Bronagh talks bands and ballads

Bronagh Broderick is a 30-year-old singer-songwriter from Altamuskin who is a solo artist and a member of the Omagh based bluegrass group ‘Cool Hand String Band’.

Following her appearance at the recent ‘Gig for Gaza’ in Top of the Town in Omagh, Bronagh spoke with the Tyrone Herald about her life in music and how it is brought her to where she is today.

Bronagh said that growing up, she was a big fan of The Chicks and Allison Krauss, and she started playing music at the age of seven.

“It all started in primary four at school,” she explained.

“I took violin lessons and studied that right up until I achieved my grade eight.

“In school, I was learning classical violin, but outside of school I was learning the more traditional stuff.

“Around the same time, I got my first guitar and my auntie taught me a few chords and it all went from there.

“There was always music being played in the family and, as a child, I would stand in front of the fire place singing and performing for family members.”

YOUTH

In her youth, Bronagh was also a member of the Errigal Ciaran Ballad Group and sang at both junior and senior levels in the Ulster Final at the Fleadh.

Recollecting upon her first gig, Bronagh said she was aged 15 at the time and it took place at her school.

“It was a variety performance in the school and I sang Wagon Wheel and a song by the Script,” she recalled.

“That was 15 years ago now and I remember it so well, it was the best feeling in the world and it was literally since that moment that I made a point of making a career for myself in music.”

Shortly after, Bronagh began writing her own songs – something she said she went ‘hard’ at.

“I was always writing and was absolutely consumed by it,” she explained.

Within a year, at the age of 16, she was playing regular gigs in local bars.

“My dad would drive me to those gigs as I didn’t have my licence yet.

“It really was the best thing in the world in those days.

“To be that age, earning money playing music was just the most exciting thing.

“It wasn’t long until I got my driving licence at 17 that I started getting out and around more independently, gigging a little more further afield.”

BLINDSIDE

A short while after, Bronagh started her first band ‘Blindside’ which helped her gain experience with recording music.

“It really was my main introduction into what it was like to be in a band, rehearsing every week and playing at weddings, football club events and local festivals.”

At the age of 18, Bronagh went to Queen’s University in Belfast where she studied Music for three years before going onto to do a Masters Degree in Arts Management and Cultural Policy, and in 2012, she released her first album ‘Three Years’, which was made of up a collection of songs that she had written between the age of 15 and 18.

During her time at University, she played with the Belfast-based band ‘No Oil Painting’.

She said, “I sadly had to leave No Oil Painting while I was studying for my Masters Degree, but I recently joined them on stage for their 10 year anniversary performance.

“It was lovely to see them again and it was so clear that the friendship is still there among those guys.”

After graduating from Queens, Bronagh joined Cool Hand String Band.

“I had actually been asked to join them whilst I was studying,” she said. “But at that time, I had to politely decline, and I was so disappointed that I had to.

“However, they got back in touch after I graduated and asked me to stand in for them for a year, but I have since stayed with them and we’re the best of friends and are gigging flatout.”

Bronagh also spent many years working for the Alzheimers’s Society as part of their ‘Singing for the Brain’ group.

“That involved travelling around selected venues, hosting music workshops for people with Alzheimer’s,” she explained.

“We would hold sing-along sessions and it was very emotional at times but ultimately very rewarding and fulfilling.”

REBRANDING

In 2017, Bronagh underwent what she described as a ‘rebranding’ where she put all her efforts into writing and recording before releasing her latest EP ‘When Colours Collide’.

“I held two launch nights for the EP,” she said. “One was in the Weigh Inn in Omagh and the other was in McHugh’s in Belfast – two venues that have always been so supportive.

“I was so chuffed with how both nights went, it was so rewarding and gave me such a boost after taking such a risk to go into music full-time.”

By day, Bronagh also performs in local nursing homes for the elderly, something she described as ‘extremely rewarding.’

She also spent much of her time during the Covid-19 pandemic giving music lessons via Zoom to local children and some even further afield in the likes of New York and Italy.

Following her latest performance at the ‘Gig for Gaza’ in Top of the Town, she said she has plans to record new music in the future.

“I have a handful of new songs ready to go, so make sure to keep an eye out for upcoming releases and more gigs in the near future!” she said.