Alison O'Donnell

singer, musician and writer of songs & soundscapes

  • The Owl Service & Alison O’Donnell The Fabric of Folk (Reissue) + Concert 2008 CD Hobby-Horse 2026

  • United Bible Studies Strange Is The Coastline CD Talking Elephant/vinyl Hobby-Horse 2025

    Alison O’Donnell & Gayle Brogan, A Colloquy of Birds, Sonido Polifonico April 2025, vinyl, CD, digital.

  • Alison O’Donnell & Gayle Brogan Double A-Side 7” Lathe, Sonido Polifonico 2022

  • Art of Life Records (Leandro Kalen) Above and Below - The Music of Allan Holdsworth Volume 1 compilation, 2022

  • Alison O’Donnell Hark The Voice That Sings For All (new songs in an ancient tradition) Talking Elephant Records 2022

  • A Cat Compendium Lost in Catland 2021 www.thehareandthemoon.bandcamp.com

  • Firefay & Alison O’Donnell The Travels of Janus 2021 www.alisonodonnell.bandcamp.com

  • United Bible Studies The Night Fell Off Its Axis 2020 https://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/

  • Head South By Weaving & Alison O’Donnell Five Forests’ digital Bandcamp release 2020.

  • Alison O’Donnell Spread Your Sailing Angels Over Me (50 years of song) Compilation 2020 https://alisonodonnell.bandcamp.com/

  • United Bible Studies Roses in the Voltage I- A Hillside Emanation 2020 https://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/

  • United Bible Studies Roses in the Voltage II - A Riverside Emanation 2020 https://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/

  • United Bible Studies Roses in the Voltage III - A Shoreside Emanation 2020 https://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/

  • United Bible Studies Roses in the Voltage IV - A Roadside Emanation 2020 https://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/

  • United Bible Studies Unify 2020 https://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/

  • United Bible Studies Three Barrows Round 2020 https://united-bible-studies.bandcamp.com/

  • Alison O’Donnell Exotic Masks and Sensible Shoes CD Floating World Records 2019

  • United Bible Studies Cave Hill Ascension vinyl Pariah Child 2019

  • United Bible Studies The Star of The Sea Moves Today To Its Rising CD Deep Water Acres 2017

  • Alison O'Donnell Climb Sheer The Fields Of Peace vinyl/CD/digital Mega Dodo 2017

  • United Bible Studies Rosary Bleeds vinyl Golden Pavilion 2016

  • United Bible Studies Soregh, Murne & Fast 2015.

  • United Bible Studies The Ale's What Cures Ye, MIE 2015.

  • United Bible Studies So As To Preserve The Mystery, Deep Water 2015.

  • The Owl Service & Alison O'Donnell The Fabric of Folk (redux edition), reissue EP, SPC 2015.

  • Firefay & Alison O'Donnell Anointed Queen, Stone Tape CD 2014 and Golden Pavilion vinyl 2016.

  • United Bible Studies, Doineann, A Year in the Country 2014.

  • United Bible Studies, Box Social (live 2009) Reverb Worship 2014.

  • Compilation: Songs from the Black Meadow (Black Meadow Song) 2014 and Mega Dodo 2016.

  • Head South By Weaving & Alison O'Donnell The Execution of Frederick Baker, (vinyl & CD) Ritual Echo 2012/13.

  • Compilation

  • Compilation Buntús Rince: Explorations in Irish Jazz, Fusion & Folk 1969-81. 2019 (Lonely Man by Mellow Candle).

  • The Flooers O' The Forest, Songs and Music of Flodden, 1513-2013, 500th Anniversary (Flodden Field from the EP The Fabric of Folk), Greentrax Recordings.

  • Plankton, A Fruits de Mer Collection, (vinyl) Record Collector, 2013 & (CD) 2016.

  • United Bible Studies & Jozef Van Wissem Downland, (vinyl) Deserted Village/Incunabulum 2010.

  • Mellow Candle Swaddling Songs Plus, (deluxe vinyl set) Rise Above Records 2010.

  • Alison O'Donnell Hey Hey Hippy Witch, Floating World 2009

  • Compilation: The Story of British Folk, Spectrum Music (Mellow Candle, Messenger Birds) 2010

  • Compilation, Sunday Sunshine the world of SNB Records (Mellow Candle) 2008

  • Alison O'Donnell with Head South By Weaving Frozen Warnings/Day is Done Double A-Side Vinyl Single (Fruits de Mer) 2008

  • The Owl Service and Alison O'Donnell The Fabric of Folk EP (Static Caravan) 2008

  • The Blackcap, Osmosys 2006

  • Compilation Strange Coincidences in Specialty Tea Trading Vol. II,

  • Alison O'Donnell & Isabel Ní Chuireáin Mise agus Ise, Osmosys Records

  • Sanctuary Records Group compilation Early Morning Hush, Mellow Candle.

