Yvonne Goes Solo

New Ross Standard, November 18th, 1998, Ian McClure

Having made a name for herself as the lead female vocalist with New Ross group 'Barrowside', Shanbogh's Yvonne Stacey has now taken the ambitious step of launching her debut solo album.

Titled, 'Just a ghost of what you had', the album also sees Yvonne change her stage name to Yvonne Breathnach, in addition to signing up with the newly formed South Street Records.

The album features ten original songs written by talented songwriters who reside locally. Four were written by the Shanbogh based Barrowside song writing team of Bob and Marie Van Son. The remainder were written by Paul Grant of Slieverue, one in colaboration with Paul Foskin from Waterford.

Yvonne is joined on the album by top class musicians, Peter Eades, Noel Bermingham, Noel Healy and Christy Sheridan.

It presents a rich tapestry of music melody and human emotion from the lullaby "Dream On' and the haunting 'Just a Ghost' to the reflective 'Mother and Child' and the sadness of 'Daddy', with the only cover being a percussion upbeat version of Kiki Dee's 'Loving and Free'.

Yvonne, who has been singing for the past thirteen years is hoping that sales of the album will lead to a professional singing career, and is delighted with how will it is being received.

Having already featured on Round Tower's last two compilation albums alongside such artists as Doloras Keane and Mick Hanley, Yvonne is hoping that 'Just a Ghost of what you had' will establish her as a leading contemporary folk artiste.

Strong debut from voice of Barrowside

On the beat, Jim Hayes

Once upon a time there was a group called Barrowside who were living proof that you could make interesting new music without being under the age of twenty and that the term 'Irish folk' could embrace much more than 'Dirty Old Town' and 'The Fields of Athenry'.

Over two albums on the Round Tower label, Barrowside, from New Ross, gave us some rich pickings, thanks to a very shrewd choice of material and the combination of some previously hidden talents.

Now, one of Barrowside's key singers, Yvonne Breathnach, has taken the solo route and released her own album.

'Just A Ghost of What You Had' is in the shops on the New Ross-based South Street Records label and is a true tribute to local songwriting talent.

Bob and Marie van Son, the husband and wife songwriting team who were so successful in their contributions to Barrowside, have four songs here. And a further five are from the pen of Paul Grant of Slieverue, one in collaboration with Waterford's Paul Foskin.

The album's one remaining track is an upbeat cover of Kiki Dee's 'Loving and Free'.

Yvonne also surronds herself with some very accomplished musicians, including Peter Eades, ace percussionist Noel Bridgeman, Noel Healy on accordion and Christy Sheridan on the mandolin.

'Just A Ghost Of What You Had' is missing that eclectic mix that made Barrowside recordings so interesting, but it does give a more complete airing to Yvonne's distinctive voice and is a fine debut.

Hidden gems discovered in New Ross

County Wexford Music File, Compiled by Jim Hayes

Barrowside proved a lot of things to a lot of people. They proved that even in the age of manufactured bands and marketing machines, the unexpected and the unplanned can still happen.

And the proved that its not only the veterans with track records or the youngsters with boyhand haircuts who land record contracts and radio airplay. For a few years in the mid nineties Barrowside put New Ross on the map with music that defied pigeoholing but appealed across a wide spectrum of taste.

The germ of the Barrowside idea formed at informal folk nights at New Ross Boat Club in the early nineties.

Local singers, songwriters and musicians who shared a common interest in folk music came together to perform a few songs together, or simply enjoy the music. After a few months some members of this club banded together to enter a local talent contest. They won, and the nucleus of Barrowside emerged.

Barrowside were husband and wife Jack and Yvonne Stacey, Ollie Grace, Sean Reidy and Bob Van-Son. Bob shared songwriting duties with his wife Maria who was initially a non-playing member of the group but later joined them on clarinet.

Barrowside's strengths were Bob and Maria's songs, skilful vocal harmonies and the hugely appealing voice of their lead singer, Yvonne Stacey. They landed a record deal with the Dublin and London-based Round Tower Music, the independent label set up in 1990 by ex-Warner Brothers man Clive Hudson who had already released records by Dolores Keane and Mick Hanly, among others.

Barrowside's first album justified Round Tower's interest. It whispered rather than screamed and seduced the listener with twelve polished gems.

'Walkin' on the Moon', a version of a song by Texan singer-songwriter Katy Moffatt (another Round Tower artist) was an obvious highlight and was immediately picked up by radio stations. I don't know how they did it, but Barrowside juggled family life and established careers with life in a music group. Jack Stacey was a primary school principal, Ollie Grace a secondary school teacher and Sean Reidy project manager at the John F Kennedy Trust.

They took their music abroad - appearing at the Winter Olympics in Norway in 1994 and performing in the US at a function attended by the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. Barrowside also used their new found standing aand influence to brighten up the New Ross music scene, persuading singers such as Jimmy Crowley, Mick Hanly, The Voice Squad and highly rated British singer/songwriter John B. Spencer to join them at concerts in the town.

A second album - 'The Hidden Corner' - went on release in 1995. More mature and diverse, it included 'I Have A Dream' which attracted a fair amount of radio play when released as a single.

Sadly, Barrowside called it a day, leaving a vacuum in the easy listening market that's yet to be filled. While the Ross group have gone their separate ways, their music is still being repackaged and Barrowside songs currently feature in three compilations - 'The Cream of New Irish Music' volumes one and two, and 'Song from Ireland - Best of Irish Songwriters'.

After the break-up of Barrowside, Yvonne released a solo album, as Yvonne Breathnach, on the local South St. Records in New Ross. It included four songs by Barrowside's songwriting partnership of Bob and Maria Van Son and a cover of Kiki Dee's halting 'Loving and Free'.

Barrowside were a rare find. You could say they were in the right place at the right time, but that's only the half of it. As two fine albums reveal, there was a hello of a lot of talent as well.