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Irish Examiner
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
'A difficult but really beautiful time': Ólafur Arnalds on his album with late Cork musician Talos
It was a match made in heaven. Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Cork musician Eoin French, aka Talos, had been talking about doing something together for months. Their respective managements had been trying to get them in the same room together too. The latter had been a fan of Arnalds for years and was in Iceland to run in the Reykjavik marathon in August 2023. Arnalds invited him to his house. It was like meeting an old friend. The following month, Arnalds was in French's home town of Cork for the third edition of Sounds from a Safe Harbour, the brainchild of Fermoy woman Mary Hickson. Events took place in various venues around the city, but artists collaborated with each other as part of a residency at the River Lee Hotel the week beforehand. Hickson 'gently suggested' Arnalds and French work together. 'In other words, she forced us in a room and closed the door because she just knew better,' says Arnalds, chuckling at the memory over Zoom from his studio in Iceland. 'She just knew this is going to work out good.' As their managements, Hickson, and the artists themselves had predicted, it instantly clicked. Bríd O'Donovan, a photographer who documented the residencies, recalls how well they got on: 'They seemed totally locked in every time I was in that room, but at the same time there was a real gentleness and lightness between them.' Olafur Arnalds on the piano at the River Lee hotel in Cork at the Sounds From A Safe Harbour Festival in 2023. Eoin French is sitting on the ground to the left of the piano. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan In an hour, they had written a track called Signs. Within three days, they had three songs. The following Saturday, they were herded by Hickson downstairs to the lobby of the hotel where, alongside Ye Vagabonds, Niamh Regan, and others, with Dermot Kennedy among a rapt audience watching on, they performed a song called We Didn't Know We Were Ready, that was created during the residency. It was an apt track, ostensibly about nerves and the feeling of performing on stage. Recorded by videographers Peadar Ó Goill and Steve O'Connor and posted to Talos' Instagram page in May 2024, it took on a different meaning following the passing of French the following August. Arnalds says he does not try to control what meaning a song has for people, but agrees that it means something else to him now. 'I've seen this song go through several different iterations of what it possibly means to both myself and everyone around us, from before to the time he was ill, to performing it at his funeral, to performing it on Irish television, a few months later. Those words, 'we didn't know we were ready', just every time you say it, you feel different.' French was back in Iceland when he first fell ill in November 2023. After some time in hospital, Arnalds and his wife provided shelter for French to recover before he was able to return home to Ireland. 'Let's call me the token local friend,' he jokes. French didn't have much energy, but was able to fill his creative cup in the space, reading and listening to music, from Nina Simone records to punk music to simply listening to Arnalds play piano for him. They also listened to the demos they had made, which formed what would become A Dawning, one of three posthumous releases by Talos. The first, an EP called Sun Divider that was made with Icelandic musician Atli Orvarsson, came out last December. Arnalds says: 'There was this really difficult but really beautiful time we had. He was starting to feel a little better, a little more like himself, and even though we couldn't make music practically at the time, I feel like that time saved this record the most. It's what made this really become a record.' Once French was well enough, he returned to his home near Clonakilty in West Cork. It was not long before Arnalds was paying him a visit. Less than a week after attending the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, he was accompanying Niamh Regan on piano during her gig at Levis' of Ballydehob. French was his tour guide in West Cork. He took Arnalds for fish and chips, showed him a stone circle, and brought him to his favourite sea swimming spot. The cover of A Dawning, the album by Talos and Ólafur Arnalds. 'I really fell in love with that place. Me and my wife even talked about it, like maybe we should just move here, just get a house down here. We were seriously talking about it for a while there. I still feel that way too. A lot of the album was created at this time, after he's back in Cork. We wrote songs like Bedrock and A Dawning, these songs that are more directly related to what was happening we wrote during that time.' Arnalds was soon back on the road, touring the world with his band Kiasmos on the release of their second album II in July. French fell ill again that summer and passed away on August 11. Arnalds had made time in his schedule to spend time with him in his final days at Marymount Hospice and also played piano at his funeral, held in Connolly's of Leap on Monday, August 12. 'He very much wanted to work on the music until the very, very end, and we did to the point where I asked him to stop, which was strange,' says Arnalds, explaining that 'sometimes it feels like you're creating the most important work of your life, because it has to speak for a whole life.' The next time Arnalds returned to Ireland, following the funeral, was for a performance of We Didn't Know We Were Ready on the Tommy Tiernan Show, broadcast in the first week of January. 