Darren Kiely

On September 29, 2026 at Saint Luke's & The Winged Ox in Glasgow, Irish singer-songwriter Darren Kiely steps in with folk-pop writing shaped by deep traditional roots. Born in County Cork, he first learned tin whistle, then fiddle, before adding guitar. His songs lean on clear melodies, acoustic arrangements and a direct voice, somewhere between Celtic tradition and recent American folk. He started singing in 2019 after distinctions in the Irish traditional repertoire, and moved to New York in 2022 to develop his own project.

Since then, he has released a run of singles — How Could You Love Me, Ella, Time To Leave, Mom & Dad — that map out intimate narratives, family ties and moments of change. On stage, he builds around storytelling, fiddle and whistle colors woven into guitar-led arrangements, keeping the focus on songcraft rather than ornament. From Cork to New York and through rooms in Nashville, he has honed a live approach where the writing stays front and center. Glasgow gets a set that connects both sides of his map, simple and close-up, carried by voice, strings and a feel for tradition that never turns nostalgic.