setteesounds

James Shannon is a rapper, musician and Irish language advocate from Carpenterstown in Dublin. First appearing on the scene in 2019, he released his first single, ‘Back on Track.’ From there onwards, Shannon has time and time again released absolutely banging tunes, from Last Bus in 2019 to his debut ep, The Night Before the Morning After in 2020 to his collaboration with Irish language music group IMLÉ in 2024 and continued collaboration with fellow Dublin rapper Noremac. Shannon has a beautiful flow that has matured and grown over time, and using this flow alongside the Irish language is a staple of his style.

James Shannon is the second artist of this evolution, SETTEE @ NIGHT, where we are highlighting alternative nights out in Dublin, as opposed to your usual live band. Sometimes when you are sitting on the settee on a Saturday night, you want to go out and get moving, have a few drinks and do something different. If that sounds familiar, this evolution is for you. Keep Reading.

💙setteesounds are always listening💙

Is as Baile an Chairpintéaraigh do James Shannon, “is áit maith a bheith i do chónaí agus áit maith chun fhás suas ann.”  D’fhás James suas leis an nGaeilge, labhair sé as Gaeilge ar scoil ach ní raibh aon Gaeilge sa bhaile, “ní labhraíonn mo thuismitheoirí Gaeilge ach bhí sé gcónaí agam!” Sa mheánscoil,  bhi sé i gcónaí ag déanamh ceoil freisin, as Béarla agus go nádúrtha, as Gaeilge. D’fhás sé suas le hiphop agus rap ceoil agus ag an am sin, bhí a lán daoine ag mholadh dó chun ceol a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge. “Bhí mé i gcónaí ag iarraidh é sin a dhéanamh so, it just so happens, bhí suim ag Cian Mac Cárthaigh ó IMLÉ obair liom mar thaispeáin Roisín Seoighe [ó IMLÉ freisin] mo cheoil do Cian, agus bhí a fhois acu go raibh Gaeilge agam mar bhí páirt á phlé agam sa spáis.” Dúirt Shannon gur thug Cian an spreagadh dó. “Bhí sé kind of scanrúil ar dtús, is rud níos deacair é scríobh as Gaeilge.” 

ENG: James Shannon is from Carpenterstown, “it’s a nice place to live and to grow up in.” James grew up with Irish, he spoke as Gaelige in school but there was no Irish spoken at home, “my parents don’t speak Irish but I always had it!” In secondary school, he was also always making music, in English and of course, in Irish. He grew up with hip hop and rap music, and at the time, a lot of people were inspiring him, people who were making music through Irish. “I was always wanting to do it, so it just so happens, Cian from IMLÉ gave me work because Róisín [also from IMLÉ] showed my music to him and they knew that I spoke Irish because I had a part in the [Irish] space.” Shannon says that Cian gave him inspiration, “it was kind of scary at the start, it’s a much harder thing to write in Irish.”

Mar atáimid SetteeSounds, suite i lár an cathair i mBaile Átha Cliath, d’freaghair mé James faoi an Ghaeilge agus an spáis atá ag an nGaeilge sa chathair. Níl an Gaeilge “trendy” faoi láthair, ach tá an-tóir ag an nGaeilge anois. “It’s definitely having a big moment, agus ceapaim féin, it’s not going to go away, it will only continue to get bigger.” Nuair atá tú ag lorg ceoltoiri ag déanamh gigs agus rudaí mar sin as Gaeilge, gheobhaidh tú iad, IMLÉ, Kneecap, Rónán ó Snodaigh, Blue Niall, Saoirse Miller, tá go leor daoine ag déanamh é sin. Tá an Ghaeilge le feiceáil sa ghnáthshaol freisin,  “Ceapaim go bhfuil sé ag fhás, gan dabht, fiú go bhfuil muid [me féin agus James]  ag déanamh an agallamh as Gaeilge!” Ach anois, tá borradh nua faoin spéis sa teanga mar cúpla bliain ó shin, ní raibh a lán daoine ag déanamh an oiread leis an teanga. 

ENG: Because we are SetteeSounds, situated in the middle of Dublin City, I asked James about Gaeilge and the space Irish has within the city. Irish is not necessarily trendy at the moment, but there is huge popularity of the language within the past few years, “it’s definitely having a big moment, and I think, personally, it’s not going to go away, it will only continue to get bigger.” When you are looking for musicians singing in Irish, you will find them, IMLÉ, Kneecap, Rónán Ó Snodaigh, Blue Niall, Saoirse Miller, there are lots of people making music. Irish can be seen in the every day too, “I think it is growing, without a doubt, even me and you are doing the interview in Irish!” But now, there is a new resurgence of the language as a couple of years ago, not a lot of people were doing much with the language in the media. 

I mí Iúil, bhí Shannon i mBéal Feirste ag seinm le IMLÉ, “Bhí sé sin dochreidte, man, sin an rud, ó gur thosaigh mé ag obair le IMLÉ, fiú mé féin agus Órán (Noremac) tá muid tar éis an seans a fháil taistealt taobh amuigh de Baile Átha Cliath ag seinm, which is absolutely unbelievable.” Dúirt Shannon gur aoibheann leis ag seinm i mBaile Átha Cliath ach, “there are only so many times you can play Workman’s, or the same venues so tá sé an-an-dheas ag dul amach as an gcontae.” Nuair atámid ag caint faoi spás ag an Ghaeilge i mBÁC, d’fhreagair mé James faoi spás Gaeilge don saol oíche, oíche club nó rudaí mar sin, “Tá Club Chonradh Gaeilge anseo, i gcónaí bíonn ócáidí ar siúl ansin, ach tá sé saghas, if you know you know.” Níl an-tóir ar na meáin shóisialta Club Chonradh ach tar éis an comhrá le James, fuair mé a lán eolas faoi oíche Gaeilge isteach sa lár na cathrach. Mar shampla, bhí rave ar siúl (craobh1916 ar Insta) cúpla uair sa bhliain agus osclaíonn an Club Chonradh ó de Céadaoin go de Sathairn. (Tá na pints níos saoire! €4.60 don pint amháin Guinness!)  “Tá assumption ann go gcaithfidh tú Gaeilge a labhairt ach níl sé sin an cás, its encouraged but it’s not forced on you, the effort is what counts.”

