As the minutes crept by towards 3pm on Halloween, an eager queue curled its way down the steps of the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB). They were waiting for one of the most successful, talented and inspiring Irish artists working today. As part of a series of talks with Dublin University Music Society (DU Music), aimed at showcasing and celebrating the wealth of Irish musical talent, Lisa Hannigan certainly created a buzz around campus. Known for her exquisite lyrics and mystical and stunning vocals, Hannigan began her solo career as a singer-songwriter back in 2007 after working with Damien Rice. Since then she has only risen, and she is known today as one of Ireland’s most prolific singer’s, with the release of her three albums, Sea Sew, Passenger and At Swim.
In the wonderfully intimate setting of the debating chamber in the GMB, Lisa Hannigan sat down with a guitar and microphone. As a former Trinity student, she seemed completely at ease in her old stomping ground. She was introduced by DU Music as an authentic tour de force and a national treasure, which made her laugh.
However, if anybody doubted the introductory claims, those doubts were banished as Hannigan picked up her guitar and sang “Little Bird” from her second album. Her performance was absolutely mesmerising and undoubtedly a moment of true, raw beauty. This song, Hannigan tells us, she wrote as a gentle ode to her best friend, who she wonderfully described as someone who helped her see the world differently when she was stuck. Hannigan, like many artists, seemed extremely grateful for and reliant on the friends and the people in her life.
When asked about her process of writing song lyrics, she didn’t claim to have any more precise method than allowing words to knock at the door and trusting her instinct. Once you explore that instinct, once you have formed an intimate relationship with the words, Hannigan laughingly told the audience that it’s quite embarrassing to share that song with somebody else. Songwriting for Hannigan is clearly so very personal and honest. So the thing to do for her it seems is to share the new work with a trusted and kind friend. It’s then, she told us, that you realise how you actually feel about a song.
Then Hannigan soulfully and with meaning, played “Fall” from her most recent album. A song she wrote with Joe Henry, it appeared during a period that Hannigan described as facing a crisis of confidence. Every writer and artist has faced the slump, the sense that nothing they produce is of any worth and Hannigan honestly admitted that this was a pretty low time for her. The advice she gave, however, is sage: “Read lots of good words”, she smiles. It seems reading plenty of wonderful literature, especially the poetry of Seamus Heaney, inspired Hannigan to write her third album At Swim.
Finally, Hannigan played the stunningly evocative and sad melody of “We, The Drowned”. Again, in the intimate setting of the GMB, her vocals were chillingly beautiful. As she described her collaboration with Aaron Dessner of The National on her most recent album, it was difficult to equate this with her admission that she isn’t very good at the guitar.
For the hour with Lisa Hannigan in the GMB, it was impossible not to be struck by both how outstandingly talented, yet humble, she is. She has produced and continues to write some of Ireland’s most celebrated and inspiring music. She has collaborated with big names, forged her own authentic style of singing and recently performed at the March for Choice. Yet, as she sat in Trinity, laughing and self deprecating, it’s easy to imagine having her as a great friend. After her final performance, she was presented with an honorary plaque and a copy of Seamus Heaney poems by DU Music. She genuinely seemed so delighted, joking that now her mum can think she has a degree from Trinity.
Correction: 11:40, November 1st, 2017
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that this was the first in a series of talks by DU Music. In fact, its the second talk in the series.
