Damien Dempsey

Damien Dempsey
Gumball Festival 2014
Background information
Born	1975 (age 41–42) Donaghmede, Dublin, Ireland
Origin	Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Irish, folk, traditional, Reggae
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Guitar, piano
Years active	1995–present
Labels	IRL (Independent Records Ltd, UFO Music, Planet, Sony BMG, FOUR FOUR
Associated acts	Sinéad O'Connor, The Dubliners, John Reynolds, Morrissey
Website	www.damiendempsey.com

Damien Dempsey (born 1975 in Donaghmede, Dublin) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk with contemporary lyrics to deliver social commentary on the positive and negative aspects arising from Ireland's Celtic Tiger society. He sings in English, and to a lesser extent in Irish.

Dempsey was born and raised in Donaghmede, a Northside suburb of Dublin. His father was a panel-beater while his mother had a variety of jobs in the area. His earliest musical influences came from the post-pub musical sessions that were held in his parents house when he was a toddler. This developed into a love of artists such as Christy Moore, Luke Kelly, Shane MacGowan, Bob Marley and Elvis Presley.

Shy as a teenager, Dempsey retreated to his bedroom where he spent his time honing his singing and guitar playing. He soon started to pen his own songs, testing the water on his pleasantly surprised family with "a song about smog". His family encouraged him to enter a 2FM song contest, and he duly came second with "Cardboard City", a song of his own about homelessness.

Although hugely taken with the Irish folk tradition, it was Bob Marley who inspired Dempsey during some of his darker times:

"I was in my teens and I was going through a bit of a phase, drinking a lot and doing E tablets and getting into street fighting and getting depressed. Then I'd listen to Marley and it lifted me out of it. I'd like to try and do the same for kids, that my music would give them a bit of hope and strength, and they'd know that I was telling the truth and I wouldn't lie to them."

Growing up on the northside of Dublin, the six-foot two-inch Dempsey trained along with his older brothers (both over 6 foot 5), and competed for Dublin as an amateur boxer before committing himself to studying music.

Dempsey attended secondary school at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, sharing classes with model Amanda Brunker. He then went on to Ballyfermot College of Further Education – the "Rock School" – for 2 years before graduating in 1995. There he studied musical performance and management and his first EP, "The Contender" was released in 1995 on the school's record label.