Sharon Shannon

Born in Ruan, in County Clare, Ireland, Sharon Shannon rose to prominence from the early 1990s as a musician tied to Irish traditions, initially through playing the button accordion, but also the fiddle, the tin whistle and the melodeon. Trained very young in the local scene, she notably played with Arcady before joining The Waterboys, with whom she participated on the Room to Roam album in 1990 and on an international tour. Sharon Shannon launched her solo career with Sharon Shannon in 1991, then quickly broadened her musical frame: Out the Gap in 1994 introduced reggae influences, while her subsequent projects crossed Celtic music, folk, Cajun influences, Portuguese inflections or Quebec-inspired repertoires. Her career also builds through regular collaborations, among others with Steve Earle on Galway Girl, Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick, Jim Murray, Shane MacGowan or Sinéad O’Connor. Among her discographic landmarks are Each Little Thing (1997), The Diamond Mountain Sessions (2000), Libertango (2003), Saints & Scoundrels (2009), Sacred Earth (2017) and The Reckoning (2020). On stage, Sharon Shannon evolves as much in solo performances as in various band formats, in an approach that blends instrumental virtuosity, a sense of dance and openness to several popular traditions.