Colm Kirwan back in his home town
What a remarkable journey it has been for Omagh singer songwriter Colm Kirwan, from the Town Hall in Omagh with the Hazel Wand Theatre company the UK theatre stages with Jesus Christ Superstar and with his Father Dominic to Nashville and touring with Don Williams establishing himself as one of Irelands best kept secrets and a singer songwriter who is in the boiler room of hit makers.
As an entertainer in his own rite away from all the hard hours writing, Colm has firmly established his own strong US fan base, the Americans love of all things Irish evident as they just adore Colms “Celtic Country” sound, a superb mix of the old and the new that has wooed audiances from Tennesie to New York, Chicago to Branson.
Supporting internationally acclaimed Williams through the US and UK was the stepping stone that Colm could only have dreamt of when he set out on his musical adventure,
For Colm, the road to Nashville and the creation of a first album, a contemporary country collection with a Celtic flair, was filled with twists and turns. At 18, he left his small hometown for London, where he studied musical theatre performance for three years before hitting the road as an apostle in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar.
The rock opera gave him a taste for the stage that only grew when he left the production to tour with his dad, hit recording artist Dominic Kirwan, on a seven-week tour. “I remember the first time I ever stood on stage with my dad to a sold-out Arts theatre in Belfast,” Colm says. “To me, that’s where I belong. It just felt right—it always has. If there’s one place I’m totally comfortable, it’s on stage.”
The tour was his chance to finally perform the type of music he grew up loving—country. After three years of touring with his dad, Colm came to Nashville at the suggestion of a friend who had spotted his raw talent for songwriting. Ever since, he has honed his uncanny sound and songwriting ability, culminating in the creation of the first of what surely will be a clutch of albums. The Omagh man who returns home this week for several shows caught the attention of Grammy Nominee Victoria Shaw. Famous for her production skills with Garth Brooks and Lady Antibellium, Shaw has been impressed by Kirwan who has a weekly residence at the famed McNamara’s in Nashville, so much so she hopes to work with him again.
The twelve track self titled album received rave reviews while a new track “Here’s to today” has received plenty of Irish and UK airplay with DJs reporting a massive response and increased requests after first plays.
Colm will be a special guest with Dominic at the Newcastle centre on Wednesday , The Great Northern Hotel in Bundoran on Thursday and over the weekend with the Dominic Kirwan weekend in Omagh before joining several special guests at next door@Bogans in Omagh on Sunday night for a special singer songwriter night with Colm performing some of his own material. Sundays show will be a massive opportunity for the Irish public to see just how well Colm has evolved as a singer-songwriter and performer.