We are thrilled to welcome the fantastic Paula Ryan to our 2025 series of Folk at the Book Tree events!
Paula is an award-winning Singer/Songwriter & Gaelic "Funkstress" from Tipperary, Ireland. She uses a range of instruments, some standard (Guitar, Bazouki) and some a bit more unusual (Bodhran, Marimba), to accompany original songs which are really powerful....what song-writing is all about, making you think (Fatea Magazine).
Paula's storytelling intros and her sometimes serious, sometimes amusing, sometimes reflective, sometimes lively, but always sensitive to the song and the music, presentation of her own original material alongside folk favourites represent performance, originality, creativity, and entertainment at their best!
Drinks will be available to purchase at an informal bar before the show and during the interval. The concert will be in our atmospheric upstairs event space, surrounded by the building's old oak beams.
Doors will open from 7pm, and the performance will start at 7.30pm.
A unique voice in the contemporary folk world — Classic Rock Society Magazine
Paula's original songs have been successful in a number of high profile songwriting contests (e.g. Great American Song Contest, Shrewsbury Folk Festival Peace Song Contest, Pan Celtic National Song Contest, Tipperary Song Of Peace Contest).
She has shared stages with leading figures in Irish acoustic music including Lankum, Liam O'Maonlaí, Paul Brady, Mary Coughlan, Andy Irvine, Daoirí Farrell, Eleanor McEvoy.
She performs at a variety of venues and festivals nationally and internationally including Source Arts Centre (Thurles), Excel Arts Centre (Tipperary), Circle Sessions (Dublin), Limerick Acoustic, Roisin Dubh (Galway), Matt Molloys (Westport), Ionad Culturtha (Cork), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Perpignan Festival (France), Barbican (York), Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Beal Bocht Cafe (New York), Brown's Diner (Nashville), Nacht Der Stimmen (Germany) etc.
Her latest studio album, Turas Cumadoir (Songwriter's Journey), has earned airplay on RTE Radio 1, Tipp FM and other radio stations throughout Ireland as well as in France, Germany and across the BBC, and received highly favourable reviews from leading folk/acoustic publications such as fRoots, Acoustic Magazine and FATEA.
Albums like this are a rarity and a breath of fresh air when they come along - this one is a gem which anyone will enjoy — Irish Music Magazine Annual 2022 on Paula's 2022 studio album Turas Cumadoir (Songwriter's Journey)
Follow Paula on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok
Read more about Paula on her website
Listen to Paula’s music on YouTube