Eugene Brosnan Sunday September 21st from 7:30pm @thealleygardenclonakilty @odonovanshotel
Celebrating the 30-year anniversary of his debut album Well He Said He’d Be Here!
In 1995, after a few years living in Clonakilty, Eugene Brosnan set out to record his first CD—ten songs captured in just eight days, with mixing squeezed into two more. Eight of the tracks were his own compositions, joined by Jeremiah O’Keeffe’s poignant ballad and a folksy tune by local musician and artist Colm O’Sullivan. With the support of family, friends, and a community of musicians, the project came to life.
Sixteen-year-old John Fitzgerald—now a renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer—helped arrange and steer the sessions, while talents such as Nick Harper, Jerry Fehily (Hothouse Flowers), Les Sampson, and Bill Shanley all contributed their distinctive sounds. Kieran Kiely (Sinead O’Connor, Shane McGowan) turned up unannounced with his keyboards, adding further depth, and Colm O’Sullivan arranged strings and played piano on the acoustic tracks. Bass duties were shared between Fitzgerald, Noel Barrett, and Brosnan himself, with Neil Amor (The Christians, Chris Rea, Nick Harper) calmly engineering the sessions.
Well He Said He’d Be Here! was ultimately the product of a community spirit, a special moment in mid-90s Clonakilty when music and collaboration thrived. With artwork and booklet layout by Liz Twomey, the album captured not only Brosnan’s songs but also the energy, generosity, and creativity of an entire musical family.
