Mick Flannery

While undergoing a music and management course at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa in Cork, Flannery commenced writing the album that would become Evening Train, an eleven-track concept album about the exploits of two brothers.[2][9] His original intention had been to write a musical but this endeavour proved unsuccessful.[2]

Before its release Flannery and a friend who worked alongside him in the stonemasonry business embarked on a three-month trip to the United States, living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[6][10] Flannery spent his time performing in New York.[6] His sister was present for one of the months and assisted him with organising his performances.[10]

Evening Train was received positively by critics in Ireland and the United States.[2] Reviewers noted its "astute and sophisticated lyrics", its "strong, imaginative melodies", its Tom Waits sound.[3][9][11] The RTÉ Guide later said, "His voice was like Tom Waits meets the howling of a grizzled freight train hobo".[12] entertainment.ie reviewer Lauren Murphy described it as "an album dripping with maturity, poise and potential" and that "the most astounding thing" was his age of 21 years.[6][11]

Flannery signed with EMI Records in 2007.[2][6] That same year he was the subject of a programme called Mytunes, broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on 29 November.[9] He performed on RTÉ Two's Other Voices television programme in 2008.[2] This appearance led to increased interest in Flannery's music in Ireland.[13]

In June 2019, as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival, The Everyman and Rosa Productions presented the world premiere of Evening Train, a new musical inspired by Mick Flannery's acclaimed concept album of the same name.[14] Flannery’s album, written from different character perspectives, suggests the main figures: two divided brothers, Frank and Luther, and a spirited, forlorn young woman, Grace, all dreaming of some form of escape from dusty realities and unpromising futures in a small town of gamblers and strivers. Playwright Rani Sarma developed this theme into a love triangle saddled with questions of debt and fate, where parents are either haunting absences or demanding presences, and a younger generation stews in fragile promises and ruinous addiction.[15] Gambling being a focus of the musical, the game of bluffs and tells, requires working out characters within a strict economy of expression. The cast of Irish actors consisted of Charlie Bonner, Brian Doherty, Deirdre Donnelly, Ger Kelly, Ian Lloyd Anderson, John McCarthy, Kate Stanley Brennan, with a live band accompanying them consisting of Mick himself[16]

Flannery's second studio album White Lies was released on 12 September 2008,[6] achieving a top ten position on the Irish Albums Chart and later going platinum in Ireland.[3][17] On the day of the album's release Flannery performed "Tomorrow's Papers" on The Late Late Show.[18][19] The song contributed to the increasing popularity of the singer-songwriter.[20] entertainment.ie's Lauren Murphy said: "White Lies may not be a perfect album, but it's certainly a promising step forward for a real talent".[11] RTÉ reviewer Harry Guerin commented: "If you're adamant that Ireland may sink with another singer-songwriter on tour, then this is a record to seek out; you won't notice the time passing and the nation will remain afloat".[13]

Flannery began a tour of Ireland after the release of White Lies.[7] He performed a duet of "Christmas Past" with Lisa Hannigan in December 2008 after Today FM's Tony Fenton paired them together for a radio show broadcast from a rooftop.[10][21] He joined Hannigan at a show in Vicar Street to perform the same duet that month.[22] "Tomorrow's Paper" was translated into the Irish language for a CD titled Ceol '09, an annual compilation released by Seachtain na Gaeilge.[23] The Irish version was recorded in forty minutes at a studio in Dublin's Merrion Square.[23] Flannery performed a cover version of "The River" on The Ray D'Arcy Show's Discover Ireland Feel Good Tour stopover in Carlingford and Cooley Peninsula in March 2009.[24] A deluxe edition of White Lies, which featured a duet of the song "Christmas Past" with Kate Walsh, was released in 2009.[10][25]

Flannery's largest headlining performance in Dublin at this stage occurred at Vicar Street on 25 May 2009.[26] He performed alongside John Spillane at Live at the Marquee in Cork on 9 July 2009.[20][27][28][29] Flannery said being asked to perform there was "daunting [...] In many ways I have drifted into this career and still have to pinch myself regularly to make sure I am not imagining it all".[30] He also performed at the Bloom Festival as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of The Rose of Tralee in 2009.[31] He made an appearance on the Crawdaddy Stage at Electric Picnic 2009.[32][33][34] On 31 December 2009, he performed a date at the Cork Opera House as part of celebrations marking the end of the decade.[35][36] He has sold out several other venues around Ireland and has also toured the UK.[19][37]

Flannery released his third studio album, Red to Blue, on 30 March 2012. It spent three weeks at number one in the Irish Albums Chart and singles "Gone Forever" and "No Way To Live" enjoyed a lot of airplay. The Red to Blue tour was a major success for Flannery, featuring sold-out shows all over Ireland, most notably the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, one of Flannery's biggest venues to date. The tour finished with two sold-out shows at the Róisín Dubh in Galway