'It was the first time that particular group of people had come together since the lobby of the River Lee hotel,' he explains. They had rehearsed in Windmill Lane studios in the morning before heading to the RTÉ studios. That time 'became more important than we thought'; people were at different stages of their grief, and it allowed them to process everything together. Ólafur Arnalds and Eoin French (Talos) working together in Cork during Sounds from a Safe Harbour 2023. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan All the while, since French's death, since the Tommy Tiernan Show, Arnalds has been working on the eight-track album A Dawning. He says working on the posthumous release has been 'all of it' - tough, wild, funny, surreal, sad - but ultimately he is grateful as it helped him process his own grief. 'It's been one of the greatest fortunes in this whole situation for me personally. It actually feels really good to work on this with him still. I still have a chance to have a project with him, And I can place my grief into something tangible.' Talking a few weeks ahead of the release, he says he doesn't know how he'd feel once it's actually out and he'd have to stop working on it. 'I don't think I've said goodbye fully yet, because every day I still have to ask him a question.' Arnalds says the album reaffirmed things for him. He already knew about the power of music, how it can move us, but making A Dawning felt like music as service to a community. 'As someone who works as a musician, who has a career in music, it's really easy to get lost in things that actually don't matter so much. The next big job, or the next big single, or whatever you measure as success, whether that's how many people listen to your music or just what kind of music you make, it so often revolves around the ego - and fair enough. But the thing is, when this all happened, all of those things disappeared for me and this album became the only thing that mattered. And I'm so glad it did, because it showed me and reminded me of the reason for why I make music in the first place.' A Dawning is out now via Opia Community/Mercury KX. is out now via Opia Community/Mercury KX. Ólafur Arnalds will take part in the Remembering Talos concert, at Cork Opera House, on Thursday, September 11, as part of the Sounds From A Safe Harbour festival. See
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ireland's Rebel City offers a delicious deep dive into the past
As we power walked through the teeming centre of Cork, late for our meeting with Angela Newman in Daunt Square and uncertain if we could even find her, my phone buzzed with a message: 'No problem. Can't miss me. I'm wearing a bright yellow cape.' She did stick out in the crowd, not just because of the cape but the lace up bodice and woollen dress much like that of an Irishwoman from a bygone age. All part of her routine in leading us on her 'Hysterical Histories' walking tour of this storied city, the second largest in the Republic of Ireland. Asked if the Corkonians are sensitive about being compared to Dublin, Newman answered with a grin: 'No, because we know we're better. We always thought that we were deserving of being the capital rather than them.' Leading us down Grand Parade, past the statue of independence hero Michael Collins and the monument to Irish uprisings, Newman recounted how the city is also known as Rebel Cork; it is always the last to give up in various battles over the centuries, even if it had an unfortunate tendency to back the losing side. Modern Cork is a handsome, vibrant university town, bisected by the picturesque River Lee, with bustling pubs and a hot restaurant scene. Even if it lost out to Dublin as the seat of the national government, it has another title it proudly claims: Ireland's food capital. 'We really do have high standards,' said Newman. 'Actually, even last week I was in London with my 14-year-old son and he was, like, 'the food here is awful.'' Cork has a wealth of locally-produced food, beef, dairy and vegetables from the surrounding countryside and seafood from nearby fishing towns. All are on display in the English Market. Dating from 1788, it is the oldest covered market in the British Isles, aisles jammed with fishmongers laying out the catch of the day, butchers with meat from farmers down the road (including the Cork specialty, spiced beef) and cheese mongers selling a wide variety of local product. 'For a small place there is an amazing cross-section of small, artisan family run food producers, many of whom have been acknowledged on the world stage,' said Paul Lane, executive head chef at the River Lee Hotel and known as one of the best cooks in a town replete with them. Lane has known many of the producers for decades, with delicious results on his menus in The Grill Room. My daughter and I demolished Irish fillet steaks, while my wife enjoyed locally caught Dover sole. Afterwards, I appreciated how the hotel's bartender was able to make an astute recommendation of an Irish whiskey as a follow-up to our feast (Powers 12-year-old, made at the distillery in nearby Midleton). The River Lee Hotel was our elegant base for our visit, located right beside the waterway that gave it its name and a short walk to the centre of the city. Our fourth-floor room offered a panoramic view over the river and cityscape. A central part of the Cork food story can be found at the Ballymaloe House Restaurant, a 40-minute drive out into the lovely countryside. We met JR Ryall, head pastry chef, whose dessert trolley took the top prize in its category in the 2019 World Restaurant Awards in Paris. Over tea and scrumptious slices of his coffee cake, Ryall told us the remarkable story of the restaurant's founder, Myrtle Allen. She opened Ballymaloe in the family's farmhouse in 1964, with minimal advertising so as to not attract gossip from the neighbours. With little formal training but natural cooking talent, Allen's mission was to champion the excellent local produce. She elevated it with sophisticated technique, making her a pioneer of the farm to table concept. 