Helen O’Shea and Barry Murphy (Hermitage Green) Honour Dolores O’Riordan in Single “Rock and Roll Angel”, Taken from O’Shea’s Forthcoming Album
Helen O’Shea (left) by Maria Wurtz
Limerick-born, New-Jersey based roots artist Helen O’Shea and Hermitage Green’s Barry Murphy pay tribute to Dolores O’Riordan, on what would soon have been her 53rd Birthday (September 6th).
Penned in honor of The Cranberries’ frontwoman for O’Shea’s forthcoming album, “Songs in the Key of O”, with producer/co-writer and two-time Grammy winner Marc Swersky, O’Shea enrolled the talented Barry Murphy - lead singer of fellow Limerick act Hermitage Green - to join her on this special tribute with his stunning vocal and dulcet tones.
A star who burned brightly for a tragically short time, Dolores O’Riordan brought much beauty to the hometown she shared with O’Shea, through her singing and her songwriting, representing the county with pride before her tragic passing in 2018.
“Rock and Roll Angel” features Andrew Carillo (Joan Osbourne, James Maddock), Rob Clores (The Black Crowes, Jesse Malin), Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors), Nathan Bishop, Nicole Scorsone, Brielle Brown, Michelle Moore (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - E Street Choir) and Lauren O'Shea, who join an allstar list of collaborators on the highly anticipated album, which was engineered by Jack Daley (Spin Doctors), mixed by Seth Von Paulus (Linda Perry) and mastered by Leon Zervos.
On the collaboration with O’Shea, Hermitage Green vocalist Barry Murphy said, “It was such a pleasure to sing on this beautifully written and produced song for Dolores, an icon of Limerick and Irish music. From the first moment I spoke to Helen about the song it was so clear to me she had a deep love for our home town and for writing stories about the places and the people who inspired her. That’s something I always tried to do with my music and it was an honour to be asked to add my own voice to this song. A massive thank you to Helen and Marc for involving me in this project and for their passion and guidance”.
ABOUT HELEN O’SHEA
With the heart of a healer and the grace of grit, Ireland-born, New Jersey-based artist Helen O'Shea is trailblazing a path of hope and possibility, sharing her unguarded story so that others may step fully into their power.
Helen’s journey from medicine to motherhood to music embodies resilience, reinvention, and the power of learning to heal. Blending Americana and Celtic influences into her signature sound, which she calls AmeriCeltiCana, her music and message resonate deeply with women and mothers rediscovering themselves later in life.
Through Helen’s metamorphosis, she holds fiercely to her personal mantra, Turning Tides Make Sturdy Souls, reflecting her belief that life’s challenges—both joyful and painful—are what shape us. Embracing transformation takes courage, and through her music, Helen extends a hand, reminding us that we don’t have to take the first step alone.
Before entering the music world, Helen dedicated years to a distinguished medical career as an obstetrician/gynecologist. She attended medical school at the University College Galway (UCG) Ireland, where she met her husband, Paul O’Shea, PhD. She then spent a number of years as an Assistant Professor in Medical Research and Medical School Teaching at the prestigious McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she became a leader in perinatal research and medical education. She created Healing in Medicine, a groundbreaking course that taught medical students, residents, and physicians how to handle the complexities of caring for vulnerable patients and their families.
Even as a doctor, Helen’s deepest calling was to be a healer—not just of the body, but of the human spirit. She has been a guiding light for many while quietly navigating her own struggles behind the scenes.
Her return to the US in 2011, where she had lived briefly in the 90s, was rough on her children and coincided with their request that she stop working in medicine and stay home with them after school—an idea which surprised Helen, but which she and her husband fully supported. She explains: “Two days into my new life, without my lifelong identity as Dr. Helen McNamara, I began to settle into life as housewife Helen O'Shea, with great difficulty. It was then that my husband said "You've always wanted to sing - this is your chance.”
Helen rediscovered her life-long passion for music, quickly becoming a dynamic force in the independent music scene, collaborating with two-time Grammy winner Marc Swersky (Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole), winning Best Americana Song for “Sturdy Soul” at the Global Music Awards, and earning nominations for the 2024 Josie Awards and the International Singer-Songwriter Award for Best Duo with Alexander Simone for their collaboration on “Holy Mother”.
ABOUT BARRY MURPHY:
Barry Murphy is best known as the bassist and vocalist of Hermitage Green, the celebrated acoustic folk‑rock band from Limerick. A former Munster rugby player whose sporting career ended in 2011 due to injury, Barry pivoted to music and co-founded Hermitage Green in July 2010 alongside his brother Dan Murphy, Darragh Griffin, Darragh Graham and Dermot Sheedy. One of the band’s leading songwriters, he is known for his poetic lyricism in songs like “Lake Winnipesaukee”, "Make it better" and "Drifting”. Hermitage Green is famed for their captivating live shows, from folk‑rock acoustic sets to full stadium‑scale performances. They’ve toured internationally—to places like Australia, North America, Dubai and Europe—and even played iconic venues like King John’s Castle in Limerick. The band have released 4 albums and 2 EP’s since their formation in 2010.
SONG CREDITS:
Writers: Helen McNamara & Marc Swersky
Producer: Marc Swersky
Vocals: Helen O'Shea & Barry Murphy
BGVs: Barry Murphy, Brielle Brown, Michelle Moore, Lauren O'Shea
Acoustic & Bass Guitars: Marc Swersky
Electric Guitars: Andrew Carillo
Piano/Keys/Accordion: Rob Clores
Drums/Percussion: Aaron Comess
Strings: Nathan Bishop & Nicole Scorsone
Engineer: Jack Daley
Mixing: Seth Von Paulus
Mastering: Leon Zervos
ABOUT “SONGS IN THE KEY OF O” - OUT SEPTEMBER 26TH 2025
The story behind "Songs In The Key Of O" is a simple one. It is a love letter to two of Helen O’Shea’s biggest influences in music and in life: Sinéad O’Connor and Dolores O’Riordan. Helen grew up in Limerick, Ireland, loving everything about songs and singing, and she longed to make her life all about the beauty of song. However, her darling father had other ideas for his precious oldest daughter, so off Helen went to medical school, closing the door on a singing career firmly behind her. Cut to many years later when Helen's father was tragically killed in a car accident, Helen immediately felt him guiding her back to singing from beyond the grave. Now, she is releasing her third full album "Songs In The Key Of O" - a loving tribute to Sinéad O'Connor and Dolores O'Riordan.
While Helen was in medical school, she had two unforgettable experiences with these two iconic Irish singers that impacted her to this day. The first was Sinéad O'Connor's unforgettable debut on the Irish Late Late Show, when she exploded on the screen with a crew cut and a tank top scream-singing "Mandinka". Helen, along with most of Ireland's young girls, were transfixed by this new vision of Irish womanhood - gentleness and anger, ferocity and determination - with a beautiful voice. Sinéad simply encouraged everyone to be true to themselves
The second of Helen's impactful experiences during her medical school days, was when her brother, Steve, a student at what was then NIHE (now University Of Limerick), came home with a mixtape that included the song "Linger". The stunning voice of Dolores O'Riordan left a lasting impact on Helen - another Limerick girl like herself. Dolores was living the singing dream that Helen longed for, and with a voice unlike any other. When Helen was blessed to begin her singing journey much later in life, she carried with her the influences of all the girl singers she loved, but most of all, her two countrywomen, Sinéad and Dolores, with whom culturally she shares so much more with than just a love of song.
ALBUM RUNNING ORDER:
1. "Caged Birds" - ORIGINAL - Featuring Liam O'Maonlaí
2. "Rock And Roll Angel" - ORIGINAL - Featuring Barry Murphy
3. "Chaos" - ORIGINAL
4. "Dense Water Deeper Down" - COVER (Sinéad O’Connor) - Featuring Brielle Brown, Sharon Lasher, Fiona Tyndall, Jo Wymer - OUT NOW, check out the video below!
5. "Dreaming My Dreams" - COVER (Dolores O’Riordan)
6. "If U Ever" - COVER (Sinéad O’Connor) - Featuring James Maddock
7. "Saving Grace" - COVER (Dolores O’Riordan)
8. "Last Day Of Our Acquaintance" - COVER (Sinéad O’Connor) - Featuring Brad Butcher
9. "Lost" - COVER (Dolores O’Riordan)
10. "Unbecoming (KO Version)" - ORIGINAL - Featuring Fiona Tyndall
11. "Shine" - ORIGINAL - Featuring Michelle Moore
12. "There Will Be Days" - ORIGINAL - Featuring Caroline Carlile and The Carlile Family Band
