What's the origin of your band's name?

The name came out of a song I wrote inspired by a witch-like being... I am not the baby witch! I liked the idea of performing under a different name because it allows me to disassociate myself from the slightly narcissistic task of trying to promote oneself and one’s music.

Who are the members of your band and what instrument do they play?

The band itself is a fluid concept with an evolving cast of collaborators - it began with piano and drums but has recently expanded to include a concert harp. I’ve in fact fallen in love with the vertical/horizontal possibilities of overlapping piano and harp lines, and in more intimate venues I think the songs work well with just myself and my harp fairy Meabh. I also live with a wonderful cellist and bassoon player who come on board when I am in the mood for chamber orchestra arrangements/family affair!

How would you describe your sound?

I suppose it’s quite melody driven... definitely a little bit French! My songs are often inspired by dreams or daydreams so I think that gives them a slightly surreal, impressionist quality. There is an element of playful fantasy which can give way to a bit of tongue-in-cheek cabaret in the live performance... Serge Gainsbourg style…“je t’aime moi non plus”!

What local gigs do you have coming up?

I’m based in Dublin now so most of my upcoming gigs are down here but I am really looking forward to the Fermanagh Live show. I played my first ever ticketed gig in the Gallery Bar in 2014 and though I still think that was a perfectly insane thing to do - to fly home as a fledgling performer and play for the home crowd - that gig miraculously went very well and I’m hoping it will be even better this time around.

What is your favourite song to play and why?

Ooh that depends very much on the day, mood, headspace - It's always thrilling to play a new song live for the first time and see how it goes down. “Soap Girls” and “Jane Birkin” are quite new at the moment and have that exciting energy about them.

What has been your biggest gig to date?

Playing Electric Picnic was cool, I also loved the Rockwood Music Hall in New York and the Academy in Dublin. My first Baby Witch gig was a fundraiser for Repeal and Lisa Hannigan was also on the bill which made our first ever soundcheck slightly more nerve wracking as she sat there looking on from the bar. She was an absolute sweetheart though and as it turns out a complete cheese fiend so I sent her some fancy fromage in the post. (In my other/concurrent life I represent Cashel Blue cheese in France & the Benelux which actually pays the bills!)

Any funny gig/rehearsal stories?

I got a call from my friend a few weeks ago asking me would I sing on a biscuit jingle the following day for a hundred quid... I said yes not having a clue what it was and arrived in to a studio full of Club Milks and a PR team in charge of “if you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit” part II. I suggested we remake the 90s one and got a few daggers. I have yet to hear the new one on the radio, no doubt it’s mortifying!

Who are your major influences?

Classical music especially the romantics Satie, Debussy… Baroque (love harpsichords!)…French chanson Piaf, Brel, Gainsbourg..the sixties…90s trip hop…of course my favourite song writers… Carole King, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Kate Bush, ABBA, Beth Gibbons…

What inspires your songwriting?

Gifts of lines from poetic friends, taxi drivers, family members, Wes Anderson movie scenes, Harry Clarke’s stain glass masterpieces, Plathian similes, Fermanagh, Paris, Dublin, their muses…

What is your dream gig?

Anywhere with a full orchestra! Maybe the Olympia in Paris or the Concert Hall in Dublin.

What is the best thing about performing?

Before I go onstage I am extremely nervous and quite hectic to be around. Then thank God something comes over my body when I’m high on adrenaline and it’s like accessing a more finely tuned version of myself, the person I would love to be all the time… whereby the clumsy, overthinking side of my brain is turned off and I start to feel larger than life. If the gig’s going well! If it’s not sometimes I want to end myself and/or certain audience members.

Any last words?

Thanks a million to Fermanagh Live for inviting me back up to the lake lands! I can't wait.