Singer Alexi Murdoch sails into Cork's safe harbour on 101-year-old boat ahead of festival
Musician Alexi Murdoch arrives in Cork by boat, having sailed solo from Scotland, to take part in Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival (SFSH) this week. Picture: BrÃd O’Donovan
Ahead of Cork's Sounds from a Safe Harbour festival, one artist is already in the spirit of things having chosen to make his way to Ireland by boat.
Musician Alexi Murdoch spent the best part of 10 days sailing from Scotland to Cork before the festival kicks off this Thursday.
Setting off from near Oban, the singer travelled about 400 nautical miles on his boat MACARIA.Â
Despite the pleasant spell of weather we are currently enjoying, it wasn't all smooth sailing as they encountered some bad weather in the early stages of the trip.
It was nothing Murdoch, who has been involved in sailing most of his life, and his 101-year-old boat couldn't handle.
MACARIA is a traditional wooden Scottish-built Gaff Yawl that was built in Tarbert on Lough Fyne, Argyll in 1922, he tells me.
"She's a beautiful girl," says Murdoch, admitting that she may not be as comfortable as more modern boats. "But that's part of the thing for me is that she's traditional."
A long voyage like this is not something Murdoch is entirely used to but he said the choice was very intentional.
"I was curious about what that would be like," he said, "in terms of exploring that state that you can get into when you're at sea on your own and trying to bring that with me as much as I could to this festival which is a very communal experience.
"The juxtaposition of that really isolated state and solitude which I tend to explore a lot anyway as a musician and crave a lot.
"But at the same time, I also crave community. So, to see how I could maybe, in a strange way, reconcile those two very disparate sort of concepts."
The festival has yet to begin but the Grammy-nominated musician is already feeling the benefit of his 10-day solo voyage compared to if he had trekked through a busy airport and just landed in the middle of Cork city.
"I feel like it has actually given me some kind of weird sense of grounding that maybe I would have had a harder time bringing with me otherwise."
Ready for his third Sounds from a Safe Harbour, his last visit to Cork came just months before the covid-19 pandemic shut everything down.
This week's festival marks the first time he will see many of his friends and past collaborators since SFSH 2019.
As someone who strays more towards working and writing music alone, SFSH offers a particular opportunity to work with others in - as the very name suggests - a safe space.
There is no fear of judgement and everyone involved is there for the pure and simple reason that they want to and love to create.
"The way that it is put together, the kind of community that comes together, feels very much like something that I wish I had found sooner," he explains.
"It's really nice to come to this and feel like it's kind of seamless, in a strange way. I feel immediately like I belong. There is just a sense of total support."
Taking part in the unique festival is something Murdoch considers to be a creative highlight. A sentiment shared by many of his friends who are involved.
As an artist who has spent his career avoiding the trappings of the music industry, Murdoch has seen many of his creative friends struggle under the pressures the industry puts on them. A festival such as SFSH is a welcome reminder of why they do what they do.
"It's always magic. Always. Every time without fail."
Murdoch is one of those involved in the 37d03d Residency Programme curated by Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National.
The impressive list of artists includes Dermot Kennedy, Elaine Howley, Paddy Keenan, Ólafur Arnaulds, Cillian Murphy, Niamh Regan, Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire), Anna Mullarkey, Christof van der Ven, David Kitt, Dustin O’Halloran, Eoin French (Talos), and The Staves.
The artists will be around the city in the week running up to the event, collaborating and performing as part of the festival's 'pop-up' programme of surprise events - gig-goers are asked to keep their eyes peeled on the festival's social media for updates.
Now something of a veteran of the SFSH festival, which began in 2015, Cork has become a special place for Murdoch.
He always intends to extend his stay beyond the five-day festival but has never quite managed it. This year, thanks to MACARIA and a spot of engine trouble, he may not have a choice in the matter.
"I really do love this town. I'm really happy and sailing up the river was a magic, magic thing," he says.
Although, with longer evenings and the potential for rough seas on the way home, Murdoch won't want to leave it too long before setting off for the safe harbour of his home in Scotland.
