Culture
20 Sep 21

Declan O’Rourke announces 12 Irish live dates in 2022

Tickets go on sale this Thursday, 23rd September at 10am.

Dublin singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke has added 12 live shows to his tour schedule for 2022.

The Arrivals artist's latest slew of dates will take place across twelve venues from Sligo, Kilkenny, Tralee, Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Portlaoise, Drogheda, Letterkenny and finally Castleblayney.

A consummate performer who captivates audiences time and time again - whether commanding the stage alone with a guitar and a microphone, accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra or surrounded by a band. Having performed extensively in the US, Europe and Australia; O’Rourke’s growing status is one of a significant global artist.

The most emotionally raw and affecting album of his career, Declan’s latest album Arrivals was produced by Paul Weller. Recorded over six days at the Black Barn studio in Surrey, the project sees O’Rourke present his art in a different yet wholly distinctive manner. The sound is stripped back to the 45-year-old's soulful and resonant voice, virtuosic acoustic guitar playing and only the occasional sparse arrangement of strings and late-night drums bringing colour and light to the LP’s ten songs. Weller, a fan of Declan’s songwriting for some years, also adds his multi-instrumental abilities to the recordings, including a beautiful piano accompaniment to the closing track.

"The tracks on Arrivals are connected by this emphasis on the power of simplicity, more than any clear overarching theme. While O’Rourke is by no means breaking the mould entirely, even songs that appear to rethread familiar territory gradually open up into something new with each listen. It’s not a sound accompanied by a modern sense of urgency or experimentation – but in its captivating exploration of human tenderness, it’s a direction that’s as relevant today as ever," Lucy O'Toole wrote in her Hot Press review.

Alongside a vision of seeing the personal and political run in parallel and occasionally intersect on Arrivals, is the way in which textural layers have been stripped away.

Not simply reserving his talent for the stage, The Pawnbroker’s Reward - O’Rourke’s forthcoming literary debut - has also been announced for release on October 29th this year on Gill Books. A work of historical fiction, the much-anticipated novel comes in the wake of the artist’s widely acclaimed, award winning record Chronicles Of The Great Irish Famine.

O’Rourke recently performed a unique version of ‘The Stars Over Kinvara’ on the TG4 series celebrating 70 years of Fleadh Cheoil an hÉireann, with Alan Doherty (of Gráda, Aldoc, and Lord of The Rings fame) on flute and whistle, Swiss born Anna Houston (No Crows) on Cello, and the renowned Dermot Byrne (of Altan) on box accordion.

Tickets for the Dubliner's forthcoming live dates go on sale Thursday, 23rd September at 10am from Ticketmaster and venue box office.