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Irish alt-folk star Maria Kelly today announces the details of Postcards In-between: an ambitious project that comprises a tour of Ireland and the UK; a pop-up exhibition and event that brings Irish creatives together in an effort to cultivate self-compassion and examine mental health supports; and new versions of a selection of the songs from her debut album, The Sum of the In-between, which was released last October. 

The Postcards In-between Tour 

Maria Kelly will play tour dates in Ireland and one in the UK this May and June, in a tour presented by Singular Artists & Friends. Tickets for all shows will go on sale this Friday 25th March at 10am. Dates as follows: 

Sat 7th May - Dublin - Whelans Main Room 

Sun 8th May - Galway - Róisín Dubh 

Fri 13th May - Limerick, The Record Room 

Sun 15th May - Cork, Winthrop Avenue

Wed 1st June - London, Servant Jazz Quarters

The Postcards In-between Pop-Up Exhibition 

The Postcards In-between project initially started with Maria asking her fellow Irish songwriters to pen a ‘note to self’ letter to a version of themselves that they thought might need a helping hand. The letters became 12 postcards - each one linking to a track on the original The Sum of the In-between album. 

The project features 11 of Maria’s fellow Irish songwriters: Abbacaxi, Ciaran Lavery, James Vincent McMorrow, Paul Noonan, Rosie Carney, Runah, Saint Sister, Sammy Copely, Shiv, Sive and Tim Chadwick. 

Designed by Irish-French illustrators Pipe & Pallet (Nathanaël Roman) and Cécilia Noiraud, these postcards will be exhibited in various forms at a free pop-up exhibition taking place at Universal Space, Dublin on the first two days of the May bank holiday weekend - Saturday 30th April and Sunday 1st May. On the Saturday evening, at 7pm, there will be a ticketed event with a panel discussion and live music performances (further details to follow). 

The exhibition and event are being run in association with Minding Creative Minds, Ireland's first 24/7 (32 county and our Irish overseas) wellbeing support programme for the entire Irish creative sector.  Minding Creative Minds' counselling services (in association with Spectrum Life) include: *a 24/7 Dedicated Phone Line; Short-term intervention, telephone Counselling, secure video counselling and comprehensive web portal and app enabling live chat function with a counsellor. Minding Creative Minds focuses on the wellbeing of the entire person, so our programme also includes access to a number of additional services, helping users with various practical issues also.  See **additional details on our key supports and all our contact details in the editors notes section later in this document.

Dave Reid founder, Minding Creative Minds says: “Our focus at Minding Creative Minds is supporting the entire individual. We ask people in our creative community not to wait until they are in a crisis to contact us; if something is troubling you, regardless of how small you deem it to be, let us help you. This in itself is one of the kindest acts of self-compassion you can show yourself; the theme Maria has chosen for this beautiful and thought-provoking exhibition and event. We applaud Maria for this initiative and are very pleased to display our support by partnering with her for The Postcards In-Between Exhibition and Event.”

The Postcards In-between Music 

In addition to the postcards to be exhibited, Maria has also teamed up with a number of the artists mentioned to record a series of reworkings, remixes and alternative versions of a selection of the songs from The Sum of the In-between. 

Details of the singles to be released will be announced over the coming weeks and months, but we can reveal that the first of these will be a collaboration between Maria Kelly and Paul Noonan for a stunning version of the album’s title track ‘The Sum of the In-between’,  which will be released on Wednesday 30th March on Maria’s label, Veta Music. 

Of this project, Maria Kelly says: “‘Postcards In-between’ aims to bridge the gap between who we were, who we are, and who we will be. It’s a project about self-compassion; acknowledging the part of ourselves that is always changing, growing and learning. The part that is always, at some level, trying their best. 

“By collecting different perspectives this way I hope that anyone reading the postcards or visiting the exhibition might be able to identify with them, finding some comfort in the fact that somebody else made it out the other side - a way of seeing yourself, by meeting somebody else exactly where they are.” 

-ENDS-

Media Enquiries: 

Sheena Madden 

Amplify Agency

+353 87 245 8046 

sheena@amplifyagency.ie

Maria Kelly Biography

Maria Kelly’s delicately woven alt-folk is laced with a sincerity that cuts to the bone.

To follow the release of her debut album, ‘The Sum of the In-between’ in October 2021, Maria continues the thread with ’Postcards In-between’; an exhibition, event, and collaborative project in association with Minding Creative Minds, and featuring artists such as Saint Sister, Rosie Carney, Sammy Copley and Paul Noonan. 

Growing up in the West of Ireland, Maria made a point of writing everything down from a very young age; a good day, a bad dream, a conversation to remember, in a bid to understand the world and those within it. Finding comfort in the confessional styles of artists like Regina Spektor, Daughter, and Lucy Rose, she soon transferred her own introspections to music.

Since its release in October 2021, Maria’s debut album ‘The Sum of the In-between’ has garnered support from the likes of BBC6, BBC Ulster, and RTÉ, hitting more than ten million radio impacts within its first few months. Now, it sits at three million streams worldwide, and has found homes on playlists like ‘Your Coffee Break’, ‘Easy’ and ‘Winter Acoustic’.

With each new chapter, Maria has continued to develop a sound that is as captivating as it is disarmingly frank. Her live presence is punctuated by a ’pin-drop’ vocal that’s impossible to ignore, and in recent years, she has toured Ireland, the UK and Europe with the likes of James Vincent McMorrow, Villagers, Kodaline & Orla Gartland. Her work has continued to gain momentum internationally, rallying support from Clash, Notion, and The Line Of Best Fit along the way.

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How to contact Minding Creative Minds

·       24/7 Dedicated Phone Line (Phone 1800 814 244) | (Calling from NI / UK – 0800 0903677) (International – 00353 15180277)

·       By texting ‘Hi’ to 087 369 0010 for SMS & WhatsApp Support (standard rate applies)with a qualified psychotherapist / counsellor.

·       Extensive Web Portal & App enabling live chat function with a counsellor. 

o  You can download The Spectrum Life app via your phone or computer, and choose Minding Creative Minds.