Tír na nÓg -

Tír na nÓg was an Irish folk–psych duo comprised of guitarist–vocalist Sonny Condell and onetime Emmet Spiceland multi-instrumentalist Leo O’Kelly. They made the 1971–73 Chrysalis albums Tír na nÓg, A Tear and a Smile, and Strong in the Sun. Condell made the praised 1977 album Camouflage and co-founded the folk combo Scullion.

Members: Leo O’Kelly (guitar, bass, violin, tin whistle, vocals), Sonny Condell (guitar, percussion, vocals)

Background

Tír na nÓg formed in Dublin in 1969 when Condell and O’Kelly (both 20) met and discovered their mutual affinity for folk music.

Condell hailed from Newtownmountkennedy in the Wicklow Hills, where he was raised on classical music. He first recorded as a member of beatsters Tramcarr 88, which included his cousin John Roberts. Their sole release, “Look” (Roberts) b/w “In the Morning” (Condell), appeared in 1969 on the Irish Song label.

O’Kelly came from Carlow, where he took to the darker and heavier side of psychedelic rock. As a teen, he played in local show bands (Tropical Showband) and beat groups (The Word). He also toured with the popular folk group Emmet Spiceland.

Condell and O’Kelly took the name Tír na nÓg — an island of eternal youth and beauty in Celtic folklore — and migrated to London, where they played the local folk clubs and landed a deal with Chrysalis Records.

Tír na nÓg

Tír na nÓg released their self-titled debut album in May 1971 on Chrysalis.

The album presents Condell and O’Kelly in a sparse acoustic setting built on interlaced guitars, close harmonies, and light percussive accents. They project an intimate sound with occasional tonal shifts that move from gentle, open-voiced passages to darker, more inward turns, marked by subtle color from psaltery, tablas, and fiddle.

Condell wrote seven songs and O’Kelly wrote five. They also included one outside piece by Ray Dolan (“Hey Friend”). Fiddler Barry Dransfield plays on the title track and Annie Crozier adds psaltery to the opener.

The set divides between airy pieces with steady rhythmic patterns, compact vignettes with sharper contours, and longer tracks that develop through gradual harmonic turns. “Time Is Like a Promise” opens with a calm, unhurried pace. “Mariner Blues” uses clipped phrases that pull against the vocal line. “Tir Na Nog” widens into a solemn narrative with rising harmonic layers and fiddle color. “Aberdeen Angus” moves in a brisk, cyclical pattern, while “Looking Up” builds tension through overlapping guitar figures. Side Two ranges from the drifting patterns of “Boat Song” to the stepped phrases of “Dance of Years” and the extended, shadowed ascent of “Piccadilly.”

A1. “Time Is Like a Promise” (2:56)
A2. “Mariner Blues” (4:12)
A3. “Daisy Lady” (2:21)
A4. “Tir Na Nog” (5:20)
A5. “Aberdeen Angus” (1:50)
A6. “Looking Up” (4:51)

B1. “Boat Song” (3:24)
B2. “Our Love Will Not Decay” (3:04)
B3. “Hey Friend” (3:01) — written by Ray Dolan
B4. “Dance of Years” (3:50)
B5. “Live a Day” (3:04)
B6. “Piccadilly” (5:35)
B7. “Dante” (2:56)

Sessions occurred in 1971 at Livingstone Studios, Barnet, London, with producer Bill Leader and engineer Nic Kinsey. Nick Harrison arranged select parts, including strings.

Chrysalis promoted Tír na nÓg with the 1970 pre-LP single “I’m Happy to Be (On This Mountain)” (b/w “Let My Love Grow”).

A Tear and a Smile

Tír na nÓg released their second album, A Tear and a Smile, on April 7, 1972, on Chrysalis.

The album expands their acoustic frame with light bass and drum parts that underline selected passages and mild strings that shade the slower pieces. Condell and O’Kelly keep the intimate, close-voiced interplay of the debut but push certain songs toward firmer rhythmic motion and more contoured refrains.

