MUSIC: Ciaran marks Easter Rising anniversary with debut single

A NORTHSIDE musician has released his first single as a solo artist to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rising. 

Ciaran Morán (19), aka Morán, a singer/songwriter, originally from Smithfield and now living in Santry, penned ‘1916 Dublin’ to coincide with the celebrations. 

Driven by the folk genre and the rich passion for music he inherited from his family, Ciaran had successful spells with two bands. However, after training under the direction of the likes of Christy Moore, along with conflicting schedules with band members, he decided to give a solo career a shot.

Ciaran has a lot of accomplishments on his CV having played alongside acts such as Damien Dempsey, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, RubberBandits and Aslan in venues such as the RDS, The Academy and Vicar Street.

He has also travelled across the airwaves  with FM104, RTE2FM, Spin 1038 and 98FM so even at the tender age of 19, he wears the tag of having experience as he returns to Dublin’s renowned music scene.

Ciaran is very different to other acts. He doesn’t create songs to mirror and reflect his own feelings and sentiments, but writes based on the thoughts of people around him to make his music more relatable.

“If the music I was to write was only going to affect myself emotions-wise, I would be the only one listening,” he tells Northside People.

“I’m hoping my music can make someone understand and relate to (it), because that is something I have always wanted to do.”

Speaking about his new single, which he wrote around Christmas, Ciaran says ‘1916 Dublin’ attempts to connect with the people in his hometown as they try and imagine the events that took place a century ago.

“Although I understand about 1916 and I have a good bit of knowledge of it, I know that there are thousands of men, women and children that would relate to it just as much as I would,” he says.

Steeped in music since the age of nine, Ciaran is a product of a rich breeding ground for young Dublin artists who are inspired by the present generation of international superstars.

“When I first started songwriting and performing in an inner city youth club, ‘Bradog’, with all the staff there, including Ray Corcoran, I also played shows with another local youth club in Dublin’s inner city, DCM, with Declan Keenan and the staff,” he says. 

Ciaran is inspired by success stories such as fellow Northsider Damien Dempsey, The Script and U2, and uses their stories of “chasing the dream and catching it” to keep pursuing his goals.

This artist-for-the-people says he is driven by pleasing his listeners and fans and uses their satisfaction to fuel his own music. 

“The reason I really got into this was I always enjoyed the idea of someone enjoying something I have made or performed without having to buy it as a product,” he says. “Although there may be CDs or online purchases along the line, music and songs can last forever while some products don’t.”

Looking ahead, Ciaran is waiting to see how ‘1916 Dublin’ takes to the city platform. He is hoping to release some other tracks in the next few months on hotly discussed topics such as homelessness and bullying, and aims to create a short EP in the latter half of the year.

You can find out more about Ciaran and samples of his music, including ‘1916 Dublin’, on his Facebook page Facebook.com/MoranEire. You can also find him on twitter @MoranEire.

Brein McGinn