The Wood of O
Haunting, heartfelt vocals that reach into the bottom of your soul; with special guest Eoin Barrett
Doors 7pm; Show 7.30pm.
Tickets: €21.50 (including booking fee) on https://clonmelworldmusic.com/events/the-wood-of-o/
‘The Wood of O’, Breege Phelan & Will McLellan, has been mesmerising audiences for the past six years with their unique original material. If you enjoy haunting, heartfelt vocals that reach into the bottom of your soul, melodic fingerstyle acoustic guitar that flows between genres, then this group is worth a listen.. They have been gaining notice at Irish festivals for their unique sound, channelled through the passionate and dynamic vocals of their lead singer, Breege Phelan.
Their sound takes inspiration from their eclectic tastes, citing influences from 60s folk bands ‘Trees’, ‘Pentangle’, and Bert Jansch, ‘Steeleye Span’, rock icons ‘Led Zeppellin’, modern icons ‘Radiohead’, to vocalists like Kate Bush, Anne Briggs and Joni Mitchell. Their music also has deep roots in Irish cultural identity: the 6 track EP was written and recorded at home during lockdown and encapsulates this duo’s diverse storytelling ability, with songs inspired by the pirate queen of Irish history, Gráinne Ní Mháille, the abolitionist Harriet Tubman, the Leannán-Sí of Irish mythology, the political Aisling style poems of the 17th and 18th century and of course, the obligatory nod to heartbreak and revenge. “These songs were born over the space of four years and the theme of the EP comes from stories that reflect our interest in human history and Irish mythology & folklore”.
In August 2019, they were the first act to perform at the ‘Music on the Mountain’ series in Kilcash, County Tipperary. In the same year, their sell-out show, ‘Evolution’, a mix of original songs and classic folk covers in Irish, English and French, headlined at the Clancy Festival, after which they were invited to perform at the Shannonside Winter Music Festival in Bunratty, Co. Clare in January 2020+.
In May 2020, they released their first single ‘Meadow Song’, gaining airtime on numerous radio stations.
In June 2020, they recorded, produced and hosted part of the ‘Clancy Brothers Online Festival’ and later that month, they were chosen to perform on TG4’s lockdown TV series with Hector Ó hEochagáin ‘Hector Anseo’. In July 2020, they recorded performances for ‘The Clonmel Junction Festival’, as part of the ‘Clonmel Originals’ Showcase as well as providing music for ‘The Boatmens Nature’ Spoken Word Event as part of the same festival. In that month too, ‘Cuppa Tea TV’, an Irish online platform for international acts, invited them to perform live.
Their first live sell-out performance post-Covid, in 2021, was for Clonmel Culture Night in September, where they delighted their audience again with their unique sound. The following December, they were invited to take part in the online music event, Grianstad, where they shared a stage with Emma Langford, Paul Noonan, Jack O’Rourke and local folk legend, Jim Ryan of Jim O’ the Mills Pub.
For a time, The Wood of O experimented with their live sound to include backing vocals, bass and lead guitar, playing sell-out concerts at the historic venue of Cahir Castle as part of the Winter Series, boutique Clonmel festival ‘When Next We Meet’ and The Clonmel Junction Festival.
They independently released their debut EP ‘MountainSkyMoon’ in June 2022 and by the following June, their song ‘Broken Doll’ was shortlisted in the final 10 songs of Night and Day Music Festival Song Contest.
In October 2024, they supported RTE Folk Award Winner, John Francis Flynn in Clonmel, as part of his Ireland and UK tour.
“The music of “The Wood of O” has an enchanting otherworldliness without getting swept away in the ethereal; there is a directness and a presence. Breege’s vocals are powerfully unapologetic and the duo’s lyrics do not shy away …Recent additions of musicians and vocalists have added depth and dynamic to what were already stand alone enthralling perfomances. ” – Kate Twohig, Co-Director and Producer of When Next We Meet Music Festival.
Eoin Barrett
Special Guest on the night is great local singer Eoin Barrett.
Eoin is a veteran of singing in the local pub sessions and is now doing his own gigs.
He has a lovely guitar style and distinctive voice.
He has a huge song repertoire, from all the Irish classics to Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Donovan
Eoin was special guest for our last gig with The Wran, and we are delighted to have him back.
