https://www.kirwantheband.com/blog daily 0.75 2023-08-02 https://www.kirwantheband.com/blog/americanidol2 monthly 0.5 2023-08-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/6cd5ce80-191c-4594-8c98-161a84578ea9/IMG_2260.JPG Blog - American Idol (Part 2) - In November 2020, Colm and I made our way to Ojai, California where the first auditions in front of the celebrity judges were to occur. Covid was still rampant at this stage, so we had to quarantine in our hotel room for a few days before the audition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/299eeac3-a7d2-469c-adf8-8e3a33e6965e/OJAI+hotel+selfie+with+my+love.jpg Blog - American Idol (Part 2) - After receiving the Golden ticket Colm and I flew back to Nashville to bide our time until we heard more details about when Hollywood Week would happen. The in-between waiting for Hollywood week was extremely nerve-wracking and caused me a lot of anxiety, especially as all contestants at that time had been informed that if anyone were to get covid right before or during Hollywood week they would automatically be cut from the show! I was so afraid of getting covid and this whole opportunity coming to an end but again I was so thankful for Colm, my rock, who constantly reminded me to fix my eyes on Jesus and put my trust in him and not make American idol my idol (pardon the pun lol). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/aa2b6fac-6547-4107-aa63-fcbee152b48b/tempImage0hq5PP.jpg Blog - American Idol (Part 2) - I made it through the first couple of rounds of Hollywood week and then I eventually got cut in the duet rounds. When I finally heard the words, ‘Sorry you’re going home Caitriona’ I felt the biggest weight lift from off my shoulders, I felt a huge relief! I was finally flying home to be with my husband and my favorite time of the year, Christmas, was just around the corner. In fact, there were A LOT of unforeseen things that lay around the corner, miraculous and amazing things! Things like doing a Kickstarter campaign and raising the money to record our first ever full-length record and getting to do it with the love of my life all WHILE carrying our precious child in my womb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/54482461-a944-4259-aa48-4fb4dd87a2b5/tempImageX3CGJA.jpg Blog - American Idol (Part 2) - Tears flow to my eyes as I think of God’s abundant blessings and especially as I think of the many lies the enemy had sowed in my heart that I believed for so long and how God has poured out so much healing, truth, and grace upon my life since then. Looking back, I can now see how God used American Idol in a magnificent way. It wasn’t the story that I had played out in my mind but wow how it plays a beautiful part in God’s story that he writing for my life. The truth is that’s the story I want, God’s story because that’s the BEST story! WOW! Our God is a good good God! HE is my IDOL! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/194221b1-b53b-407e-a6fb-9222ee43d3cd/IMG_5034.jpg Blog - American Idol (Part 2) - When Hollywood week finally arrived, I was so disappointed and gutted to hear that Colm wouldn’t be allowed to come with me, usually, contestants could bring someone with them for support but that all changed because of covid. I was flying solo this time and I wasn’t very thrilled about that, at all! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/438f1aee-bd89-4d42-9a19-080791754646/IMG_5821.jpg Blog - American Idol (Part 2) - Maybe, it was something I would have really wanted when I was 18 and music was my only outlet, perhaps, maybe even to fulfill other people’s dreams they had for me and my life. But the truth was starting to unfold….My heart was changing, I was changing and the biggest of all, my dreams were changing too. I wasn’t 18 anymore, I was married now, and I was beginning to feel more and more called to build a life together WITH my husband, not separated from him. WE were beginning to feel called to start telling our story together through the gifts and talents God had blessed us with, the same gifts and talents that initially brought us together. https://www.kirwantheband.com/blog/americanidol1 monthly 0.5 2023-07-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/a08121b5-b0c0-4dda-9c12-e0673c706444/mountain+top+camino+2020.JPG Blog - American Idol (Part 1) The first few rounds of auditions for American Idol took place online via Skype. It was pretty nerve-wracking but I kept reminding myself what have I got to lose, we’re in lockdown! I made it through those first few rounds of auditions and received the good news that I had been chosen to audition in front of the celebrity judges in California! However, travel to America at this stage was STILL totally shut down, so again, it felt like an impossibility, yet we continued to remind each other that if this is something that God wants for us, HE can move mountains, somehow HE would get us to California for the audition and there were just a few months to do it! