Dublin born, Ned spent his early years experimenting with a variety of music styles. Beginning with Rock/Pop bands playing the Dublin pub and club circuit before moving onto the traditional music scene. For a decade he played with The Loopliners, a hugely talented traditional Irish ballad group with a large following, they toured Germany in the mid 1990’s. Ned continued to experiment with a variety of music styles and began to develop his own unique sound. He recorded a live album in Portugal in 2002 consisting of humorous songs about his quirky observations on people and life.

In recent times Ned has concentrated on his song writing full-time and with “Only Just Begun” he presents a collection of original songs that are by turns poignant and uplifting. The timeless Sweetheart is a song of enduring love that delivers the memorable line “Oh aren’t we the lucky ones, together strong until our days are done”. The lyrics of the deeply moving Mona will stay with you long after the song has ended “… Mona, take me by the hand, guide me on my way. The little child inside the man is missing you today”. The album also looks at the emotional impact of emigration on communities and families with “This town”, and the title track “Only Just Begun” is an optimistic take on the endless possibilities for two young lovers.

The originality and freshness of Ned’s song-writing has drawn acclaim from many respected people in the music industry. Christy Dignam described Ned’s work as “nice and fresh with Irish soul”; Marty Miller (Radio Nova) sees a “real sense of nice Ireland” in his song-writing. Ned has played support to Wally Page at one of his “Annesley House” gigs and Wally remarked on the quality of his songs and performance. In terms of original song-writing Only Just Begun is Ned Farrell’s debut album but it was 30 years in the making. A seasoned performer, Ned seems most comfortable with a guitar, a pint, and an audience.