ARMAGH folk singer Sinéad Willox will celebrate the London launch of her debut solo album, Seoda Uladh (Jewels of Ulster), with a concert at the Irish Cultural Centre at Hammersmith on Saturday, September 5.
Released in November last year, the album ranges across a musical journey through the nine counties of Ulster. It features one traditional song associated with each county, plus an additional track “for good luck”, with material performed in both Irish and English.
Sinéad WilloxThe project was co-produced by Seán Óg Graham of the group Beoga and features musicians including Cathal Hayden, Seamie O’Dowd, Colin Henry, Pádraig McGovern and Conor Crimmins.
Willox grew up on the Armagh-Tyrone border and has spoken of a childhood steeped in traditional music, including the influence of the Irish-language choir at St Joseph’s Convent in Donaghmore. She later spent 16 years away from home, an experience which she has said strengthened her attachment to the songs and traditions of Ulster.
A multiple winner of All-Ireland Oireachtas titles in duet and trio singing, Willox began performing as a solo artist in 2019, making her debut as a support act for Cork singer-songwriter John Spillane.
She is also a founding member of the five-piece folk group Copper Rose and has an extensive background in theatre. Since 2016 she has played Countess Markievicz in the musical drama Blood Upon the Rose, appearing at venues including the London Eventim Apollo, Belfast’s Waterfront Hall and Dublin’s Olympia Theatre.
The album received a seven-out-of-ten review from Americana UK, which described it as “a folk concept album of some note”. Reviewer Andy Short particularly praised her performance of the Armagh song Dobbins Flowery Vale, saying its beauty “should stop you in your tracks”.
Willox was also featured in the June edition of Irish Music Magazine and recently discussed the album, her upbringing and the importance of passing traditional music to a new generation in an interview with broadcaster Lynette Fay.
For the Hammersmith concert Sinéad Willox will be joined by Sligo multi-instrumentalist Seamie O’Dowd, guitarist David Bell and New York-born fiddler Matt Mancuso. Mancuso has previously performed with Gráda, Eileen Ivers and The Jeremiahs, while O’Dowd’s long career has included stints with Dervish, Christy Moore and The Chieftains.
Following the London performance, Willox is due to play The MAC in Belfast on September 11 and the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on September 12.
The concert at the Irish Cultural Centre, Blacks Road, Hammersmith, begins at 8pm. Tickets cost £20, or £18 for concessions, from irishculturalcentre.co.uk.
See More: Irish Cultural Centre, Sinéad Willox
