Tir na nOg

Tir na nOg, the duo formed by Leo O'Kelly & Sonny Condell in Dublin in early 1970, caused somewhat of a sensation both on the folk and rock scenes almost as soon as they landed off the boat train to Britain. Even before signing with Chrysalis Records that summer they already had established themselves in the London folk clubs, with their impromptu appearances and beautiful original songs.

They immediately started touring Britain and Europe with Jethro Tull and Procol Harum before releasing their first of three albums for Chrysalis, entitled simply, Tir na nOg. The album was Melody Maker album of the month. They gathered followers of every musical persuasion from their appearances with bands as disparate as Hawkwind, The Who, and Fairport Convention and Roxy Music, while at the same time headlining their own college and club gigs.

Their music, which is often described as psychedelic folk, was championed by John Peel, resulting in many Peel sessions in the early 70s. They have remained a cult band since leaving their record company in 1974. This year marks the 40th birthday of their debut album "Tir na nOg". They have recently released a new album, "Live At Sirius", which features many of their timeless songs from the three Chrysalis albums, including their version of Nick Drake's "Free Ride", reputedly the only song of Nick's covered in his short lifetime.

They celebrated 40 years since the release of "Tir na nOg" with some British dates, including a London appearance at The Borderline. "Live At Sirius" can be found right here at Life and Living Records (read a review here) while their other recordings,Tir na nOg, A Tear & A Smile, and Strong In The Sun, are now all on CD. You can communicate with Sonny and Leo on MySpace