ENG: In July, Shannon played a gig in Belfast with IMLÉ, “it was unbelievable,man, that’s the thing, when I started working with IMLÉ, even me and Oran (Noremac), the music gave us a chance at the end of the year to play music outside of Dublin.” Shannon said that even though he loves performing in Dublin, “there are only so many times you can play Workman’s, or the same venues, so it is really really nice to leave the county(and play somewhere new).” When we are talking about the space in Dublin for Gaelige, I asked James about the space for Gaelige in relation to nights out or club nights, “The Club Chonradh is there, and there are always events happening but it is a bit, if you know you know.” Club Chonradh isn’t that popular on social media but after my conversation with James, I learned a lot of information about nights out as Gaelige in the city. For example, there are raves that happen as Gaelige a couple of times a year (craobh1916 on Insta) and Club Chonradh opens Wednesday through Saturday. (with cheap pints! A Guiness is only €4.60 with a membership!) “There is an assumption that you have to speak Irish but it is not the case, it’s encouraged but it’s not forced on you, the effort is what counts.”

D’eagraigh Jade ó Raidió RiRa oíche don Phalaistín, ‘Ghael ar son na Phalaistín,’ d’ardaigh siad airgead don Phalastin, “bhí ceoltoiri den scoth ag seinm ann, Jade Beo, Aisling Moran, Ódhrán Lowry, The Gladstone Band, Aoife McGrath agus mé féin. Ní raibh an ceol ar fad as Gaeilge, bhi gach duine ag seinm as Béarla le cúpla tunes as Gaeilge freisin” Oíche den scoth a bhí ann, tharraing muid isteach a lán airgead agus bhí an ceoil go hiontach.” Bíonn oíche mar sin tábhachtach chun an airgead a ardú ach freisin chun an nasc idirnasiunta a dhéanamh. 

ENG: Jade Beo, trom Radio RíRa organised a night for Palestine, ‘Ghael ar son na Phalaistín’ where money was raised, “the musicians at it were unreal, Jade Beo, Aisling Moran, Ódhrán Lowry, The Gladstone Band, Alice McGrath and myself. The music wasn’t all as Gaelige, everyone was playing in English [and some in Irish too.] It was an incredible night, a lot of money was raised and the music was fantastic.” Nights like that are so important, to raise money but also to make that international connection.

Is rud suimiúil na tionchair cheoil nuair a tagann na ceoltoiri a bímid ag déanamh muid agallamh ó n-gach áit i mBaile Átha Cliath. Thug James shoutout go, “mo chairde D12 ag déanamh rudaí iontach.” (D12 Incorporated: Is collective rap nó hiphop é D12 agus tá siad suite i D12. Tá an ceoil ag dul amach an collective, tá se sin le tine. Burn a lil’ tree tree.) “Shoutsout to Noremac, tá seisean ag déanamh rudaí cool agus iontach freisin. Tá a lán ceol ag teacht! Tá rapper darb ainm Torby freisin, is as Béal Feirste do agus déanann se a lán rap trí Gaeilge. Tá Grooveline ag déanamh rudaí cool as Gaeilge freisin.”

ENG: It’s an interesting thing to talk about musical influences when the musicians that we do interviews with come from all over Dublin. James gave a shoutout to “my friends D12, they’re doing amazing things.” (D12 Incorporated: They are a rap and hiphop collective and they are situated in D12. The music coming out of the collective is on fire. Burn a lil’ tree tree.) “Shoutsout to Noremac, he is doing cool and amazing things too. A lot of music is coming! There is a rapper called Torby, he is from Belfast and does a lot of rap through Irish. Grooveline are doing cool things as Gaelige too.”

Cad atá i ndán don todhchaí? Beidh EP ó IMLÉ ag teacht go luath i 2025 ach cad é an buzz atá ag James? “Like faoi láthair, tá a lán ceol ag teacht! Ceol béarla agus ceol trí Ghaeilge freisin, but le déanaí, fiú an deireadh seachtaine seo, like tá gig ar an hAoine sa Soundhouse, sin kind of ceol liom féin agus Noremac, sin an ceol a dhéanaim trí Bhéarla agus ar an Satharn, táim ag dul go dtí an Fleadh le IMLÉ. Tá grá agam do na beirt acu, ceol trí Ghaeilge agus Béarla, but rapping as Gaeilge just feels so right, this makes ten times more sense. Sé sin mo theanga, agus ag deireadh an lae is Hip-hop agus an ealaín de é féin go bhfuil an grá agam dó”. 

ENG: What does the future hold? IMLÉ are coming out with an EP in Early 2025 but what is James’s buzz? “Right now, there is a lot of music coming! Music in English and music in Irish, but recently, even at the weekend, I have a gig on Friday in the Soundhouse, music with me and Oran, that is in English and then on Saturday, I’m playing at the Fleadh with IMLÉ. I love both things but rapping through Gaelige just feels so right, it makes ten times more sense. This is my language and at the end of the day it’s all Hip-hop and the music that I love to surround myself with and be immersed in”.

Tá an fíric spraoi James ná, “the only time I ever got kicked out of a pub is because I fell asleep”. Go han mhaith ar fad.