Major music award for Saoirse Mhór

Photo: Saoirse Mhór.

Kilcullen-born musician Paul Durney, aka Saoirse Mhór, has won the Best Song of the Year in the 39th German Rock & Pop Awards, writes Brian Byrne.

Saoirse works as a professional singer-songwriter in Germany and the award from the Deutscher Rock & Pop Preis 2021 is for 'Ashbury Lane' from his current album Minor Tales Major Stories. 

"It's nice to ring out the year with some icing on the cake," he said after being notified of the award this week. "This song was the ugly duckling during the CD production and, well, there you go. Thanks to all who helped put it together with their respective amazing inputs: Katie Doherty, Andrew Cadie, Michael Busch, Steffen Knauss and Andy Horn."

The 7-song EP was Saoirse's 'lockdown production' after his his normal summer of touring the street music events and pubs in Germany with his band Fleadh was disrupted by the pandemic in 2020.

Paul sang as a youngster in the Kilcullen Community Capers back in the 70s. In 1980, after a spell working in Berneys Saddlers he left Ireland and busked his way across England and Germany, where he settled in 1987.

On a trip to Ireland in 2004, after hearing Luka Bloom playing in The Riverbank in Newbridge, he picked his pseudonym Saoirse Mhór and began his life of entertaining on the streets and on the Irish pub scene in Germany. He last performed in Kilcullen in 2014, with a night on the stage of the Town Hall.

Saoirse with his then bank Fleadh, in Kilcullen in 2014.

This summer he was back on the circuits in Germany again with his new band Siolta. The EP can be bought at Bandcamp. 

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