Band News!
The Irish Descendants Christmas Tour
New Album Release
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
September 4, 2025
We’ve been working hard and quietly over the last number of months on a new album, and today it finally drops! ‘THOSE WERE THE DAYS’; a nod to an older style of self-contained recording and a reflective look back to the past, is made up of 8 fresh tracks recorded in one of our homes by our very own bass and tech maestro Jeff Kinsman. Featuring locally written songs (‘Wild Fields of Home’ by Tara Browne), original tunes, (‘Blowing Snow’ by our own Madeline Carter), as well as 2 re-records of the 2025 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted song (‘Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Marys’ by Otto Kelland) as well as others. The title track ‘Those Were The Days’, by Barry Kerr, with a poignant look back at better times and missed homelands, has been a highlight for audiences this year – many of you having seen us perform it during our live shows.
We hope you enjoy the album, feel free to stream/download/purchase as you feel fit! Available on all streaming and music platforms!
We will have a small run of CD’s made soon which will be available for purchase online and at our shows. As soon as they are in our hands we’ll announce it here. From all of us here at The Irish Descendants (Con, Rowan, Jeff, Madeline)
Beloved song Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s written by Newfoundland and Labrador’s Otto Kelland to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at the 37th East Coast Music Awards Gala, presented by Rogers in St. John’s, May 8
The Irish Descendants to perform ballad at Gala.
Press Release HERE
(St. John’s, NL) – One of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most beloved songs, Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s, written by native son Otto Kelland in 1947, will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) at the 37th East Coast Music Awards Gala, presented by Rogers at the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s on Thursday, May 8. Performing the ballad as part of the induction ceremony will be well-known and multi award-winning Newfoundland and Labrador Irish folk group, The Irish Descendants, who are celebrating 35 years this year.
On top of our big news of the ECMA nomination, our front man and founding band member, Con O’Brien, was also the recipient of a prestigious King Charles III’s Coronation Medal.
Criteria to be awarded this honour: “Have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada’.
35 years this year of the Irish Descendants being an entity, Con has performed over 8000 live shows across Canada and the world, sharing the music and history of Newfoundland & Labrador.
We have just been nominated for the East Coast Music Association ‘Album of the Year’ for our most recent Christmas album, ‘The Irish Descendants Christmas’. 
A huge thank you to all of our loyal fans, friends and listeners, but especially to recording engineer extraordinaire Robert Kelly, as well as Rum Ragged’s Aaron Collis for his master musicianship on the album.