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/f5fce7ec-507c-451c-b95c-43026b71cd2d/janitor+picture+july+2020.jpg Blog - American Idol (Part 1) - However, after much prayer, discernment and a lot of conversations with God and Colm, we both agreed, what have we got to lose? After all, we were in the middle of a lockdown, and I, especially, after a few months of 4am wake up calls to clean and mop store floors, was so over it! And so, I gave God my yes, we gave God our Yes! We agreed that I would audition for the show. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/e3d6c44f-d55b-4bac-b4ac-e6fe4dc584b1/camino+starting+line+2020.JPG Blog - American Idol (Part 1) - In the meantime, while we waited to see what God would do, we decided to go backpacking for a month across Europe, walking the El Camino De Santiago and stopping off in Italy for our honeymoon before returning home to Ireland. When we arrived back home in Ireland after backpacking, we still had no idea if it would be possible for us to get back to America in time for the audition. It wasn’t until a few short weeks before the audition happened that God miraculously opened up a way for us to get back! So, we booked our flights and off we set to….. MEXICO, to quarantine for a couple of weeks before finally making our way to sunny California! To be continued…… (American Idol Blog Part Two, Coming Soon!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/50d42643-d744-4285-a547-225a8a82d189/IMG_2192.JPG Blog - American Idol (Part 1) Back in March 2020 during the Covid Pandemic Colm and I moved back home to Ireland from Nashville TN, just a few short months after we married. We were living with Colm's mom at the time and working as Janitors in a local department store (the only jobs we could get to keep us sane and get us out of the house during lockdown), it was around that time, Summer of 2020 when a talent scout approached me about the possibility of auditioning for the show. Initially, my first response was a resounding No! Singing competitions scare me! I had a few not-so-good experiences competing growing up which knocked my confidence and so my biggest fear was that this would happen all over again! https://www.kirwantheband.com/blog/yourheartismyhome monthly 0.5 2023-04-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/2c3b258d-80cf-45fe-b0f5-963986f4fa4f/_1404698.JPG Blog - ‘Your Heart Is My Home’ To say there were bumps on the road seems like an understatement at times, the truth is at this time it felt like my whole world was unravelling and I was facing some of the biggest decisions I had ever had to make. There was no doubt in my heart that I was falling head over heels in love with Colm but at the same time I come from a really big and super wonderful tight knit family and the very thought of having to leave the home I grew up in, and leave each of my loved ones, caused me much confusion and pain at this time, and I know it was troubling for my family too, especially my Mum and Dad… I was torn https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/1678019121801-NRW2T4X8IIHG2S9ONR2F/9DC0334E-4988-489B-8FB5-95ABC55A45F2.jpeg Blog - ‘Your Heart Is My Home’ - After, what felt like forever, a 2 hour drive to his family home in Omagh I dropped him off. He surprised me with a gift he had got me on a recent trip to Iceland. A hand knitted woolen hat and a heart shaped stone he had found walking on the black sand beaches there, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips and walked away. I then drove all the way home crying my eyes out every minute of the journey, sobbing (very out of character for me at this time in life, usually quite hard hearted) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/cf57afc5-1523-4246-bdfa-22df095ffc23/_r4a7969.JPG Blog - ‘Your Heart Is My Home’ - When I shared this song with Colm he wept, no surprise there he’s a crier, although I find my heart softening these days too and the tears more easily flow for me, especially since becoming a mother. This song fast became one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written and it felt so important that we record it together, it’s a constant reminder to us both that it doesn’t matter what life presents us with, we will face it together as a family, united in love, one heart, one Home! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/f8397fd0-fcdf-4336-a720-c0874e60c1d8/IMG_2364.JPG Blog - ‘Your Heart Is My Home’ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/1678019191750-WUTBX7BYLCFVQX56GQB6/A0A2EFEC-7038-49D7-B195-21C773C60FF8.jpeg Blog - ‘Your Heart Is My Home’ - Little did I know he had been praying a 9 Day Novena prayer of intercession to St Therese of Liseaux (tenderly known as ‘The Little Flower’) for Clarity on our relationship and whether I truly was the one or not. If you aren’t familiar with this Novena, you pray with your specific intention for 9 days and it is said that St Therese would often send roses from heaven as a sign of an answered prayer and clarity. When Colm walked into his Mums house that day, there, directly in front of him was a large bouquet of pink and red roses, an answered prayer even if he didn’t like the answer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/faa060f7-b508-4803-95a5-86e39162befa/IMG_5073.JPG Blog - ‘Your Heart Is My Home’ - It was October 1st 2018, Colm had just landed in Dublin airport flying back to see me and I was picking him up to