Muirġen - On Our Radar Q&A: "The four tracks are linked to this feeling of overwhelm about being back in Ireland and reconnecting to the Irish language"

You spent 5 years touring with Celtic Woman prior to Loinnir - why the shift to a solo effort?

I moved back to Ireland from the UK in 2024, and with that came a lot of inevitable change. I had just turned 30 and realised I had spent all of my 20s people-pleasing and trying to fit a role in someone else’s vision. It was my friend Cian Sweeney, who produced and co-wrote the EP, who was like: what do you want? And I had no idea. So, this project is about reconnecting with myself.

How has coming home shaped your artistry?

It has had such a crucial role in formulating the project. I didn’t really consider a throughline at the beginning. But the four tracks are linked to this feeling of overwhelm about being back in Ireland and reconnecting to the Irish language. The fact I’m incorporating it into my music feels like so much more than a project.  It feels ancestral. It’s making me find my feet again, both personally and musically.

This EP was created with the help of people close to you - is art a collective experience?

Even though I had been in the music industry for over ten years, I felt like I was at ground zero again while making this EP. I’ve learned so much from the people around me. This EP is a product of that collaboration and the beautiful people in my life, which I think is why I feel so passionate about it. It represents so much more than tunes I’m putting out under my name.

• Loinnir is out now.