Ten years ago this week, Derek Ryan was doing a solo gig in an Irish pub in London. Things have changed dramatically for the young Carlow man since then. A decade later, Derek is among the headline acts at the St Patrick’s weekend celebrations in London, culminating with a major slot on the Trafalgar Square party concert on Sunday 19 March.

“It crossed my mind when I was contacted by the festival organisers some months ago to do a 45-minute session with my own band at the Trafalgar Square party that I could never have envisaged such a scenario back in 2007.

“I was in London at the time and I well remember going to Trafalgar Square and joining the thousands there, watching the big names on stage, and rejoicing in the way in which so many embraced our sense of what it means to be Irish,” says Derek.

“After the concert ended, I went off to do a solo gig in an Irish pub. I recall I did four gigs on one St Patrick’s Day over there, all by myself. I just got up there as a young chap and belted out a rake of Irish songs. You have to sing the Irish stuff on St Patrick’s Day whatever pub you are playing in. There are some things that never change.”

This will be the 16th year of The Mayor’s St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, which now attracts in the region of 100,000 people over the three days. The event showcases the best of Irish music, song, dance, culture and arts.

Great lineup

Celebrations around St Patrick’s Day had been suspended for several years during the Troubles but attitudes changed dramatically in the years immediately following the singing of the Good Friday agreement in the mid-1990s. The celebrations have now been hugely embraced by the UK population and a brilliant atmosphere pervades the festivities.

Joining Derek in the iconic Trafalgar Square will be a number of special guests including Gavin James, Liam O’Maonlai (Hot House Flowers), Jack L and many others, while the host for the celebrations will be Irish comedian Jarlath Regan.

“It is a brilliant honour to be chosen to be part of this huge concert on Sunday and we are going to give it all we’ve got. It is a big gig to get and it definitely has to be one of the highlights of 2017 for us. I feel we will be reaching out to a large proportion of the revellers who will love what we are doing and helping them make the connection through the music with Ireland.”

The celebrations run through from Friday to Sunday, with the main Parade taking place on Sunday from Piccadilly to Trafalgar Square and featuring a host of floats, organisations, and many matters relating to Irish culture.

Derek begins his 20-date UK tour on 30 March but before that,he concludes his current Irish concert tour with dates in Ballymena (21 March), Athlone (23 March), Claremorris (24 March) and Wexford (26 March).

The UK tour includes a date at the iconic Union Chapel in London on 20 May.

More albums

The summer will see Derek feature at many of the major outdoor country festivals all over Ireland. He has also pencilled in four concerts close to the seaside and these will be held in Westport, Newcastle, Dungloe and Waterford. His guests on these shows will be Louise Morrissey and Ben Troy.

“A lot of people will not be aware that I won an All-Ireland céilí drumming title as a young lad at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Enniscorthy back in 1998. I decided to revisit that on the current concerts and it is going down a treat.

“I was a little apprehensive about doing it during our show in Ennis as Clare is the home of céilí, but it went down a treat that night so I was more than happy with it. It is great craic and we all enjoy it,” reflects Derek.

Apart from fulfilling all the regular dance dates as well, Derek is heading to Nashville for a week in May to undertake some song-writing session with Jeff Balding and friends.

“It is a major opportunity to share time with some of the top writers in Nashville and a wonderful opportunity to network with other writers at this level.”

Studio time holds special appeal for Derek. He released two new albums on the same day a few months ago, a record of another sort in the history of the Irish showbiz scene.

“Yes, I am already working away on material for my next album. I feel so easy and so at home in the recording studio. At this stage, I am hoping to have a fairly traditional country feel to my next album. There are always surprises in song selection along the way so I am hoping for another album of good songs that reach out and touch people’s hearts in a special way.”

•For more details about Derek and his dates, you can check derekryanmusic.com