bring him home. Within 5 minutes of him getting in the car, after a long 12 hours plus of traveling from the USA, I blurted out the words “I’m sorry, I can’t do this anymore….. I have to break this off….. can we just be friends.” After a long period of, understandable, silence from Colm, and a look of shock, in typical calm collected Colm style he said “Wow, I didn’t see that coming, but I have to admit I knew something was up, I just didn’t expect this. Wow. Well I guess I understand and ultimately I want what’s best for you.” https://www.kirwantheband.com/blog/loveatfirstsight monthly 0.5 2023-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/d3dad065-3d01-46a0-b1a2-28de8020fc19/97a429a4-d7c9-474a-b362-2b14995b1c48.jpg Blog - Love at first sight? - June 9th 2018 (My Birthday) in Caitriona’s family kitchen in County Down, late at night after a gig, together dancing to an Ed Sheeran song playing on my phone in my back pocket, we shared our first nervous kiss. It was perfect! Happiest Birthday Ever!!! That night we officially started dating and quickly we were imagining a future together, the trouble was we still lived thousands of miles apart, someone had to make a move, but who? I was happy living my dream life in Nashville as a singer songwriter and Caitriona had no intentions to leave Ireland, God had a lot of work to do in our hearts, there was much to discern and pray about, tears and fears kicked in plenty during those days but we both agreed that if it was truly meant to be God would take care of the details, we just had to surrender and say ‘yes’ to His will. We still live our lives by this. He guided us both slow and sure, step by step. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/e3bb8aaf-ac50-4be6-a568-31a03dbcd059/daafdd68-b398-4cfb-919b-3b426d9990f3.jpg Blog - Love at first sight? - Caitriona, still living in Ireland, was visiting Nashville with her Mum and Dad on a songwriting trip. After a busy day of cowrites Caitriona’s Dad decided he wanted Irish food (no joke, if this man doesn’t have potatoes on his plate, it’s not a proper meal!), so they all made their way to McNamara’s Irish pub and restaurant (Caitriona reluctantly, as she was tired from the full day of cowrites). It turned out they happened to know the fiddle player on stage that night, Jessica, and at the break she introduced us all. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/ea27f146-5b62-4358-96f8-58a72ecc6d9a/IMG_2663.JPG Blog - Love at first sight? Full of curiosity I asked if Caitriona would like to get up and sing a song, her Mum and Dad without hesitation said yes for her. This is where the ‘both and’ comes in play, although neither of us would say it to each other until much further down the road, in hindsight we both recognized something special was in the air that night, we just didn’t know what, yet. It was complicated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/e87caa75-b664-4507-bddb-09203ffd8b10/456a9784.JPG Blog - Love at first sight? - 5 months passed with little to no contact but we did get a cowrite on the books, March 19th 2018, after a busy week of shows for both of us in Nashville. St Patricks Day/Week Celebrations in America are a good time to be Irish Singers, you’re in demand! Ironically the first song we wrote was called ‘Time Has Run Out,’ a break up song idea that Caitriona, unaware, brought to the table that day, I in fact had just gone through a break up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/f8af5459-9783-4f1b-9c29-541f5a468612/IMG_6043.jpg Blog - Love at first sight? - By now most of you know parts of our story, and of course it’s hard to share everything of those early days, but in brief, here goes. It was October 2017, I was performing a residency at an Irish pub and restaurant in Nashville called McNamara’s. At this stage I’d been living, writing and performing in Nashville for over 7 years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/7e73493b-0872-4deb-9f11-f21a672e7d43/IMG_6133.JPG Blog - Love at first sight? God did work out all the details, of course with some bumps in the road, and very quickly marriage was being talked about, but a lot had to happen before then, and still the Atlantic Ocean was between us…….but He is faithful, and He makes our crooked paths straight. https://www.kirwantheband.com/blog/kirwansfirst monthly 0.5 2023-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/76a45415-7933-4634-9294-0090e2afa6f3/finished+the+camino+aug+2020.jpg Blog - Kirwan’s first. - During that time every show we had booked had been cancelled, therefore our entire income evaporated over night. We both did what was necessary and got jobs working as cleaners/janitors in a department store in Omagh, not quite how we imagined our first few months of marriage to look like. (more of this story for another day). Working during the height of lockdown we saved enough money to go backpacking when restrictions temporarily lifted in Europe. We walked the ‘El Camino De Santiago,’ an ancient pilgrimage path 550 miles across Spain to the relics of St James the Apostle in Santiago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/ae61969d-be83-4bf6-9dce-1639d2da4c39/IMG_8730.jpg Blog - Kirwan’s first. - All