New Irish Music – McGrath – Burn Daylight

You can find the sweet sounds of McGrath below. McGrath is the recording name of Mick Russell, and this is his second single, following on from Rotha.

There’s a chance to see him play in Whelan’s in early July, as part of Whelan’s Summer Watch. Further Tour dates are after the videos below.

Irish artist and songwriter McGrath (Mick Russell) returns with his new single Burn Daylight, released June 18th via Some Action Records. Following the striking introduction of debut single Rotha, McGrath continues to establish himself as one of Ireland’s most distinctive emerging voices, pairing vivid storytelling with sharp wit, emotional honesty, and a singular vocal presence.

Originally from Donegal and now based in Belfast, McGrath was first discovered performing in a local pub, where his commanding voice and sharply observed songwriting quickly turned heads. Singing songs about drinking stout with his father, the arrival of the horsemen of the apocalypse, and the endless turns of Rotha Mór an tSaoil (‘The Great Wheel of Life’), McGrath balances humour, melancholy, and poetic insight in equal measure.

On Burn Daylight, McGrath shifts inward, exploring the loneliness and longing that comes with separation from someone you love. Built around a dreamlike, trance-indebted atmosphere, the track captures the strange emotional limbo of distance—when time slows, absence lingers, and every passing hour feels suspended.

Speaking about the track, McGrath says:

“This is for anyone who has had to endure being away from their significant other. Whether that be for professional reasons or otherwise. Loneliness creeps in and sometimes you just want the sun to burn away the day so you’re that bit closer to returning to the one you love. I wanted a dream/trance-like sound to convey the out-of-body feeling that this can evoke.”

UPCOMING SHOWS
June 20th — The Sásta Sessions, Black Box, Belfast
June 27th — British Summer Time, Hyde Park, London
June 28th — State Fayre Festival, Chelmsford
July 4th — Whelan’s Summer Watch, Whelans, Dublin

UPCOMING SHOWS
June 20th – The SÁSTA Sessions, Black Box, Belfast
June 27th – British Summer Time Festival, Hyde Park, London
June 28th – State Fayre Festival, Chelmsford
July 4th – Whelan’s Summer Watch, Whelan’s, Dublin
August 3rd – Fleadh 2026, The Telegraph Building, Belfast
August 8th – Fleadh 2026, The Telegraph Building, Belfast

HEADLINE TOUR

November 24th – Ruby Sessions, Dublin
November 25th – Upstairs at Whelan’s, Dublin
November 26th – Róisín Dubh, Galway
November 27th – DeBarra’s, Clonakilty
November 28th – Steamboat Music (instore), Limerick
November 29th – Cleere’s, Kilkenny

December 1st – Castle Hotel, Manchester
December 2nd – SWG3 Poetry Club, Glasgow
December 3rd – Northern Guitars, Leeds
December 4th – Upstairs at The Lower Third, London