Those tempting to dismiss this thoughtful Cork songwriter as just another introspective Irish hopeful sharing his pain with the rest of us, would be well advised to try harder.

By track five ‘Lullaby’ – which starts with a teasing bodhran – you realise that Connolly hasn’t rolled off the singer-songwriter production line. This is good stuff.

For openers, Connolly deftly picks his way between the fey acoustic folk of ‘You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere’ and ‘The Circus Clown,’ and the slightly harder folk-rock of ‘Did I Forget To Thank You?’ and ‘Peeling Back The Sky’.

‘Echo Bridge’ uses Connolly’s expressive voice, with its hints of Tim Buckley, and his winning way with words, to paint a vivid portrait of rural village life with just flute and guitar. ‘Old Post Office Lane’ is so full of the fear of death you can almost smell the piss and vomit. It’s not meant to be easy listening.

Niall Connolly writes intelligent, literate songs rich in graphic detail. Better still, he writes convincingly from his own experience and his heart. We don’t have enough like him.