“My mam loves old-school jazz so there was always music playing at home – but I would be the first in our family to learn music more formally. I started music lessons when I was four years old, playing classical piano. After my family moved from Galway to Wexford, I switched to jazz lessons and immediately fell in love!
It was the improv aspect of jazz that appealed to me. You’re not just playing what’s on the page, you can create something new every time and that felt liberating.
Before my mam came across the BA in Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance in DCU, I hadn’t known there was anything like this in Ireland or that it could be a possibility for me. I auditioned, and I was delighted when I got in.
It’s an incredible course, with a great sense of community. From playing in ensemble to the one-on-one classes, it was terrific. I got to know the jazz scene in Dublin, and we had some brilliant jam sessions.
It was a brilliant experience to have such talented musicians to mentor you and coach you when you second-guess yourself.
In third year, I started playing at eclectic neo soul sessions, and that was how I got to meet the musicians I perform with now. A lot of us in the band, Lavery, actually came through the DCU course. We toured the UK this year, which was a brilliant experience, and now we’ve released our EP which was recorded in Black Mountain Studios. I fell in love with the experience of recording original music and sharing that with others, there’s nothing else like it. To listen back with everyone to something you created together is incredible.
Since graduation, I’ve been teaching piano and playing gigs, including the Cork and London Jazz Festivals. I want to write and record music as much as possible. Something I’d love to do is write music with my younger sister, who is getting into jazz singing.
It was an honour to receive the Ray Comiskey Memorial Scholarship for my work in final year. I put a lot of effort in, and it’s incredibly meaningful to be recognised in this way.
