Shelagh O'Brien is a singer/songwriter living in Boston, Massachusetts, who was raised on the music of Paddy Reilly, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, and many other great Irish musicians.   From the foot stomping and hand clapping of traditional favorites such as Whiskey in the Jar and Black Velvet Band to the more emotional Song for Ireland, Grace, and The Town I Loved So Well, her music resonates with listeners of all generations.  She also blends traditional Irish favorites with a mix of popular contemporary songs with an Indie/Folk sound and many country favorites that are sure to be crowd pleasers. 

Shelagh is frequent performer at a number of Irish pubs and private events throughout New England including:

Fiddler’s Green

(Worcester, MA)

The Warren Tavern

 (Charlestown, Massachusetts)

Mr. Dooley’s

(Boston, MA)

The Old Court

(Lowell, Massachusetts)

Joco’s

(Waltham, Massachusetts)

Feile

(Wells, Maine)

Ryan's Corner House

(Kennebunk, Maine)

Shelagh has also had performances at The Dubliner and Black Rose in Boston as well as a part in the the Lowell Irish Festival each year.   Shelagh also performs at weddings, cocktail hours, rehearsal parties, birthday/anniversary celebrations, business functions and networking happy hours.

Brendan Keenan, a talented musician who has been playing Irish and contemporary music for years, accompanies her on guitar.  Brendan also harmonizes with her on many songs and takes the lead from time to time with his own favorites and audience requests.  With an incredible ear for music and never missing a beat, longtime family friend, Geoff Taylor, who taught her to play the guitar, joins them periodically at their various events.

Over the few years, Shelagh and her former guitarist, Jordan Quigley recorded a number of original tracks, including “Irish of Boston” and selected covers, and released an EP, which are available on Spotify and Apple Music.  Their original “country” recordings of “The Crown, “Cryin’ Now” and “Yesterday’s Gone” have received air time on Boston’s 101.7 The Bull’s “Backyard Country”.

While attending Saint Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana, Shelagh sang with the University of Notre Dame's Women's Liturgical Choir in its regular weekly celebrations at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus and on its annual tours in different parts of the United States.  While in college, Shelagh also began performing Irish songs at Fiddler's Hearth, a traditional and well known Irish pub in South Bend, Indiana, not far from the home of the Fighting Irish.

When not performing, Shelagh remains busy as a sixth grade science and math teacher in Massachusetts. With cousins in Mayo, many friends in Kilkenny, and a strong Irish heritage, she embraces the history, tradition and passion of Irish music.

Shelagh can be contacted at shelaghrosemusic@gmail.com