Song penned on Grand Canal set for release this week

A song penned by musican Wayne Brennan while on board a boat on the Grand Canal as part of a project commissioned by Offaly County Council will be available on iTunes from Friday, August 17. The song - "Roots in these Lands" - was written by Wayne during his participation in "A Grand Experience", a film documentary about the artistic response of three artists on a week-long trip of the Grand Canal from Shannon Harbour to Edenderry. Wayne's task on the journey was to write a song capturing the essence of the journey through his musical talent. The final product portrays his love for his home county and his country. "There is so much beauty and mystique at the heart of the country and I was honoured to be given the task of expressing my love for my homeland," Wayne said this week. "Roots in these Lands" premiers on local radio this week. The song also won first prize recently at the prestigious Sean McCarthy Irish song contest in Listowel, Co Kerry. Contest adjudicator and world famous fiddle player Frankie Gavin said at that competition that artists like Christy Moore "would love to get their hands on this song", so impressed was he with it. Wayne Brennan is originally from Daingean. He released his debut album "In My Hands" in 2009. He has spent the last year travelling the world, but hopes his latest song will ignite pride in the people of his home county for years to come. More information on Wayne and his music is available at www.waynebrennan.com.