  • Deram compilation various Legend of a Mind, Decca Records (Mellow Candle)

  • Compilation various artists, Celtic-Medieval Collective 12" vinyl, As She Was Crowned So Crowned Were They, Fossil Dungeon (Mellow Candle)

  • Compilation various artists Legends of Ireland, Rhino Records (Mellow Candle)

  • Eishtlinn Eist Linn, Kissing Spell (Spiral)

  • Flibbertigibbet My Lagan Love (live/demos), Kissing Spell

  • Mellow Candle The Virgin Prophet (Unreleased sessions 1969-1970), Kissing Spell

  • Plastik Mak Love Connection, Flash Records

  • Flibbertigibbet Whistling Jigs to the Moon, Stanyan (reissue Kissing Spell)

  • Mellow Candle Swaddling Songs, Decca (reissue See For Miles/Edison Records Japan/Soma

  • Records Korea/Acme Records/Acme/Esoteric)

Guest Recordings

  • Peter Daltrey & The Know Escape Running Through Chelsea, Head Records 2022

  • The Legends of Tomorrow The Weather at World’s End 1997 - 2022, Talking Elephant

  • Big Dwarf ‘Marooned … (And So It Goes)’, Where Everything is Beautiful, Ajar, June 2021

  • The Manana People ‘Amputated Memory’ EP "Song Cycle, Or Music For The End Of Our Times, pt. 1" 2021

  • Richard Moult Sjoraust, Second Language 2016

  • Kara J. Richards Refugee Lullaby, Rrrip Records 2015.

  • Richard Moult Last Night I Dreamt of Hibrihteselle, Wild Silence 2015.

  • Dodson and Fogg In A Strange Slumber, Wisdom Twins Records 2014

  • Dodson and Fogg After the Fall, 2014

  • Big Dwarf Towards Abstraction, Ajar Records 2013

  • Raising Holy Sparks Old Times and End Times 2013

  • Moonroot Under the Ancient Oak, Metalhit.com 2012

  • Dodson & Fogg Derring Do, Wisdom Twins 2013

  • The Owl Service The View From a Hill (Rif Mountain) 2010

  • The Owl Service The Burn Comes Down EP (Rif Mountain) 2010

  • Cathedral The Guessing Game (Nuclear Blast) 2010

  • United Bible Studies The Jonah (Camera Obscura) 2009

  • Mr Pine Rewilding (Whiskey Lad Recordings) 2008

  • The Fieldmouse Conspiracy Freedom and the Dream Penguin (WMNY Recordings) 2008

  • Agitated Radio Pilot World Winding Down Double Album (deadslackstring records) 2007

  • Michele Ann Kelly A Breakfast Affair EP

  • Roger Lucey The Road is Much Longer, 3rd Ear Music

  • Colin Shamley Born Guilty, 3rd Ear Music

Bibliography

  • That’s When The Sparks Fly - Stories and a Play by Irish Musicians. Fighting Words 2022.

  • Folk Horror Revival: Harvest Hymns Vol. 1: Twisted Roots, Wyrd Harvest Press 2018.

  • The Incomplete Angler: Ten Years of Fruit de Mer, Dave Thompson 2018.

  • A Seance at Syd's: an Anthology of Modern Acid-Folk-Haunt-Psych-Prog-Space-Radiophonic-Rock Etc Quotes, Dave Thompson, 2015.

  • Seasons They Change (The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk), Jeanette Leech, Jawbone, 2010.

  • Electric Eden (Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music), Rob Young, Faber & Faber, 2010.

  • Galactic Ramble edited by Richard Morton Jack, Foxcote Books 2009

  • Beautiful Day: Forty Years of Irish Rock, Sean Campbell, Cork University Press 2005

  • A Seeker's Guide to the Rhythm of Yesteryear, Shiloh Noone, 2004.

  • Irish Folk, Trad and Blues: A Secret History, Colin Harper & Trevor Hodgett, 2005.

  • History of Contemporary Music of South Africa, Garth Chilvers & Tom Jasiukowicz, Toga Publishing 1994.

  • Irish Rock (where it's come from where it's at where it's going) Tony Clayton-Lea & Richie Taylor, Gill and Macmillan '92.

  • Irish Rock, Mark J. Prendergast. The O'Brien Press 1987.

 


Over 200 people have performed under the UBS banner since 2001, their continued obscurity belied by plaudits from The Wire, fRoots, Uncut and others. With their foundation as folk and its darker corners, the Students hurl numerous influences at tradition to create a silty, earthen kind of shamanic elevation.
From the forthcoming album 'The Star Of The Sea Moves Today To Its Rising', released Winter 2017 on Deep Water Acres http://www.dwacres.com/ Film by Lauren Winton http://bladudflies.com/
DCTV Tapestry project for centenary of 1913 Dublin Lockout. Alison O'Donnell singing The Rebel Girl, a song by Joe Hill written for the American trade unionist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, performed on this occasion in honour of Rosie Hackett, an activist in the Lockout and the Easter Rising.
CD companion to Tales From The Black Meadow
Alison with United Bible Studies
First video by Alison, former Mellow Candle frontwoman & multi instrumentalist,Isabel Ni Chuireain. Psychedelic folk rock.
Former Mellow Candle vocalist performing "Heaven Heath" with The Owl Service at this year's Leigh Folk Festival.
https://theowlservice.bandcamp.com/album/the-fabric-of-folk-redux-edition
Opening of set Alison O'Donnell & Head South By Weaving at Hyde Tavern, Winchester, 30th March 2018.

2024 alisonodonnell.com