Ahead of this weekend’s ‘Postcards In-between’ project in Dublin’s Universal Space, Maria Kelly has shared the latest reimagining of her debut album ‘sum of the in-between’, Martha sees her join forces with NOrthern Ireland’s finest Ciaran Lavery.

“‘Martha’ was the lead single of my album ‘The Sum of the In-between’, and we purposely made it upbeat, with a full arrangement, and with a thread of humour running through the whole thing. A perfect radio single,” explains Maria Kelly.

“But when I first wrote ‘Martha’, it was a track that held a lot of sadness – it was about finding yourself in a place you no longer recognise, and trying to find a way forward, and I think you feel this a lot more with the acoustic version. I loved reimagining this track with Ciaran – I’ve been a fan of his for a few years now, and I think his voice brings something so special to this track.”

Of the collaboration Ciaran Lavery states: “I first listened to Maria’s album on a dog walk in Aghagallon and I was taken by the consistent honesty and weight of the collection. As a writer it’s something to strive for, so naturally I was both impressed and envious of the work. When Maria asked if I would contribute to these reworkings I didn’t have to give it too much thought. ‘Martha’ is a beautiful song, wonderfully understated and one that I am very proud to have lent my voice to.”

“My aim with ‘Postcards In-between’ is to highlight how powerful it can be to practice self-compassion,” adds Maria Kelly.

“I’ve struggled with my mental health for years, but in 2019, I went through a crisis. There were many things that made that recovery an uphill battle, but I know something that kept me going was a quiet voice that knew I didn’t deserve what I was experiencing; the voice that knew there was a version of me somewhere that got through it.

“‘Postcards In-between’ aims to bring that voice to the forefront, and I’m very grateful that these eleven artists have been so vulnerable with their offerings. There is so much compassion, strength, and wisdom in their letters, and I think you’ll find something in them for yourselves.

“And if you’re wondering ‘why postcards?’, I love the idea of connecting with someone in such a short message – there’s only so much you can fit, so you just have to say the important stuff.”

On Saturday 30th April, at 7pm, Maria Kelly will present an evening of discussion, music and art centred around cultivating self-compassion, in association with Minding Creative Minds featuring contributions from musicians Tim Chadwick, and Sammy Copley, as well as visual artist Cécilia Noiraud hosted by psychotherapist and author, Siobhan Murray. Tickets here