10 years ago I released my debut album.

The performers on the album were people who were very present in my life at that time: Josh Johnston, who I’d met recently through an IMRO songwriting workshop; Stewart Agnew, a fellow Louth singer-songwriter who’d been good enough to bring me on my first ever tour as his support; Stewart’s bandmates, James Mackin and Sean McGeeney; my own bandmates in Reynardine, a folk band I was in at the time; and my beautiful future sister-in-law, Gillian Durnin.

Producing the album was Derek Turner, an ex-Honeythieves guitarist who was managing Stewart, booking the Spirit Store and running Tumbleweed Studios, mecca for north Louth’s rich emerging alternative music scene. He was a huge mentor figure for me at that time. Our engineer was Tumbleweed’s resident Jason Varley.

The press loved it. Hot Press gave it 8/10 and called it “highly intelligent and literate, yet admirably accessible”. It was a really happy time.

Lancelot has been out of print for many years, but will be reissued on CD and iTunes this Saturday, April 20th for Record Store Day. The CD will be available exclusively through CD World, Drogheda, my own local, still-surviving record store.

Links to purchase the CD and download internationally will appear on the site over the next week or so, as will a beautiful free digital booklet, courtesy of original album artist Neil McAvinia and the good folks at Once Upon Design.