Sharyn Ward returns with poignant new single 'Where Do All The Travelling People Go?'

Following the release of 'Feeling Free' last month, Sharyn Ward is back with an emotional new original song, 'Where Do All The Travelling People Go?' – inspired by the death of her father, Ned Stokes.

"I was sitting out by our campfire, looking up at the stars, and I looked up and wondered, 'Where are you daddy?'" she says of the single. "It's a profound question I think we all ask ourselves, especially in our community where loss of life is rife .”

Touching on with the mental health struggles and discrimination faced by Travellers, the folk and country-inspired song follows Sharyn's own journey through grief: "Where have all my lovely people gone? / That felt they were destroyed one by one." She describes it as her favourite song she's written to date.

Last year, Sharyn graced the cover of the special 100 Voices #AllAgainstRacism issue of Hot Press last year, alongside Damien Dempsey and Celaviedmai. She was a previously a finalist on Ireland's Got Talent, and a winner at the annual Traveller Pride Awards in 2019. The following year, she released her first album, One Starry Night, made up of a selection of folk songs.

Speaking to Hot Press, Sharyn revealed that she was working on new music "about the Traveller life and culture" – with more original songs on the way. With the release of 'Where Do All The Travelling People Go?' and 'Feeling Free', she continues to emerge as one of the country's most captivating and deeply inspirational singer-songwriters – using her platform and her remarkable voice to celebrate and highlight the experiences of her community.

‘Where Do All The Travelling People Go ’ was produced by John Flynn, JMR Studios, Shankill, with musical contributions from Dick Farrelly.

Listen below: