IRISH singer-songwriter Cathal Fitz, who has shared stages with Darren Kiely, Jack L, Skinny Living and Jerry Fish, has released his new Americana/country-pop single Paper Planes.
The single comes with the announcement of his debut EP, Concise Waffle, which will be released on September 4.
This week he took time out to answer our questions...
Cathal Fitz is about to release his debut EPWhat are you up to?
I’m currently gearing up for the launch of my debut EP ‘Concise Waffle’, which is coming on September 4, and also preparing to head out on my first headline tour of the UK/Ireland this September.
I’m busy with gigs most days of the week, writing loads of new music to try and make sense of the world and trying to be a decent father and partner in the middle of it all. Life can be exhausting, but extremely rewarding!
Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?
There’s an instrumental section in Jeff Buckley’s cover of Hallelujah that always makes me incredibly emotional. I remember being a 10-year-old boy with a Walkman that couldn’t sleep, but having this song on repeat would counteract my anxiety and transcend time for me.
Which musician has most influenced you?
Damien Rice definitely set the precedent for how I want to make music. I want my fans to feel like they’re sitting in the room with us while we turn instruments into vessels of feeling. I want to hear the voice cracks, floorboards creaking and for people to see us for what we are — imperfect humans making perfectly imperfect music.
Who would be in your ideal band?
I’m blessed to have the opportunity to have some of my closest friends play with me already: Kealan Kenny, Emily O’Donoghue, Jack Seymour, Michael O’Riordan, Ryan Parsons and Sarah O’Sullivan. I wouldn’t change any of them for the world.
If I could add anyone, I’d throw in B.B. King to play some lead guitar when Kealan is busy touring with Hans Zimmer, Ray Bannon when Emily is touring America and Diarmuid Goggins is always a welcome addition if he fancies driving down from Dublin.
How did you get started in music?
I grew up learning the piano at home. My mother has a degree in music and was a very talented Irish dancer in her youth. I switched to guitar when I got to secondary school as I thought it might improve my chances with girls (it didn’t).
I gave up for years, but in 2024 I attended a spiritual retreat and found my courage to sing in public. A few days later I quit my job and started playing covers in pubs around Cork. Soon after I started writing, and shortly after found myself playing on stages around Ireland and Europe. It’s been a very, very whimsical and enjoyable endeavour.
Fitz hails from Co. CorkWhere are you from in Ireland?
I’m a very proud Corkonian. I grew up in Togher, playing hurling for St. Finbarr’s and for Bishopstown later in life. I have stuck to my roots and still live in Cork.
My parents also have a holiday home in the countryside, where we spent all of our summers. I have a strong connection to West Cork. The plan is to make some coin from the music, buy some land and regrow some Irish flora and fauna. A man can dream?
What’s on your smartphone playlist at the minute?
I’m obsessed with a Welsh band called The Royston Club at the moment. I also listen to a lot of Cork artists as it’s interesting to see how people from my area create art about what they feel and see around them. James Keegan, Shimmer Boy, Kelvin Long, Hánt, Andrew Fletcher and Paddy Dowling all feature in a Rebel Playlist of mine.
I’ve been a huge Amble fan since 2023, so they’re always on in the car.
There’s some Eminem creeping back in as I was asked in an interview recently what my very first album was, and it turned out to be ‘The Eminem Show’. That’s getting some nostalgic play at the moment, with the track ‘White America’ sounding like something from an episode of Black Mirror.
Pantomime or opera?
Ah, you have to love the panto. My grandmother is 89 this year and still goes to the panto every year, still buying into it to get the most out of it for herself. I brought my son to the pantomime for the first time last year and found myself clapping along.
A friend of mine from our local GAA team also got pulled from the crowd to go dance on the stage, which was absolutely the highlight of the show (fair play to you, House!).
What's your favourite place in Ireland?
I couldn’t pick one — but anywhere in West Cork is magical. There’s a certain energy that lives in the land that is hard to replicate. I have a personal grá for Glengarriff and Kinsale.
Mozart or Martin Hayes?
I couldn’t tell you much about either of them if I’m being honest. Let’s go with Mozart — he was only a young fella.
Have you a favourite line from a song?
‘I’m tired of running ‘round looking for answers to questions that I already know
I could build me a castle with memories, just to have somewhere to go’
— John Prine
In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession?
The guitar my partner, Ciara, bought me. I broke my guitar at a gig and I was going to quit music as I thought it was a sign to stop. She assured me that life will throw you many knocks, designed to test your resolve. She bought me a new Takamine G-Series guitar that I still use every day for gigging.
I also have my blanket from when I was a baby tucked into the back of my wardrobe, just in case.
What’s the best thing about where you live?
Everywhere I go, I’ll meet someone I know.
. . . and the worst?
Everywhere I go, I’ll meet someone I know.
What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?
The more you learn, the less you know.
What do you consider the greatest work of art?
I walked into an art gallery in Dingle last year, owned by the amazing Carol Cronin. Looking at her paintings made me cry. I never took much notice of visual art, I didn’t understand the hype. That day changed my perception forever. All of her paintings are touched by something higher.
Who/what is the greatest love of your life?
My family (keeping it vague so I don’t offend anyone).
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