Fresh from another sell out tour which included yet another sold out show at Vicar Street and an appearance at Electric Picnic among others, George Murphy and his band The Rising Sons embark on a nationwide tour and releases his new album this February…
He will be performing at the Wexford Opera House on Friday March 15th.
For those who cannot make the Wexford date, his other tour dates include:
Sun. 18th February 2024 – Cork Opera House
Wed. 28th February 2024 – Ulster Hall, Belfast
Sat. 27th April 2024 – Millennium Forum, Derry
Sat. 11th May 2024 – Vicar Street, Dublin
George stars in a new one-man Stage Play entitled ‘DOCKERS’ with songs by Damien Dempsey and stories of Dublin Docks by Playwright and Author Gary Brown. Gary Brown’s ancestors were dockers, he wrote a play of songs and stories about the history of Dublin’s Docks, Quays, the River Liffey and the work for generations around East Wall, Ringsend and South Dock. He approached Damien Dempsey and together they began the song-writing and script-writing. Gary and Damien Dempsey invited George Murphy on board to co-write some songs and be the potential star of this one-man play. George Murphy has been busy rehearsing the script, co-writing songs and learning the music for the one-man play ‘DOCKERS’ which takes place at Liberty Hall Theatre on Saturday, 18th May 2024.
George Murphy is an Irish singer songwriter from the Dublin suburb of Beaumount.
He exploded onto the Irish music scene after his memorable appearances on TV show “You’re a Star”. Just out of secondary school at the age of 17 he very quickly took over the Irish music scene. He signed to Sony Ireland and his debut album ‘Dreamed A Dream’ went to No.1 in the Irish charts. The album eventually went on to gain triple Platinum status. George had made a big impact with insiders on the Irish Music scene, Phil Coulter was quoted as saying that George “Is the most exciting vocal find in Ireland”, The late Ronnie Drew was quoted saying “A voice beyond his years”, Peggy Seeger was quoted saying “A very honest approach to the songs, kept them true to their Origin” and Hotpress magazine described him at the time as “A serious contender”.
George enjoyed a lot of success in the early part of his career playing at top festivals and venues in Ireland. In 2006 George went on to release his second album “So The story goes” and the title track got to No.7 in the Irish Singles Chart. That same year he played O2 in the Park and shared the stage with Brian McFadden who was making his debut as a solo artist after leaving Westlife.
He embarked on a tour in America where he released his 3rd album “The Ballad of Archie Thompson”, featuring folk legends John Sheahan and Barney McKenna of the Dubliners and contribution from Christy Dignam.
For personal reasons George came back to Ireland in 2013, he had grown a little tired of the road and felt that he had lost some motivation. A dark time was to follow and as he said himself “It’s a tough life being on the road as an artist, it’s full of ups and downs, the highs are very high but the lows are very low”.
Fortunately, it didn’t take George too long to get back on his feet, he started taking writing his own material more seriously and began playing small pubs, clubs and small music venues trying out some of his new material.
In 2015. George signed a new management deal with 10 music Management and then went on to sign a new record deal with Trad Nua releasing the album “Shadowman” the following year, with backing by stellar traditional musicians Eamonn de Barra, John McLoughlin and Sean Regan.
When Finbar Furey’s son, Martin Furey, left the High Kings, they immediately turned to George Murphy to fill the void. The departure of Martin Furey and the arrival George Murphy brought a new hunger to the High Kings and their audiences alike. The November 2017 release of Decade-Best of The High Kings was received with rave reviews and record sales figures with the band again topping the Irish Album Charts and returning to the Billboard World Music Charts once again.
After huge success and critical acclaim with The High Kings, George decided to focus on his solo career in 2019 and with his own band The Rising Sons began touring extensively. In May 2019, George and The Rising Sons recorded and released a double-CD album called ‘Continue to Rise’. It was launched to a packed house, becoming a collector’s item and doesn’t exist in digital format.
After an acclaimed first tour that culminated in a Liberty Hall Theatre sell-out show and featured guest artists Lisa Lambe and Phelim Drew, George and the Rising Sons released “The New Beginnings Tour, Live in Dublin”.
They were set to play their first UK date in Spring 2020 when Covid intervened. They continued to perform with online group recordings, through weekly Monday night Facebook live streams. During this time live performances were mostly limited to outdoor shows within 5 kilometres of Beaumont or the online Luke Kelly 80th Birthday tribute from Swords Castle and the St Patrick’s Day 2021 special. May 2021 saw the release of ‘Sidney’s Boys’, a song written for the centenary of the War of Independence, in which two of band member Declan’s ancestors lost their lives.
George Murphy and The Rising Son’s Nationwide tour in 2022 also included dates in the UK and Denmark.
George followed this with his 2023 tour which culminated in the band selling out Vicar St, and also included dates at Electric Picnic, Limerick GAA grounds, London Intercultural Centre, Ballyshannon Folk Festival, Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann.
George Murphy and The Rising Sons have been recording a new studio album which is due for release in February 2024.
George Murphy embarks on a nationwide tour and releases his new album this February.
Tour dates:
· Sun. 18th February 2024 – Cork Opera House
· Wed. 28th February 2024 – Ulster Hall, Belfast
· Fri. 15th March 2024 – Wexford Opera House
· Sat. 27th April 2024 – Millennium Forum, Derry
· Sat. 11th May 2024 – Vicar Street, Dublin
