Ultan Conlon brings his new album ‘The Starlight Ballroom’ to The Dock

The Irish singer-songwriter Ultan Conlon brings to The Dock his 5th album launch,  ‘The Starlight Ballroom’, on October 26 at 8pm.

‘The Starlight Ballroom’ is a nostalgic look back at the showband era - in September, it was Marty Whelan’s recommended album. With his distinctive voice and a particular sensibility, Conlon has, along with Grammy Award-winning David Garza, created and produced a thing of beauty.

On his new album, Conlon is joined by Garza as co-writer on multiple instruments, Amy Wood on drums, Sebastian Steinberg on double bass, and Dave Curtis on strings and programming. 

Ultan is based in Galway but recently found a haven for his unique sound and sensibility in Los Angeles, CA. Nickel Creek’s Grammy Award-winning  Sean Watkins produced his latest record, There’s A Waltz (2020).

Ultan’s poetically-enigmatic “songs of substance told with intelligence and wry observation” (Hot Press Magazine) on There’s a Waltz often stem from his personal experiences, whether he is reflecting on the dark days of his battle with alcohol addiction (“A Long Way Back”), the isolation incurred by the digital universe (“World from A Window”), anxiety concerning the fate of the world  (“A Landslide”), or journeying towards self-acceptance and love (the title track). The Sunday Irish Times raved that There’s a Waltz is “a record that revels in the beauty of the simple and unspectacular.”

Ultan Conlon has shared the stage with the likes of Jackson Browne, Shelby Lynne, John Fogerty, Mavis Staples, Bryan Ferry, John Grant, Eddi Reader, Patty Griffin and Richard Hawley, among others.

He has also performed duets with Glen Hansard and John Martyn, and Martyn recorded Ultan’s song “Really Gone” in 2005.  

The self-titled track, ‘The Starlight Ballroom’, recalls the prominence of a Ballroom of Romance in Westport Co Mayo, whose doors are long since closed. But back in 1969, Roy Orbison played The Starlight, and Ultan ponders this event and imagines the memory of that performance nearly 55 years ago.

Ultan’s performances have been described as a “rare treat filled with original music, beguiling backstories and loud laughter which make for a wonderful, uplifting evening”.

Many of Ultan’s lauded songs have received extensive airplay in Ireland (RTE Radio 1, Lyric FM) and the UK (BBC). RTE Radio 1, Marty Whelan (Lyric FM) and Eve Blair (BBC Radio Ulster) all deemed There’s a Waltz as their recommended Album of the Week.

Ultan and his world-renowned band are performing in Carrick on Shannon on October 26 as part of his tour in five venues across the country. 

Ultan, together with Alan Kelly (Eddi Reader), Jimmy Higgins (Christy Moore and The Stunning) and Micheal O’Connor (Sharon Shannon), will animate and fascinate audiences with polish and a musical aplomb rarely seen today. 

This is an event not to be missed, and early booking is advisable. For further information or to make a booking, you can call The Dock box office or 071 96 50 828 or visit www.thedock.ie.