Abhainn na Life, Anna Liffey, our River Liffey. From the Liffey Head Bog to Dublin Bay – she is the heartbeat and life blood of our city. As part of the 1916 centenary celebrations and as a legacy piece for the city of Dublin, Dublin Port and National Concert Hall commissioned Starboard Home. This musical project examines and documents the special relationship between Dublin Port and the city – celebrating the city of Dublin, the flow of the Liffey to the sea, and the Dublin docklands.
Starboard Home commissioned Paul Noonan (Bell X1), James Vincent McMorrow, Cathy Davey, Duke Special, Gemma Hayes, Jape, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Lisa O’Neill, Declan O’Rourke, John Sheahan (The Dubliners), Paul Cleary (The Blades) and novelist Caitriona Lally to work together to write and perform new songs inspired by the port’s relationship with the city. I was honoured to be part of the crew of musicians drafted to fully realise these compositions in the studio and bring them the the stage.
‘It’s an honour for a Dubliner to be asked to write something about the Liffey, because it’s such a part of our lives, it’s the main artery through the city of Dublin’ said John Sheahan from The Dubliners describing his involvement in the project.
Described by The Irish Times in their 4 star review as a “A spellbinding journey“, Starboard Home the album placed #1 on the Official Irish Compilation Charts at the time of release. Songs from Starboard Home were performed at Dublin’s National Concert Hall over two beautiful evenings celebrating the river Liffey and Dublin Port and portraying Dublin’s resonant past as well as its dynamic present.
Get the album here .