery, desolation and renewal throughout each cycle.
Cuan explains, “Working on a ship is something I never really envisaged myself doing, but that's the way things pan out sometimes. The old school style of management in the job has come with its challenges, but I write my way through things and this situation was no different. The song’s lyrics came to me while keeping watch alone on the bridge of the ship one hazy morning, after three weeks of illogical orders, insecure men shouting at each other and the lack of sleep which often accompanies sea faring. About a year later I realised it might be a song.”
Recorded in Mag Dog Studios near Aspen, Colorado, after a chance meeting with a kind stranger, the single’s journey from conception to completion reflects the artist’s creative ethos - shaped by fateful encounters, spontaneous decisions and waves of luck and adversity. Initially travelling to the state to fish for trout, play music and climb mountains, the singer-songwriter knew he had been putting off recording for some time. By happenstance, he secured a last-minute studio recording slot, and laid down eight tracks in eight hours.
An intense, productive and defining day, he says: “Sometimes you have to corner yourself to get things done. Ross Tones (Throwing Snow) helped with additional mixing and put me on to Nick Cooke (Nick Cooke Mastering) who did the mastering. I used to do my own recording but it is an entirely separate skill, so handing that responsibility over to someone else for this release felt right”.
A compelling balance between the conversational and confessional, ‘On A Ship’ grants a one-of-a-kind lens into the awareness, comprehension and spirit of a fascinating new voice in Irish folk.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
17th September - Mini Mouth Piece Cottage Bar, Letterkenny
19th September - Clubeo in Leos Tavern Crolly, Donegal (Hosted by Moya Brennan of Clanad)
30th September - Mouth Piece Cottage Bar, Letterkenny
