A Conversation with Fiach Moriarty

The Irish singer-songwriter talks about his musical background, finding inspiration and grafting in music with a young family.

Irish singer-songwriter Fiach Moriarty is a grafter. When you listen to his music though, you realise it is not underpinned by industry alone; but a comfortable resonance, and stories with significant depth.

Growing up in an environment sheated in sound, where musical interests were multi-faceted and high-calibre, there’s no surprise that music is what Fiach breathes; when he gets the opportunity to with his work-load. Because being a musician — in Ireland — is an undertaking where apathy is not an option. But with that, the rewards are honest and satisfying.

With a compact schedule and a young family you’d appreciate if Fiach was preoccupied, or prosaic when interviewed at length. But he’s the opposite. His charm, intellect and patience are undeniable. His music is only bettered by his company.

Brian Strahan: Am I right in saying you grew up in Ballyfermot?

Fiach Moriarty: I lived in Rialto Street until I was three, and then we moved to the top of Chapelizod Hill Road which is kind of no-man’s land between Ballyfermot and Chapelizod. It used to be called Ballyfermot Hill and was changed to Chapelizod Hill some time in the 70’s or 80’s. So I never felt I was fully from either place really and yet kind of from both. But as I grew up on top of the hill I would consider it more Ballyfermot than Chapelizod village which is down in the valley.

BS: Music in your house growing up was pretty varied from what I’ve read?

FM: Yeah, very varied. There was a lot of Irish music. Christy Moore, Maura O’Connell, Dubliners, Dolores Keane, Clannad, Moving Hearts, that type of stuff. But my mother plays piano so there was Mozart and Beethoven and Chopin being played. My grandmother played a bit of piano too, so it was there as well. I spent a lot of time in my grandmother’s house growing up. Every day after school actually. My grandparents loved Nat King and Peggy Lee and that vintage.

Then for a couple of years my mother was going out with a guy who was a drummer. He was a Beatles and Elvis nut. All my uncles would play guitar and sing at house parties and that would be stuff like Dylan and Cat Stevens as well as other Irish folk songs. So, massive variety really.

BS: When music is such a complete part of your life, have you found yourself using it as a way of coping with life if and when needed?

FM: Yes, I found music a great comfort in times of strain throughout my life. I would always find lyrics coming into my head during a stressful period; whether it was a death in the family or a breakup. I didn’t always write songs from them, but it was almost like my subconscious was working through the situation by processing it through lyrics or music.

I never found listening to music a comfort when life gets tough. I prefer silence but in that silence the creative brain can click into life and it’s a case of recording something before I forget it.

BS: Would a dark situation be conducive to being able to leave the silence and record. As in it’s a though situation to motivate yourself.

FM: Well the ideas usually come and I’ll throw a lyric or a melody into the iPhone for starters, and then from that I’ll sometimes expand it and write something. But not always. But even putting a lyric into the phone is creating something from a dark situation and helping process it.

BS: What comes first for you. The music or the lyrics?

FM: Whichever comes first. There’s no set process. The more I worry about song writing, the more I get a block, so I just go with it when it comes.

BS: Where does your interest in history come from? It plays a significant role in your music.

FM: Probably from my parents. Although I’m much more into it than my sister, I think. My Dad has always had a keen interest in history, especially Irish history. I went to primary school in Islandbridge and every school tour was either the Guinness factory or Kilmainham Gaol. Still two of my favourite things.

So we were in the shadow of one of the most significant sites in Irish history for eight years. We learnt all about Connolly being shot in his chair and Plunkett being married the night before his execution. And Robert Emmet being beheaded on Thomas Street. It was all around us really. We didn’t have to look too far.

BS: What’s the story behind your song “Freedom and Resistance”?

FM: It’s about John Riley and St. Patrick’s Batallion, an Irish Catholic Batallion that formed in the Mexican army after desertion from the US Army due to anti-Catholic and anti-Irish discrimination. They subsequently fought against the US in the Mexican-American War over control of Texas. The Batallion also contained some German and Scottish deserters as well as some escaped African American slaves.

BS: Why do you think that story resonated with you so much?

FM: Well, it’s an underdog story. And it’s underdogs sticking up for other underdogs and sticking it to those who are oppressing them. That and the fact that it’s not a very well-known story this side of the Atlantic. But everyone in Mexico knows about San Patricios. I wanted to write that song for ages but had to wait for the right melody and chords to come to me.

BS: Is that how it works. Waiting for it to come to you?

FM: Yeah, I don’t worry about writing. Tunes and lyrics come to me and I go with them. Subconsciously I think I’m so immersed in music, listening and playing, that there’s always music in my head.

BS: Talking about music living in your head, “Married to Music”, to me, is seriously infectious. Do songs like that retain their liveliness or do you tire of performing them?

FM: Ah, I like performing that song, but in the right context. It’s not really a song I’d play at the Ruby Sessions but perfect for a festival or if I’m playing with a band.

BS: Are you working on anything at the moment?

FM: I’m filming a new tv show for TV3 called ‘Jingle Jangle’ right now. It’s a musical journey along the Royal Canal on a barge with Jim Lockhart from the Horslips and Fiachna Ó Braonáin of the Hot House Flowers.

I’d never met Jim and had only met a Fiachna once so I guess it was a bit of a gamble from the producers to throw us all together but the dynamic is great and they are honestly two of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. It’s a six-part series and will air in September.

BS: That sounds interesting. Is it the three of you performing or is there other artists involved?

FM: It’s the three of us performing with artists along the way. So far we’ve recorded with Brian Kennedy, John Sheehan, Mary Coughlan, Cronin, Paddy Moloney, Dave Geraghty from Bell X1, Jack L; to name a few. We’ve also stopped off at Croke Park, Glasnevin Museum, Marino Casino and other places so there’s a historical element to it too, going through the history of the canal and the areas it flows through.

BS: That’s a great idea. Who came up with it?

FM: The production company are called Dearg Films. They’ve done travel stuff before in the USA with Daithí Ó Sé and they most recently produced Fir Bolg for TG4. I think this is their first partnership with TV3.

BS: Does music ever feel like a graft?

FM: Yep. It’s really hard to make money at original music in such a small island as Ireland and in the current climate where music is so disposable and freely available online. So, that requires a lot of graft; stuff online, looking for grants, applying for things, cold mailing people, trying to get press for gigs. This is all the background stuff. It’s easy to forget about the music itself when this takes up so much time.

BS: And is gigging the primary income source?

FM: Mainly yes but I’ve done some translation work and some tv work too. I’ve translated some corporate stuff into Irish for companies which is good money.

BS: What do you do with your time when you’re away from music?

FM: I’ve got two little girls, a two-year-old and a two-month-old, so my hands are full with them when I’m not gigging or filming. It’s been tough on my wife the last few weeks, with me being away so much. So it’s nice to give her a break, but hard to get time alone with her also.

BS: Has being a parent had any impact on your music? Not in the practical sense you spoke of.

FM: No. Just I don’t get time to write as much. I used to start writing about 1am and often go through ‘till 5am, but those days are over for the next couple of years at least.

BS: Sometimes though the less time you have the more you can get done. All though you don’t strike me as a person with a problem with focus.

FM: I’m definitely more organised than I’ve ever been because time is a much more precious commodity than it was before children.