Derek Ryan

Born in Garryhill, County Carlow, Ireland, Derek Ryan first came to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of D-Side, an Irish pop group active from 2001 to 2006 with whom he recorded the albums Stronger Together (2004), Gravity (2005) and Unbroken (2006). After that period he pursued a solo career, moving into the country and Irish genre—a style that blends country, popular song and traditional Irish repertoire—favoring direct songwriting and formats suited to the stage. After working on the London scene and returning to Ireland in 2009, he gradually established an artistic universe where folk and pop influences remain present, with an emphasis on ballads, festive numbers and reworked covers. His solo discography includes A Mother’s Son (2010), Made of Gold (2011), Dreamers & Believers (2012), Country Soul (2013), The Simple Things (2014), One Good Night (2015), This Is Me (The Nashville Songbook) (2016), Happy Man (2016), Soft Ground (2021), Pure & Simple (2022) and Long Shot Love (2024). Over the years he has also collaborated with artists such as Sharon Shannon, Roly Daniels, Lisa McHugh and Philomena Begley, and he launched his own label, Ryan Records.