Carlow artist Ciara McNally launches debut EP ‘Ivory’

A TWENTY-one-year old musician from Carlow town launched her debut EP last week, the realisation of a long-held dream.

Ciara McNally poured her thoughts and emotions into the album Ivory, which is an exploration of what it’s like to grow out of your teenage years and into young adulthood.

“This EP Ivory reflects my teenage years, the transition into adulthood and the quiet shock of discovering the truth about real life ‒ its monotony, the yearning for more, regret and a deep desperation to belong. Every song is rooted in personal experience,” said Ciara.

Educated at St Leo’s College and the daughter of Paul and Olivia McNally, who own McNally Denture Clinic in Carlow town, Ciara has been writing since a young age.

“I’ve been writing music since I was 11, though I loved writing long before I ever picked up a guitar. Stories, bad poems, living inside my own imagination ‒ I daydreamed constantly,” she recalled.

When she decided that she wanted to record her music, she approached Shayne Byrne at Ragged Company Recordings and together they worked on putting some shape on her work.

“Finding the right way to record these songs took time. We tried many approaches, but once we found the right route, everything came together quickly and naturally,” she continued With the final touches of artwork by her friend Shannon O’Doherty on the cover,

Ivory

is now finally ready for release.

Supported by Becca Mitchell, the EP was launched in Lambert’s Coffee House, Dublin Street, Carlow last Thursday evening.