Artist Information
Billed as “one of the most exciting live performers of his generation” by Irish Music Magazine, virtuoso guitarist and songwriter Shane Hennessy has established himself as one of the leading guitarists on the world stage, known widely for his fingerstyle, flatpicking, and percussive guitar-playing approaches. His energetic live performances and his cinematically-vivid compositions tie in influences from Irish traditional music to progressive jazz, and everything in between! With a unique style of guitar playing that encompasses the range of a whole band, Shane builds a complete sonic world entirely on his own. Achievements to date include a sold-out solo show in The National Concert Hall in Dublin, a collaboration with guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel, a commission with Riverdance composer Bill Whelan, billings at the prestigious MerleFest and Walnut Valley festivals, and an 2021 ALSR Award for Male Musician of the Year. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Shane has released two studio albums. His third studio album Rain Dance was released on a livestream concert supported by Culture Ireland's #IrelandPerforms initiative in April 2020. In December 2020, Shane released Idircheol, an album of original Traditional Irish-influenced music composed specifically for solo guitar, a project supported by The Arts Council.
