Our Music Scene - Niamh Regan - Galway - Best of Ireland

Galway’s a small place and it’s a college town. What’s exciting is that there’s always an influx of new students and new songwriters. The open mics are a really great spot if you’re young and starting out – I loved doing them and everyone was incredible. There’d be someone passing through for their Erasmus who’s amazing and you’ll never see them again.

Roisin Dubh

I like that aspect of it, the transience; it’s all really fresh. A lot of it goes down at Róisín Dubh, or The Crane Bar for trad sessions. Steven Sharpe is a standout within the scene. He moved to Galway from Tipperary, and he’s been hosting open mic nights and events in support of young artists for a while. Those evenings are key for getting people’s confidence up. The minute I could go to pubs, that’s what I was doing – it’s huge for up and coming artists. There’s also a lovely atmosphere and all-around great vibe, everyone’s into it. I found that community really helped with my confidence as a musician. You’d go regularly with a new song, or you’d go to just listen.

Niamh Regan

Everyone is bubbling and eager. If it wasn’t for something so consistent and congenial, I might not have had the confidence to do things on my own as much. It’s intimidating to stand up in front of strangers and sing a song you wrote in your room. I’m still doing it! If it weren’t for those practice runs and excitement, who knows?

There’s a real magic to those performances. It offers a comfortable way of doing something vulnerable. Any open mic night you go to, you’re going to witness some of the most gorgeous human moments. There’s a creative energy to Galway that you won’t find in many other places – it’s buzzing with acceptance towards new sounds and music in general.

• Niamh Regan’s album Come As You Are is out now.