Kilbeggan singer opens for fr ray

A young Kilbeggan singer songwriter has landed the biggest gig of his life this Thursday evening - supporting Tyrrellspass native Fr Ray Kelly in the Olympia Theatre in Dublin .

Neil Moran (23) was asked to open for his fellow Westmeath man’s upcoming Dublin show in the world famous venue after theyperformed on the same bill at a charity concert in Kilbeggan during the summer. Neil, who performs regularly in local pubs, says that he’s “delighted and nervous” about performing in the Olympia, a place he has been to on numerous occasions to see his musical heros such as Glen Hansard and Mick Flannery.

“It’s a much bigger venue than I’ve been used to. I’m really looking forward to it. Fr Ray asked (after the concert in Kilbeggan). He sent a few of my songs to his manager and Universal, his record company, and got approval.

Neil, who will be accompanied on stage in Dublin by Ciaran Daly from Tyrrellspass, has been writing his own songs and playing live since he was a teenager. Currently working in an office in Dublin, he says that he would love to be a full time musician in the future.

“In the last few years I’ve started to take things more seriously. You get a bit tired of playing covers all the time. I’ve been putting my own songs on Youtube and Soundcloud and it’s great to get some positive reaction from people.

“This will be my biggest ever performance. I’ve been to gigs in the Olympia before and my friends have asked me if I thought I’d ever get the chance to play here and now I am.”

A busload of friends is travelling up to Dublin for Thursday night’s gig and Neil, who cites Damien Rice as a “huge influence”, says that the “support has been great”. “I’ve had a lot of people ringing and texting wishing me the best.”