David Larkin sings Percy French to celebrate centenary

David Larkin’s debut album of hand-picked Percy French compositions accompanied by superb traditional musicians, brings Percy’s songs of rural life in Ireland a century ago to a whole new audience.

His rousing interpretations emphasise the humour and narrative of the songs in a very distinctive manner.

Citing singers such as Tim Lyons, Dick Hogan, Tony Small, Terry Smith, Willie Green, Éamonn Brophy, Seán Ryan, and Pat Conneely as major influences David exhibits how he has readily absorbed the art of story-telling by means of song.

David has co-hosted the ever popular and widely acclaimed I’m Singing In The Crane singing session in Galway’s Crane Bar since 2013. His voice and face are well-known at the myriad of singing sessions, festivals, and weekends throughout the west of Ireland and at The Willie Clancy Summer School in Milltown Malbay where he is a popular contributor to their daily singing sessions.

David delivered a talk on the life and times of Percy French at The Percy French Festival in Castlecoote, Co. Roscommon in July 2020. He has been a guest at The Frank Finn Traditional Singing Weekend in Rosses Point, County Sligo (2018) and at The South Roscommon Singers Festival in Knockcroghery (2008). In 2012 / ’13 / ’14 he delivered singing workshops as part of ‘Julie’s Extraordinary Festival de Musique Irlandaise à Tournay’ in the French Pyrenees.

David also plays mouth-organ and is a regular contributor at sessions in Galway and elsewhere west of The Shannon.

Since February 2016 David Larkin has been sharing his huge passion for traditional Irish music and song with the public through his weekly programme, Larkin About, on Galway’s Flirt FM. The programme has gained an international audience through being podcast on Mixcloud.

The album can be purchased by contacting David through Larkin’s Beehive FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/larkid7/

It will also be available shortly on Bandcamp


We all give our spare time to run folking.com. Our aim has always been to keep folking a free service for our visitors, artists, PR agencies and tour promoters. If you wish help out and donate something (running costs currently funded by Paul Miles), please click the PayPal link below to send us a small one off payment or a monthly contribution.