VETERAN rocker and songwriter Seán Griffin has just released his seasonal single I’m in Love for Christmas, a warm, fiddle-laced reflection on love, hope and holiday magic.
The single is a prelude to his forthcoming solo album, arriving March 2026.
What are you up to?
About 170/171 centimetres. Haha. Well, I’m looking forward to releasing my new album People Are Mad in 2026. And of course getting geared up for the holidays at home.
Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?
Pictures of You- The Cure, I’ve been loving you too long by Otis Redding, Stretched on Grave by Sinead O’Connor.
Lately it has been The Boys of Barr na Sraide, which I’m going to do a version of soon.
Which musician has most influenced you?
It’s hard to say. Hearing my father sing at home was a fundamental experience, and listening to players at different sessions growing up helped see up close ornamentation, and emotion.
Certainly The Beatles, Elvis, The Smiths/Morrissey, The Pistols, The Pogues, The Bothy Band.
How did you get started in music?
Singing in the car as a child, and then noodling around at the piano at home.
I sang in the chorus at school and at church.
My father sang Barber Shop so he had us kids singing at house parties and things from a young age.
I sang in plays too. My first band was in High School, Prepositional Anarchy, for a battle of the bands.
Where are you from?
I’m originally from New Fairfield, Connecticut, but call Kingston New York, in the Hudson Valley my home now.
My Irish roots come from my parents. My father’s side is from Tralee, Kerry and Glounbawn.
My mother’s side is from Kilnacara, Mayo, and Derrynacleigh, Galway
Have you a favourite all-time singer / band?
Too many… I love Luke Kelly, Elvis, Morrissey, John Lydon, John Lennon, Liam Gallagher, Sinead O’Connor, Tom Waits, my dA.
What’s your favourite film?
Circle of Friends or It’s a Wonderful Life
What is your favourite place in Ireland?
Galway city.
Have you a book that has been a major influence on you?
Yes. The Bible for one. Deep Economies by Bill McKibben
Which living person do you most admire?
Cardinal Sarah
Which person from the past do you most admire?
Dorothy Day
Which trait in others do you most admire?
Integrity
What would be your motto?
Offer it up.
Have you a favourite quote from a song?
“I watch the slow hand kill the day.”— The Bigtime by Suede.
What books are on your bedside table at the minute?
Get More Fans, by Jesse Cannon.
In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession?
My Gibson ES 135, or my wedding ring.
What’s best thing about where you live?
The architecture, the farms, and all the natural beauty.
. . . . and the worst?
The lack of critical thinking.
What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?
The thing you want might leave you empty.
Who/what is the greatest love of your life?
Julie, my wife and our six children; Michael, Liam, Maeve, Ceílí, Aidan, and Maren.
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