Singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan comes back to her roots in Cork

The US singer tells Don O’Mahony how her grandfather’s passing has evoked memories of blissful childhood days visiting West Cork, and how it’s all echoed in her new album

IT WAS something of a relief for Aoife O’Donovan to spend so many of her summers in Clonakilty, Co Cork. Born and bred in Massachusetts, her regular visits to the birthplace of her father at least put her in an environment where her name didn’t become distorted by the most well-meaning acts of mispronunciation.

“Definitely,” she smiles. “But you know, I feel like more and more people know somebody named Aoife or somebody whose kid’s name is Aoife or somebody’s dog is named Aoife. It’s becoming so easier.