The Wood of O to perform in sell-out concert at Carrick-on-Suir's Ormond Castle

A concert by Tipperary's - The Wood of O - will kick off a new series of summer arts events promoting Carrick-on-Suir’s rich creative arts and heritage in the town’s historic Ormond Castle this Saturday, May 17.

The Harmony at the Castle concert will take place in the beautiful surroundings of Ormond Castle's Long Gallery at 7.30pm that night. The show is sold out and eagerly awaited by The Wood of O’s many fans.

Singer/songwriter Breege Phelan and songwriter/composer Will McLellan, who make up The Wood of O, will be accompanied at the concert by singer Eve Whelan.

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The concert is being hosted by Carrick-on-Suir’s Tudor Artisan Hub in collaboration with Stayincarrick.com.

It’s the first in a series of “pop up” mixed media arts events to be staged in Carrick-on-Suir's Ormond Castle Cultural Quarter this summer.

Tudor Artisan Hub founder Linda Fahy said the initiative aims to highlight the rich and colourful landscape of creative arts and heritage at the heart of Carrick-on-Suir.

“We are kick-starting the arts summer series on Saturday, May 17 at Ormond Castle with this special music event – Harmony at the Castle – an enchanting performance by Tipperary's renowned duo – The Wood of O.

“The event weaves culture, history and art, offering an unparalleled experience for visitors fostering community bonds and celebrating local talent,” she added.

The Wood of O have been delighting audiences for the past six years with their unique original material.

If you enjoy haunting, heartfelt vocals that reach into the bottom of your soul, melodic fingerstyle acoustic guitar that flows between genres, then this group is worth a listen.

They have been gaining notice at Irish festivals for their unique sound, channeled through the passionate and dynamic vocals of their lead singer, Breege Phelan.

Their sound takes inspiration from their eclectic tastes, citing influences from 60s folk bands Trees, Pentangle and Bert Jansch, Steeleye Span, rock icons Led Zeppelin, modern icons Radiohead, to vocalists like Kate Bush, Anne Briggs and Joni Mitchell.

In August 2019, they were the first act to perform at the Music on the Mountain series in Kilcash.

In the same year, their sell-out show, Evolution, a mix of original songs and classic folk covers in Irish, English and French, headlined at the Clancy Festival, after which they were invited to perform at the Shannonside Winter Music Festival in Bunratty, Clare in January 2020, where they shared the stage with internationally known folk acts such as Cherish the Ladies and Midnight Run.

In May 2020, they released their first single, Meadow Song, gaining airtime on numerous radio stations.

In June 2020, they recorded, produced and hosted part of the Clancy Brothers Online Festival, and later that month, they were chosen to perform on TG4’s lockdown TV series with Hector Ó’hEochagáin called Hector Anseo.

In July 2020, they recorded performances for The Clonmel Junction Festival, as part of the Clonmel Originals Showcase as well as providing music for The Boatmen’s Nature Spoken Word Event as part of the same festival.

Their first live performance post-Covid, in 2022, was for Clonmel Culture Night in September, where they delighted their audience again with their unique sound.

Since then, The Wood of O have expanded their line-up to include backing vocals, bass and lead guitar, playing sell-out concerts at the historic venue of Cahir Castle as part of the Winter Series, Clonmel music festival, When Next We Meet and The Clonmel Junction Festival’s Originals Music Trail.

They independently released their debut EP MountainSkyMoon in June 2022. By the following June, their song Broken Doll was shortlisted in the final 10 songs of the Night and Day Music Festival Song Contest.

Last October they supported RTE Folk Award winner, John Francis Flynn in Clonmel, as part of his Ireland and UK tour.
The Wood of O is currently performing as a three piece with Eve Whelan on backing vocals and can be seen at some Irish festivals over this summer.

The Wood of O duo Will McLellan and Breege Phelan pictured with vocalist Eve Whelan who will perform with them at The Harmony at the Castle concert in Ormond Castle in Carrick-on-Suir this Saturday, May 17.