'The idea was that you could make a French bearnaise sauce, but with Irish butter it might taste better than in France,' said Ryall. Now Ballymaloe has an international reputation, and the associated cooking school is training the next generation of chefs. Anyone visiting Cork should consider the short drive out to the picturesque port town of Cobh (pronounced Cove), the last port of call for the Titanic before the famous vessel met its tragic fate. Cobh was also the point of embarkation for hundreds of thousands of Irish who fled the country during the desperate days of potato famine in the 1840s and 50s. The Cobh Heritage Centre offers a vivid glimpse into their ordeal, a moving experience for those of us descended from those emigrants. Afterwards, it was well worth enjoying a Sunday roast in the nearby Titanic Bar and Grill, gazing out at the sea and wondering what your ancestors thought as they pulled away from the shore all those years ago. There are several trains a day from Dublin to Cork, with a 2.5-hour journey. Along with Angela Newman's walking tours, there is also a Hysterical Histories dinner theatre show at the Amicus Restaurant. The River Lee hotel is part of the Irish-owned Doyle Collection of luxury properties. Rooms in the off season start at about C$360/night. Goldie is a fish restaurant recommended by JR Ryall. Along with the lovely restaurant, Ballymaloe House has 32 rooms, with bed and breakfast starting at about C$530/night in the off season. The Cobh Heritage Centre is open seven days a week, year round. The Titanic Bar and Grill is just down the street and is next door to the Titanic Experience, where guides lead you through stories of the passengers. Sean Mallen's visit to Cork and Cobh was supported in part by the Irish Tourism Board and the Doyle Collection, neither of which reviewed the article in advance.
Calgary Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Ireland's Rebel City offers a delicious deep dive into the past
Article content As we power walked through the teeming centre of Cork, late for our meeting with Angela Newman in Daunt Square and uncertain if we could even find her, my phone buzzed with a message: Article content Article content 'No problem. Can't miss me. I'm wearing a bright yellow cape.' Article content She did stick out in the crowd, not just because of the cape but the lace up bodice and woollen dress much like that of an Irishwoman from a bygone age. All part of her routine in leading us on her 'Hysterical Histories' walking tour of this storied city, the second largest in the Republic of Ireland. Article content Article content Article content Asked if the Corkonians are sensitive about being compared to Dublin, Newman answered with a grin: 'No, because we know we're better. We always thought that we were deserving of being the capital rather than them.' Article content Leading us down Grand Parade, past the statue of independence hero Michael Collins and the monument to Irish uprisings, Newman recounted how the city is also known as Rebel Cork; it is always the last to give up in various battles over the centuries, even if it had an unfortunate tendency to back the losing side. Article content Article content Modern Cork is a handsome, vibrant university town, bisected by the picturesque River Lee, with bustling pubs and a hot restaurant scene. Even if it lost out to Dublin as the seat of the national government, it has another title it proudly claims: Ireland's food capital. Article content 'We really do have high standards,' said Newman. 'Actually, even last week I was in London with my 14-year-old son and he was, like, 'the food here is awful.'' Article content Cork has a wealth of locally-produced food, beef, dairy and vegetables from the surrounding countryside and seafood from nearby fishing towns. Article content Article content All are on display in the English Market. Dating from 1788, it is the oldest covered market in the British Isles, aisles jammed with fishmongers laying out the catch of the day, butchers with meat from farmers down the road (including the Cork specialty, spiced beef) and cheese mongers selling a wide variety of local product. Article content 'For a small place there is an amazing cross-section of small, artisan family run food producers, many of whom have been acknowledged on the world stage,' said Paul Lane, executive head chef at the River Lee Hotel and known as one of the best cooks in a town replete with them. Article content Lane has known many of the producers for decades, with delicious results on his menus in The Grill Room. My daughter and I demolished Irish fillet steaks, while my wife enjoyed locally caught Dover sole.
Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
In pictures: Launch of Cork Midsummer Festival at the River Lee Hotel
At the River Lee Hotel for the launch of Cork Midsummer Festival were festival director Lorriaine Maye, Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle, and chair of the festival board Ruairi O'Connor. Picture: David Creedon
