Wordsmith Lisa O’Neill paints a vivid image in her music

WITH her ability to conjure an arresting image and paint scenes rich in emotional and physical detail, Cavan’s Lisa O’Neill is a singular artist, as evidenced by her 2013 album Same Cloth Or Not.

This feeling is amplified by her live appearances and her determined tics; a jutting of the chin here, a forceful follow though of her arm on a final note there, each one accentuating the notion that here is someone feeling each and every pang contained within those compassionate songs. The question arises of how much of a conscious performance is taking place onstage?

“Well performance is a funny word, isn’t it?” she considers. “There is very much the real person up there. But I am conscious I’m holding the attention of a group of people. Because of this I try not to go on, babble on, or repeat myself, so when it comes to performing those are the things I would take note of and try not to do.”