Peter Delaney

Peter Delaney – Pariah Chimes (mp3)
Peter Delaney – If You Become Impossible (mp3) via MySpace

As a kind of pre-St Patrick’s Day celebration, this week will be Irish week on Uke Hunt. And to kick this off, Ireland’s favourite ukulele troubadour, Peter Delaney.

Peter Delaney started out with his brother Neil as part of the indie band Red Eskimo. During a band hiatus in 1995, he picked up the ukulele and started writing songs. He takes much his inspiration from Hawaiian music. The song Pariah Chimes takes its name from Hawaiian tunes such as Moana Chimes and Maui Chimes (although it doesn’t use the chiming harmonics that gives those tunes their names). His songs have a similar lilting, delicate tone as Hawaiian music, but the tunes are certainly not Hawaiian imitations. The act he reminds me of most is Scottish traditional singer Alasdair Roberts. They have a similar way of drawing you into the story of the songs and infecting you with their mood.

Delaney has released an EP, Duck Egg Blue, but good luck getting your hands on one if you don’t live in Ireland or Oslo.

UPDATE: You can now buy the EP on his MySpace.