Pa Sheehy is a name that has been routed in the consciousness of Irish music lovers for over a decade, creating songs that ebb and flow with nostalgia and emotion. On the cusp of releasing his debut solo album, the Dingle-man speaks on music as a tonic and the act of muddling through his twenties. The culmination of a decade of living and creating, ‘Maybe It Was All For This’ - releasing October 11th, marks the singer’s first completed work as a solo artist, and revels in the messy glory of making it through the turbulent years of early adulthood.

The former frontman of Walking On Cars, Sheehy reflects on reaching a state of semi-fame, navigating the music industry as a self-managing artist and the influence of his hometown on his life and his craft.

“When I look at the songs on the new record, a lot of them are about growing up in here. How the town and people in it have changed over the years, and how my life has changed living here”, Sheehy begins, reflecting on the influence of Dingle not only on his songwriting but on his life. “I moved to London in my early twenties for a couple of months, but I’ve been here for pretty much my whole life. It’s a part of who I am and what I do”, he continues.

“The other side of Dingle is that it’s still a small community, it’s a local village and people have their own lives going on”, Sheehy says, upon the mention of Other Voices, and the otherworldliness of the peninsula. “It still has all the issues that other small towns have. It is a beautiful town, and what we have going on here is incredible, but living here and growing up here, we all still had our rough teenage years. It was very hard to find our feet here in our early twenties.”

Always a daydreamer, Sheehy’s career goals from a young age have centred around being either a musician or a footballer. Sheehy recalls that “as a kid and a teenager, I was very much a dreamer. I’ve always felt like I was going to do something with either music or soccer. I never had an agenda. I was very much in my own little bubble. I wasn’t playing a lot of music, and I also wasn’t playing enough soccer for anyone to say ‘this kid is going somewhere’. I had the dream but I didn’t have the work ethic.”

Baring his soul through music is not a new tendency for Sheehy, but his latest release My Old Friend John feels more raw and honest than usual. A track that explores the brutal pain of loss and the hardship of coping through it, the lyrics take the reins, emotionally reliving a reality faced by many and spoken by few.

“It feels like one of those songs where you’re giving people a real story," Sheehy admits. “This story is everywhere.” When playing the song live, the words clearly emotionally resonate with the crowd. “I’d see the crowd in floods of tears and then I’d be crying”, the singer admits, “and then my band would start crying too.” 

Healing and euphoria capture the essence of the tune, according to Sheehy. It creates a bond, a sense of togetherness and understanding through hurt and hardship. The healing power of music dominates the life of the singer and has culminated in the creation of his album.

On writing and touring as a solo artist, Sheehy explores reality. “In hindsight, I was absolutely spoiled when I was touring with Walking On Cars”, he admits. “Whereas now, I’m booking the hotels and the flights myself. I’m even the merch seller”, he laughs. “It was difficult to figure out. When the band got big, we had so many people working with us that I didn’t know how a lot of the behind the scenes stuff worked. And now I’m about to go on a European tour in November and December with twenty-one dates, and I’m booking the whole thing. So I had a lot to figure out”.

Looking back on the last decade of his life and career, Sheehy contemplates the successes and pitfalls that came along with it. “As much as we had success and a bit of fame and the whole shebang, I don’t think I ever reached a point where it wasn’t really difficult”.

Figuring out the role of being a solo artist in the wake of years of collaborative work was a driving force behind the album. The culmination of a decade of highs, lows, and learning curves, the album’s title ‘Maybe It Was All For This’ reflects growth and eventual understanding.

‘Maybe It Was All For This’ releases on October 11th, with live dates across Ireland and Europe later in the year.

Tour Dates:

The Button Factory, Dublin - Dec 6th

The Nerve Center, Derry - Dec 7th

The Empire Music Hall, Belfast - Dec 8th

Dolan's, Limerick - Dec 11th

Cyprus Avenue, Cork - Dec 12th

Róisín Dubh, Galway - Dec 13th

Gleneagle INEC Arena, Killarney - Dec 14th