A voice of Ireland

Another St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, but if you’re still jonesing for an Irish fix, head to Fallon this Saturday for an evening of Irish love songs performed by Susan McKeown. The singer-songwriter grew up in Dublin, Ireland, with a love for music, the youngest of five children. At age 15, she was selected for intensive study with Ireland’s leading opera trainer at Dublin’s Municipal College of Music, but she left after a year to pursue a new-found interest in rock, folk, jazz and blues. After spending some time busking on the streets of Dublin and touring across Europe, she headed to America after accepting a scholarship to New York’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy. McKeown immersed herself in the New York music scene and played at hot spots such as the Sin-é Café and The Bottom Line. In 1995, she released her first album of original songs, Bones, on her own label. The album was re-released on Prime CD a year later. Critics from publications such as the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles praised the album’s balance of traditional Irish folk music and pop-rock sensibility. In 1998, she released an album of traditional music, Bushes & Briars, which The Christian Science Monitor called “a triumph” and declared McKeown “the most strikingly original contemporary woman singer” in the Celtic music world. In addition to releasing eight of her own albums, she has recorded with artists such as Cathie Ryan, Robin Spielberg and Cathal McConnell. Her latest album is Blackthorn. McKeown will perform at 8 p.m. March 25 at Barkley Theatre at the Oats Park Art Center, 151 E. Park St., Fallon. She will be accompanied by musicians Eamon O’Leary and Dana Lynn. Tickets are $20. Call (775) 423-1440.