Music from the Heart

Cork-based folk singer-songwriter Marie Conniffe began her artistic ventures as a performer, paying homage to the greats, namely Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Janis Joplin, and Neil Young. It was a long time before Conniffe actually began to find her own creative voice. Absorbing from the best, she began experimenting with song-writing in her teens and early twenties but lacked inspiration. It was during her travels that she hit her creative stride.

Arriving in Seoul, South Korea in 2004, she started to focus on her writing in earnest. Inspired by the people she met in the music scene there, she began to gig regularly and to actually finish songs and perform them in public. The highlight of that particular Korean stint was a slot as the closing event of the 2005 World Arirang Festival in Jeongseon, where Marie sang an a capella version of “Mo Ghile Mear”, as well as the theme song of the festival in Korean. This was when she began to perform ‘The Door’ which, even in those early days, cemented itself as a live favourite at her gigs.

On her return to Ireland, Conniffe experienced a period of ill mental health, spending some time in a psychiatric unit. Her recovery and experiences are documented in her songs as she turned to living through her writing at that time. Since then, she has returned to Korea, spent time working and living in Spain, Vietnam, New Zealand, Bristol, Galway, London, Dublin, and now resides in Cork. She has played iconic venues such as Whelan’s in Dublin, and been featured on Dublin South FM, and ‘The Sessions’ with Hugh Hick.

She doesn’t shy away from exploring her lived experiences through her music, or even in conversation – her ‘spiritual adventure’ in her words, is documented on her debut album ‘Love Madness’ which she recorded with Rohan and Al Healy of Beardfire Music, and their dad David Virgin, released in 2018. Following its release, she appeared on Brian Greene’s show ‘Mental Wealth’ for an in-depth interview on the topic. Conniffee is also an advocate for women’s rights, speaking out in support of action against domestic violence. In 2015 she gave a powerful performance of her song “To Want Without Love (For Adela, My Sister)”, inspired by the murders of women in Guatemala, at the Women's Aid National Balloon Action event in Wexford’s Bullring.

Marie appeared on “The Sessions” with Hugh Hick on Dublin City FM prior to her gig upstairs in Whelans in October 2014. She was interviewed on the same station on “The Kitchen Table” with Clare McLaughlin and also appeared in conversation with Keith McLoughlin on Dublin South FM. She also completed an in-depth interview with Brian Greene on his show “Mental Wealth” following the release of her 2018 album “Love Madness”.

The guitar and overall sound of The Door inevitably remind the listener of The Cranberries and their uniqueness. Marie Conniffe is unique in her own right. Singing with her own accent, not trying to sound like somebody else, standing tall behind her craft. She may sound weary at times, however, such impression quickly changes as the track goes on, she showcases her passion and unveils her nature and her abilities.

"I wear a mask that looks at you with tears

And wants to know the loving that it fears

But I'm scared of getting lost and breaking down

And dreaming how to find the nearest town"