Alison O'Donnell

Biography (Courtesy of the Artist’s site, 2006)

Born in Dublin, Alison made her first record for Simon Napier Bell and David Hemmings at the age of 15 with the cult folk-rock band, Mellow Candle. The band played concerts with Genesis, Thin Lizzy, Donovan, The Chieftains and Steeleye Span amongst others. They signed to Decca's Deram label in the early 1970s and gigged in Ireland and the U.K.

Alison then moved to Johannesburg and together with the guitarist from Mellow Candle they formed traditional group Flibbertigibbet. The band recorded an album on the Stanyan label and worked on national television and radio. When band members moved on she freelanced on recordings for local singer/songwriters and television and commercial radio session work for advertising agencies. She also duetted with solo artistes and was invited to write occasional record reviews. During the early 1980s, together with a troupe of well-known actors and musicians, she helped to stage and perform a series of popular satirical revues. She toured with the musical 'I'm getting my act together and taking it on the road', performed with a number of jazz and rock bands and recorded an album for writer/producer (Daydreamer), Terry Dempsey's band, Plastik Mak. After this period she assisted in the running of a Johannesburg club venue, which gave a platform to anti-apartheid performers, where she also performed from time to time.

In the mid 1980s Alison joined a contemporary jazz group called Earthlings and co-wrote all the band's material with the other members. She then returned to London and spent a number of years in public sector administration whilst also acting as a promoter and publicist for the re-release and reissue of some of her earlier recordings. In the latter part of 1997 she moved to Brussels, working with jazz and folk musicians and performing in pantomime in a leading role. She also recorded and choreographed the main principals' solo songs for the January 1998 pantomime, 'Sleeping Beauty', and acted as voice coach for the following two annual productions. During 1998 she set up the traditional-style band Éishtlinn, incorporating her own songs, together with local musicians. Between 2000 and 2001 she regularly taught singing workshops.

Alison moved back to Dublin in 2001. She sings and plays bodhrán in sessions, festivals, gigs and charity events, and collaborates with other artistes. She is a member of singer/songwriter, Michele Ann Kelly's band, and the traditional singing clubs: The Goilín Singers Club and the Howth Singing Circle. Alison developed an interest in genealogy in 1996, working extensively on tracing her family tree. She has finished writing a book to follow on from a documentary about her grandmother, filmed by the BBC in 2004, and has completed an album of original songs and tunes with Isabel Ní Chuireáin.


Isabel Ní Chuireáin …..
is a multi-instrumentalist and tunesmith, She was born and raised in the Gaeltacht area of An Fálcarrach in Donegal, Isabel is a familiar figure at Dublin’s traditional gigs and sessions.

Together with Thom Moore, Joe Dunne and George Staines she is a member of IAD, the Thursday night band resident at The Radisson Hotel. She also works with jazz and French café music singer, actress and former beauty queen Derby Browne.

In the past she has worked with Major to Minor, Celtic Fusion, Eimear Quinn and Michele Ann Kelly. She plays keyboards, guitar, whistle and accordion with an agricultural twist.

Alison and Isabel met in the summer of 2002 and forged a friendship and musical partnership that is bearing fruit in 2006 with the release on Osmosys Records of their first album, Mise agus Ise (myself and herself). Together the pair have written, arranged and produced this personal body of work, with the help of musician friends, near and far, and their engineer and co-producer Al Cowan. London-based photographer and friend Ken Garland captured them on film during a flying visit to Dublin.

The songs are a collection covering seminal events in Alison’s life from her childhood to the many formative years spent outside Ireland, and her eventual return to her homeland in 2001. Isabel’s tunes are similarly autobiographical, including two dedicated to her parents