Kieran returns to the Island

Long hailed as one of Ireland’s leading songwriters and performers, Kieran Goss’s music has won him fans across the globe.

In February 2010, Kieran’s new studio album, I’ll Be Seeing You, along with his considerable back catalogue, was released for the first time in the U.K. to

huge critical acclaim. But while his albums have made him a star, his live shows have made him a legend. Live on stage is where Kieran Goss really shines.

Kieran was born and raised in County Down, Northern Ireland. He was just nine years old when he got his first guitar. Growing up in a big family with diverse musical tastes meant that early on he was hearing the music of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra and The Rolling Stones. These varied influences fermented into the brew that gives Kieran his own unique sound.

Kieran supported himself while a law student in Belfast by playing club gigs and the University Students Union, earning himself support slots for Elvis Costello, Christy Moore and Joe Jackson along the way.

After qualifying as a lawyer in the mid-eighties, Kieran left home for France and Germany in order to avoid being drafted into the legal profession.

He came back home to Ireland in 1989 to record his first album, Brand New Star. It contained the songs Brand New Star and Just Around The Corner, which came to the attention of Mary Black. She recorded both songs for her album, Babes In The Wood.

Since then he has recorded a host of albums and is a regular on the music circuit.

His latest studio album, I’ll Be Seeing You, was released in February 2009.

I’ll Be Seeing You: Turning Heartache Into Art Kieran Goss left Ireland for Austin, Texas, to record his eighth solo album. I’ll Be Seeing You took shape in the Texan heat during a handful of loose, live sessions with the aid of co-producer and musician, Gabe Rhodes.

There’s a remarkable, reflective maturity to I’ll Be Seeing You which in many ways reflects Goss’s personal life, which has been beset by turmoil over the last couple of years. During the making of the album he lost both his mother and his young sister-in- law to cancer.

Then, shortly before his mother passed away, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily her treatment was successful and two years on, she remains cancer-free. Perhaps as a result of all this, I’ll Be Seeing You may be the artist’s most direct work yet.

Kieran will be playing at the Island Hall on Saturday January 14 at 8pm and tickets, priced £16.50, are on sale now from the Box Office on 9250 9254.