By The Rule

Flannery's fourth album reached number one in the Irish Album Charts. His song Up The Hill was covered by Shawn Colvin and Emmylou Harris.[38] Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen starred in the music video of Mick Flannery's song Cameo.[39]

The fifth installment from Mick Flannery was released on 14 October 2016. The album is described as having '50% more social awareness' than his previous album[40]

In 2018 Mick Flannery released a charity single for a women's support agency. All proceeds from the single ‘Rosaleen’ went to the National Women’s Council of Ireland. ‘Rosaleen’ was premiered in May when Flannery performed the track live on RTE Radio One’s ‘Ray D’Arcy Show’.[41] He was accompanied by his Aunt Yvonne for this performance.[42]

Mickmas Volume 1 was a four track EP that was Flannery's first independently released album. All songs on this EP were written by Mick Flannery, Except 'I have a darkness' written by Casey Black. All songs recorded and mixed by Christian Best at Monique Studios.[43] 150 copies were made available to purchase online, with the remainder only available at live shows throughout December 2018. A donation from the sale of this EP was made to Pieta House.

On July 5, 2019, Mick Flannery's most recent album was released. Mick touches on loose themes of ambition and the search for a meaningful life in the context of a musician’s sometimes feckless and dysfunctional lifestyle.[44] This self titled album was mainly recorded in LA with Australian producer Tony Buchen[45] between July and November 2018. This featured two co-writes with ESCQ of his songs Come Find Me and Fool.[46] This record has debuted at No. 1 on the Irish Charts[47] This made him the first independent Irish artist to reach the top since January 2018, and the third homegrown Irish act to hit the helm of the Top 50 this year, following Picture This' MDRN LV and Hozier's Wasteland, Baby!.[48]

December 2019 saw the second addition to Flannery's four track Christmas EP. Mickmas Volume 2 included the titles Somebody else, Just like me, Rising tide, Lisadell".

In May 2020, Mick Flannery teamed up with New York-based director Samantha Scaffidi to collaborate on Run a Mile, a new song and video to raise funds Women’s Aid, a national frontline organisation helping victims of domestic abuse.[49] By re-contextualising Scaffidi's short film 'BOUND' accompanied by Flannery's song, they made effort to raise awareness of domestic abuse during the COVID-19 lockdown.[50] Flannery says ""This song was written as an attempt to empathise with a woman who has lived with disappointing men all her life, from her own father to the father of her child, to subsequent relationships."

Mick Flannery's seventh studio album, 'Alive - Cork Opera House', was released on July 24, 2020.[51] This project, a lot less premeditated than normal, is a reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic’s decimation of the live music sector.[52] This fully independent release sees all proceeds shared among Flannery's band and crew[53] Capturing the magic combination of raw talent, nervous energy, and deadpan, self-deprecating humour that makes his gigs so special, the album serves not only as a celebration of the joy of live music, as well as support in the fallout of lockdown. The album is a compilation of 17 tracks ranging from his earliest work in Evening Train to his most recent self titled album. This album joined many of his past ones in going straight to No. 1 in the Irish Independent Charts[54]

• Mick Flannery – Vocals, piano, guitar
• Karen O'Doherty – Violin, keys, vocals
• Yvonne Daly – Vocals
• Alan Comerford – Electric guitar, vocals
• Phil Christie - Piano, keyboards, vocals
• Brian Hassett – Bass guitar, Double bass
• Christian Best – Drums

• Aaron Dillon – Harmonica (notably "In the Gutter" from the album Evening Train)[56]

• Mick Flannery EP (2002)[60]

Flannery won in two categories in the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville, Tennessee: "In the Gutter" in the category of Folk Singer-Songwriter and "The Tender" in the category of Lyrics Only.[2][4] This came from a panel of judges which featured several renowned songwriters, including Flannery's idol, Tom Waits.[2][3][6][7] He was the first Irish musician to win in this competition.[2][9] The two songs featured on the album Evening Train.[19]

Flannery was Hot Press's Most Promising Act in its 2009 Reader's Poll.[3]

Flannery won Best Irish Male at the 2009 Meteor Awards.[3][19][55][63] The result was unexpected as beforehand the winner was anticipated to be Duke Special or Jape.[64]

In 2009, Flannery was nominated for the Choice Music Prize.[65][66][67] He was one of seven of the ten nominated acts to perform at the award ceremony in Vicar Street on 4 March.[68]

Flannery lost to Jape, though he was mentioned in the acceptance speech, as frontman Richie Egan mentioned what his mother had told him before the award: “They all deserve the award – sure my mother even told me that Mick Flannery was going to win, she said you're good, Ritchie [sic], but he's gorgeous”.[69]