Covid dashed his plans to tour with his last album ‘Haunted Streets’ but Durrow-based Davie Furey is looking forward to traversing the country to showcase his new album ‘Glimpses of the Truth’ which will be released on March 22.
Featuring nine new songs that he wrote, Davie thinks of the album as a mixture of heavy and light, dark and bright, caged and free.
He said: “Some of the songs reflect what is happening in the world, some are deeply personal and some are just a bit of fun.”
Davie has always loved albums. “The way the songs are connected and tell a story has fascinated me for years. ‘Glimpses of the Truth’ tells a story, what that story is, depends on the listener.
“What the songs mean to me is really not important and doesn’t matter. What really matters is the way the listener connects with the songs, the way the songs might weave their way into the listeners’ hearts and become part of their life.”
The album starts with ‘History’ which came about after he had Michael Conlan, the boxer from West Belfast, on his podcast.
“I like to have an energetic start to an album and this song really fitted the bill,” he remarked. In contrast, the album concludes with ‘Heaven Can Wait’, a gentle lullaby inspired by his two daughters.
Davie’s playlist is eclectic, incorporating Pearl Jam, The War on Drugs, John Prine, Dolores Keane, Sinead O’Connor and Pavarotti.
He and his cousin, Robbie Campion, run the music venue, Bob’s Hideout in Durrow.
“We run about eight or nine gigs a year. So far we have had Luka Bloom, Mary Coughlan, Gemma Hayes, Eleanor McEvoy, Mundy, Greenshine, Liam O’Maolani to name just a few.
“All the gigs have been sold out so we have a very loyal audience who come to enjoy the best of Irish music in an intimate setting. Coming up we have Charlie McGettigan on March 7, which is sold out. More gigs will be announced for the coming year,” he said.
Both his parents are from Durrow.
“My dad was a guard. He was stationed in Navan, Co. Meath, and that’s when I came along. He was raised in Durrow, where my grandfather, Pat Furey, was sergeant for a while before moving on to Carlow. I grew up between Navan, Carlow and Durrow.
“There were regular visits to both Durrow and Carlow as family was so important to both my parents and so that was instilled in me from a very young age,” Davie said.
Music is in the family. “Two of my cousins, Robbie and Lee Campion, are in Drops of Green. My other cousin, Eoin Mulvihill, is a musician/DJ under the moniker of Hawk Jupiter,” said Davie who said that none of the jobs he has done over the years gave him the same satisfaction or buzz as playing music.
“I went to college – for the craic – went to New York – briefly – came back and lived in a few different counties, eventually settling back in Durrow. Where else would I settle sure?” he laughed.
“Through all that time I was writing, singing, playing music, earning my trade, which I am still learning to this day. I don’t think you ever stop learning. There is a great song which Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra covered called ‘Love’s Been Good To Me.’ I think that sums my journey so far.”
“My musical journey wasn’t a straight line, that’s for sure. I love our traditional music and song.
“Once I started playing music in my early teens with my cousins, Lee and Robbie along with Freddie Townsend, Murt Morrissey and my uncle Bob, I was hooked.
“I was captured by the magic of the song and how those songs weaved their way through people’s lives. How it made them feel, react.
“Laughing, dancing, smiling, crying, songs are so powerful and emotive. That time playing around Laois and the country with the lads taught me how to respect songs for what they were.
“That was probably the most valuable lesson. In trying to find my own voice, I felt I needed to write my own songs and so it began.”
Durrow was a constant part of his childhood. “I loved it. The village life suited me. This was apparent to me even from a very young age. It is in my blood. It’s no surprise I reside there now and I have no desire to live anywhere else.
“The country has changed a lot over the years and Durrow hasn’t been exempt from that change. Probably the biggest change has been the addition of new cultures, new accents, new faces, which I find beautiful.
“They are adding something unique to the rich tapestry of the history of Durrow. It has always been a welcoming place and I hope it continues to be so,” said Davie.
The tour starts April 5 in Wexford Arts Centre and taking in Athy, Belfast, Donegal, Galway, Cork, Dublin, Clare, Kerry, Westmeath, Waterford and Meath.
- All tour dates are on www.daviefurey.com
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