Music & Discussion: Fiachna Ó Braonáin with Peter O’Brien

Venue: Meeting Room 7, UCD Student Centre                 2:30pm - 3:10pm

Fiachna Ó Braonáin is a musician, songwriter, and founding member of Hothouse Flowers, a band that has been captivating audiences around the world for over four decades.

Raised in an Irish-speaking household immersed in traditional music, Fiachna’s early influences included jigs, reels, and sean nós singing. But as a teenager, he found himself equally drawn to the wild energy of blues and rock ’n’ roll. Legendary names like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and The Rolling Stones—discovered through Alexis Korner on the BBC—mixed with his traditional roots to shape his unique musical voice. A transformative Bob Dylan concert in Paris rewired his teenage brain and cemented his path. Armed with his mother’s Spanish guitar, he began a lifelong journey through genres and cultures.

Fiachna's career has spanned collaborations with African gospel singers, Moroccan tribal musicians, Texan swing bands, and Irish balladeers. During a break from Hothouse Flowers between 2006 and 2011, he lived in Paris and recorded his first solo album, Bougainvillea, followed by the Winter Sun EP, which topped the iTunes charts.

Alongside his continued work with Hothouse Flowers, he now also tours and records with Tom Dunne and Alan Connor. Their debut album, Live At The Pavilion, has been met with acclaim, and their live shows around Ireland continue to draw enthusiastic crowds.

Offstage, Fiachna and his wife Siona are proud parents to an autistic child. Their personal journey has deepened their understanding of communication, empathy, and education, and led them to support organisations such as AsIAm and the Middletown Centre for Autism.

Whether performing on stage or advocating at home, Fiachna Ó Braonáin brings creativity, openness, and deep connection to everything he does.