Niamh Creggan has announced on her Facebook page that she and James McDonald have split up. According to her statement:-
“I’m sorry to say that James and Niamh is over. I want to thank everyone who supported us in every way over the past two years. It has been the most amazing experience for me and I have loved it so much! I’m not stopping gigging, I’m going out on my own. This weekend you can catch me in The Persian Bar Carn Donagh on Friday from 10:30. And The Point Inn this Sunday from 9:30. Hope to see you there! Niamh X”
It’s been a wild ride for the two of them. They were just 14 when Eddie Harkin saw them on a YouTube video and contacted them asking if they wanted to try out on a Sunday evening in Rosatos. I saw the same video and thought it was OK but he saw something in them. They were delighted when he paid them.
He then booked them regularly for Rosatos and they ended up playing in the square on the main stage in the now defunct Lighthouse Festival. Each time you saw them they got better. I remember telling Niamh’s parents that one time, and they told me “You say that every time”. It was because it was true.
They impressed Beatles manager Tony Bramwell when they played for him at the BeatlesFest last year.
It looks as if Niamh will continue gigging but by herself. James’s plans aren’t known yet but he has been getting a reputation amongst the other bands in the town as being a great musician.
I remember talking to him when the Small Gods, Moville’s supergroup comprised of band members from The Yetis, Spring Tides and Pablo ‘N Red were playing and he said he would love to be playing with them and that’s what he wanted to do.
It looks as if they saw their careers as going in different directions.
Good luck to both of them. They provided us with a lot of entertainment.
I got them to learn Joni Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi as it suited Niamh’s voice. They did and it goes down well.
But don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.