this is merely a glance at the past three years. But as we reflect on our journey to date we are continually reminded of how God is in all of the details. There have been many highs and lows, big life changes, obstacles and challenges that we have had to face together in these first three short years of marriage, but we’re a team, a duo, a partnership, equally yoked we do it all together so it makes it all that little bit easier and much more meaningful. We feel very blessed and full of gratitude for this great adventure and journey of life together, we don’t know what God has planned for us ahead, we don’t need to, all we need is each other and together to say “yes, thy will be done.” We trust He will provide everything we need along the way. We have faith. What a glorious gift it is, this wonderful life we all live. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/d117ca33-9f21-4abd-85ef-a0534042c454/untitled+%28523+of+1225%29.JPG Blog - Kirwan’s first. - Why you ask? Well that’s an easy answer! We both feel that God has blessed us with a beautiful story and testimony, one which people often ask us to share more of, blogging is a great way to do so. What better time to start than now, the New Year! Happy New Year, it’s already 2023 wow! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/090d3f0a-4d88-4793-811b-2cdc8fcfe1e0/tempImage4YegEu.jpg Blog - Kirwan’s first. - Although we loved being back with family in Ireland, our Nashville Music City Dreams were still very much alive and calling. An opportunity came our way and the door to America for music opened once more, although via Tijuana Mexico, where we had to quarantine for 2 weeks before entering the USA. (again a whole other story for another day, God is good.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/1669592817580-TPX8MQTNZGDVMHKYXZL9/untitled+%28389+of+1225%29.jpg Blog - Kirwan’s first. - These past three years of our lives have felt like a crazy supersonic rollercoaster ride, a great adventure… 2020 kickstarted with our marriage to each other, we tied the knot in Ireland among family and friends, it was a beautiful dream winter wedding. Soon after we packed our suitcases and moved across the ocean to Nashville TN, where we officially met and where Colm had been living for over a decade, however due to the COVID 19 pandemic we moved all the way back to Ireland 2 short months later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/7ac68374-3062-4002-8d38-20345f302ddd/rome+ice+cream+2020.jpg Blog - Kirwan’s first. - Somehow, still in this temporary window where restrictions had been lifted, we celebrated an unexpected honeymoon in Italy spending time in both Rome and Assisi, of course minus all the usual thousands of tourists, we quietly navigated and explored these beautiful cities, the Churches, Cathedrals, ancient architecture, all the history, whilst drinking amazing cafe espresso, fine wines, and eating copious amounts of Pizza, Pasta, Gelato and Tiramisu (our favorite). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/7881eaf2-4977-4745-b3b8-049e4f1675f1/tempImagecFqapF.jpg Blog - Kirwan’s first. - In 2021, now back in Tennessee, we launched our first kickstarter campaign to record our debut album, which is now SO SO close to completion and release! (Watch this space!!!!!) The most monumental change in our lives though, also came in 2021, we found out we were pregnant! From the beginning of our marriage we have always prayed for children and been open to life and on July 5th 2022 God answered those prayers as we welcomed into the world our beautiful daughter ‘Chiara Joy Kirwan’ weighing in at a whopping 9lbs 8.5oz. A bundle of our pure joy and love. (This too is certainly a story for a whole other day. All Mothers love a good birth story!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/70c1bcf3-ad8d-46db-b167-ebcd498f22f6/tempImageiWmt9R.jpg Blog - Kirwan’s first. - A very blessed 2023 to each and every one of you, we’re praying for you, please keep our wee family in your prayers too! Until we meet again. We love ya! New Blog Posts and New Music coming real soon. https://www.kirwantheband.com/our-story daily 0.75 2022-06-09 https://www.kirwantheband.com/contact-us daily 0.75 2022-03-11 https://www.kirwantheband.com/music daily 0.75 2024-09-13 https://www.kirwantheband.com/home daily 1.0 2024-10-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/bb4d56b1-a348-410c-a8c0-6121a4eb4dc7/3000x3000-2810274--E2293A16-E783-4E5A-82819ABD252D5A96--0--7950841--BlueTanWhiteModernMinimalAestheticWaterMusicAlbumCover9copy.jpg https://www.kirwantheband.com/shows daily 0.75 2022-02-01 https://www.kirwantheband.com/bio daily 0.75 2024-09-13 https://www.kirwantheband.com/shop daily 0.75 2024-10-07 https://www.kirwantheband.com/shop/p/shopkirwan monthly 0.5 2024-10-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/87322861-f260-47c2-8a53-ede2e503f8eb/3000x3000-2810274--E2293A16-E783-4E5A-82819ABD252D5A96--0--7950841--BlueTanWhiteModernMinimalAestheticWaterMusicAlbumCover9copy+2.JPG Shop - "KIRWAN' Debut Album https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61f97c214445870b3462ab61/fabedf45-00e5-42d3-a502-5053f30e33e4/Add+a+heading.zip+-+3.PNG Shop - "KIRWAN' Debut Album