GLEN HANSARD ON DECLAN O'ROURKE: "ONE OF THE TRUE GREATS"

O'ROURKE LAUNCHES EAST COAST TOUR DECEMBER 3

This week, Oscar- and Tony-Award winner and composer of the hit Broadway musical Once, Glen Hansard weighed in on Declan O'Rourke, saying, "Declan O'Rourke is one of the rare breed, he arrived fully formed, his songs, and delivery belie his age, and ours. He's a timeless troubadour with a voice that breaks through all your defenses and gets to the heart of the matter. One of the true greats of our island."

O'Rourke will kick off an east coast tour on December 3 as others have sung his praises from NPR World Café, which tabbed him a "Next" artist, to USA Today, which said, "The Irish balladeer's storytelling skills shine."

Travel + Leisure premiered the "Time Machine" video.

Declan O'Rourke December East Coast Tour Dates

December 3 - Tellus 360 - Lancaster, PA

December 4 – Passim - Cambridge, MA

December 6 - The Cutting Room - New York, NY

December 7 - Divinity Lutheran Church - Baltimore, MD

Declan O'Rourke "Be Brave and Believe" music video

"WARM, ENVELOPING VOICE" (WSJ) OF "BALLADEER" (NY TIMES) DECLAN O'ROURKE COMING TO CUTTING ROOM SEPT 25 FOR 'MAG PAI ZAI' (RIMECOAT / MISSING PIECE RECORDS) US ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT

RETURN PERFORMANCE AFTER SEVEN SOLD OUT NIGHTS IN SPRING

Irish top ten vocalist Declan O'Rourke will perform an album release show for 'Mag Pai Zai' at the Cutting Room in NYC on September 25. The enchanting melodist's album will be released via digital download September 24 and nationally distributed on CD October 8. Paul Weller has said of O'Rourke, "He writes the sort of classic songs that people don't write anymore, songs that sound like they've been around forever." Last week, the Wall Street Journal premiered the first song from 'Mag Pai Zai.'

Earlier this year, Jon Pareles reviewed O'Rourke's set for the New York Times as part of the seven nights of sold out shows at the Irish Arts Center in April: http://nyti.ms/10DGE7G

O'Rourke has opened for Bob Dylan and performed alongside Bono.

"Be Brave And Believe" music video.

WHO: Irish Top 10 artist Declan O'Rourke

WHAT: NYC album release show for 'Mag Pai Zai'

WHEN: 8pm, Wednesday, September 25, 2013

WHERE: The Cutting Room, 44 E 32^nd St
TICKETS: $20 in advance via Ticket Fly, $25 day of show at the door

US RELEASE SET FOR ARTIST DECLAN O'ROURKE'S IRISH TOP TEN ALBUM 'MAG PAI ZAI' ON RIMECOAT / MISSING PIECE RECORDS

NY TIMES: "HIS CALLING IS AS A BALLADEER"

PAUL WELLER ON O'ROURKE: "HE WRITES THE SORT OF CLASSIC SONGS THAT PEOPLE DON'T WRITE ANYMORE, SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOREVER."

WSJ PREMIERES 1ST SONG

Declan O'Rourke's 'Mag Pai Zai,' which rocketed to number six on the Albums Top 100 chart in Ireland, will be released in the US on Rimecoat / Missing Piece Records. Recalling the masterful melodic and vocal gifts of Rufus Wainwright, Harry Nilsson, and Van Morrison, the album will be released via digital download September 24 and distributed on CD October 8.

For the New York Times, Jon Pareles wrote, "Compassion, romance, a sense of mortality and a sense of history run through the songs of Declan O’Rourke... The gravity of unaccompanied traditional Irish ballads — the deliberation in their melodies, their calmly sustained phrases, their fatalistic undertone — informs his songs, whether they’re about faithful love or reckoning with elemental forces."

The Wall Street Journal premiered the first track from 'Mag Pai Zai' today. Eric Danton praises O'Rourke's "warm, enveloping voice."

O'Rourke's song "Galileo (Someone Like You)" was recorded by Josh Groban on his album 'Illuminations,' which charted at number four on the Billboard 200 in the US. Growing up between Australia and Dublin, Ireland, O'Rourke has opened for Snow Patrol, Badly Drawn Boy, John Prine, and Weller. He has also performed on BBC2 and BBC4.

-->Interviewed in Hot Press, Brendan Graham, who penned the worldwide smash hit 'You Raise Me Up'said, "To me, Declan is not a songwriter within the ordinary definition of the word. He is a sorcerer of songs, with a Dickensian skill for finding the moment that details some aspect of our humanity."

All Music Guide called 'Mag Pai Zai' "captivating."

US tour dates are in the works, including an NYC show.

'Mag Pai Zai' Track Listing

1.    Time Machine
2.    Slieve Bloom
3.    Be Brave & Believe
4.    Dancing Song
5.    Caterpiller DNA
6.    Lightning Bird Wind River Man
7.    Langley's Requiem
8.    A Little Something
9.    The Hardest Fight
10.    Orphan Wind Song
11.    Galileo (live, bonus track)
12.    Marrying the Sea (live, bonus track)