Condell wrote five songs and O’Kelly wrote five. The UK edition contains ten tracks; the North American edition replaces four UK titles with two early pieces from the debut (“Daisy Lady,” “Dante”), a revised version of “Looking Up,” and the standalone single “The Lady I Love.” Condell’s material covers the opener and two Side Two pieces; O’Kelly anchors the middle of each side.

The set moves between airy, mid-tempo pieces with gradual harmonic turns, compact tracks that hinge on clipped rhythmic patterns, and slower, wistful songs marked by suspended phrases. “Come and See the Show” rises in a firm, stepped cadence. “Down Day” stretches in a drifting pace under soft strings. “Bluebottle Stew” jumps in clipped, playful figures. “So Freely” slows into a warm, ascending motion with interwoven guitar lines, while “Lady Ocean” broadens into a soft, dusk-toned ascent.

A1. “Come and See the Show” (3:17) – Condell
A2. “Down Day” (5:50) – Condell
A3. “When I Came Down” (4:33) – O’Kelly
A4. “The Same Thing Happening” (4:47) – O’Kelly
A5. “Bluebottle Stew” (2:19) – Condell

B1. “So Freely” (3:33) – O’Kelly
B2. “Hemisphere” (2:15) – Condell
B3. “Lady Ocean” (4:33) – O’Kelly
B4. “Goodbye My Love” (4:20) – O’Kelly
B5. “Two White Horses” (2:36) – Condell

Sessions occurred in February 1972 at Morgan Studios, London, with producer Tony Cox and engineer Paul Tregurtha; Bill Leader co-produced and Nick Harrison arranged selected parts.

Chrysalis promoted A Tear and a Smile with “The Lady I Love” (b/w “Heidi”), issued in March 1972.

Strong in the Sun

Tír na nÓg released their third album, Strong in the Sun, in October 1973 on Chrysalis.

The album marks their shift from sparse acoustic interplay to a fuller, amplified sound. Producer Matthew Fisher reinforces their twin-guitar framework with keyboards, bass, and drums, giving the songs firmer rhythmic undercurrents and broader harmonic color. The duo maintain their close vocal blend while stepping into denser, arranged passages.

Condell wrote five songs and O’Kelly wrote four. They cover Nick Drake (“Free Ride”) and issued the title track as the advance single.

The set alternates between brisk, amplified pieces, quiet acoustic passages, and hybrid tracks that rise through layered instrumentation. “Whitestone Bridge” unfolds in staged sections with organ shading, tempo shifts, and sharp electric-guitar accents. “Teesside” pulls back into a gentle acoustic frame. “Cinema” moves in a restless pace with percussive drive and scattered dialogue effects. The title track lifts from a soft, minor-key opening into a brighter, contoured refrain. Side Two balances the Celtic-tinged drift of “The Wind Was High,” the quiet inward motion of “In the Morning,” the heavier rhythmic push of “Love Lost,” and the shorter, reflective turns of “Fall of Day.”

A1. “Free Ride” (3:05) – Drake
A2. “Whitestone Bridge” (4:12) – Condell
A3. “Teesside” (3:52) – Condell
A4. “Cinema” (4:39) – O’Kelly
A5. “Strong in the Sun” (3:38) – O’Kelly

B1. “The Wind Was High” (3:20) – O’Kelly
B2. “In the Morning” (3:21) – Condell
B3. “Love Lost” (3:19) – O’Kelly
B4. “Most Magical” (3:46) – Condell
B5. “Fall of Day” (2:32) – Condell

Sessions occurred between June and August 1973 at unspecified London facilities with producer Matthew Fisher and engineer Geoff Emerick.

Chrysalis promoted Strong in the Sun with “Strong in the Sun” (b/w “The Mountain and I”) in September 1973.

Discography: