Rich McMahon
Rich McMahon was well into his thirties by the time he decided to embark on a full-time music career. Having overcome a troubled upbringing in Coventry and rural Ireland, a life-threatening illness in his twenties, and a series of dead-end temping jobs, Rich realised that life was longer than he thought and he had to do something with it.
This UK based songwriter and performer has managed to pack a lot in over the last few years, performing countless live gigs and recording albums in various guises.
Born in England and raised in Wicklow, Ireland, Rich’s songs address themes of identity and borders, the personal and the political, the mythical and the real. His mixed-media shows, The Imagined Nation and Beyond Borders, have garnered praise for their variety, insight and humour, and it was from these shows that the songs on his new album were initially formed.
As a live performer Rich has found himself bridging the generations, sharing a stage over the years with upcoming performers such as The Young Folk, Dan Walsh, Barley Mob and Bellowhead’s Sam Sweeney, and veterans such as Davey Arthur, Martin Stephenson, Mad Jocks & Englishmen, Frankie Gavin and the Dubliners’ Sean Cannon. Perhaps this, along with a live repertoire that encompasses traditional material and songs by artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen and Frank Turner, explains why Rich’s shows attract such a diverse audience.