Damien Dempsey
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Biography
Coming from the independent folk scene, Damien Dempsey has built a reputation and gained recognition over the course of his career as a respected singer-songwriter. Born in Donaghmede, a suburb of Dublin, on July 9, 1975, he was steeped in Irish folk and rock traditions, from Elvis Presley to Shane McGowan. He studied music in Ballyfermot, near Dublin, before releasing his first EP, The Contender, on the schoolâs label in 1995. For five years, he built up a repertoire of songs and toured the regionâs clubs, leading up to the release of his debut album Donât Teach This Shit at School (2000), released on the Zinc Fence label. Signed to Clear Records, Damen Dempsey gained wider recognition with his next album, Seize the Day (2003), which won two awards at the Meteor Music Awards. In 2005, âShotsâ reached No. 1 on the Irish charts, and To Hell or Barbados (2007) was recorded at George Martinâs AIR Studios with musician and producer John Reynolds, who also collaborated with him on The Rocky Road (2008) and Almighty Love (2012), featuring Sinéad OâConnor on backing vocals and rapper Kae Tempest, alongside traditional musicians. Having won six Meteor Awards, the singer-songwriter went on to release No Force on Earth (2016), Soulsun (2017), Union (2018), and then, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Hold Your Joy (2024), released on the Australian independent label Four Four. In 2026, he released the album Holywell, a collection of traditional Irish tunes he learned as a child.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Party On
- Canadian Geese
- Apple of My Eye
- Bustin Outta Here
- Almighty Love
- Chris and Stevie
- Born Without Hate by Damien Dempsey
- Sing All Our Cares Away
- St. Patrick's Day
- Patience
- Kelly From Killane
- Jump Around
- Maasi
- The Rocky Road To Dublin
- I Need
- Negative Vibes
- Colony
- Ceol ón Chré featuring Damien Dempsey
- It's All Good
