Prolific Tipperary songwriter is looking forward to a very busy year ahead
Dáwna plans to build on the success of Blue & Gold hurling anthem
The music career of Dáwna was on an upward trajectory prior to the success of the Tipperary senior hurlers in 2025 but that All-Ireland triumph elevated his career to another level altogether.
A prolific songwriter, Dáwna, wrote the Blue & Gold song that became the anthem of Tipperary’s hurling success in less than an hour while singing to his daughter, putting her to sleep.
“I started to sing it, putting her to sleep, and I had it written in less than forty minutes. I had it written on a Tuesday, and it was recorded and produced by Friday and out before the semi-final against Kilkenny,” said Dáwna, a stage name Conor Fahey came up with over five years ago when he decided to go down the path of forging a full-time musical career.
The Tipperary All-Ireland victory was a gift to Dáwna and his musical career as he got to play on stage at the Homecoming after the win against Cork.
“It was an amazing experience to be singing your own song in a stadium for the first time, and even better because it was in Semple Stadium on such an occasion. The fact that Tipperary won and the song did so well was a huge lift for me and did wonders for my confidence,” said Dáwna.
A lover of the Irish language, Conor picked the name Dáwna, meaning bold or brave. Some people, he said, thought it a strange choice, but he believes it has really caught on now, given the resurgence of the Irish language.
“I kept busking and plugging away, playing in the pubs and set out to write a song every week and kept working on it. It was a lot of hard work,” said the Nenagh man who is married to Niamh, they have a three–year-old daughter Sage and another baby on the way.
He got a big break in 2024 when he opened for Gavin James in Paris, and he kept writing and building his career.
“I wrote a song a week and released a track every month and that discipline allowed me to get out Blue & Gold so quickly,” said Dawna.
A regular now on RTE and playing well-known music venues such as Whelans and Dolans, Dáwna has supported such acts as Hermitage Green and Susan O’Neill.
He played gigs in Manchester and London during October, and on November 22, he opened for Lyra in Galway.
Dáwna has brought out another EP called The Swallows, which has received rave reviews to ensure the Tipperary singer/songwriter maintains the positive momentum in his musical career and a busy 2026 ahead.