Ireland’s Own - Interview

Two-times Eurovision Song Contest winner Brendan Graham has recently released his debut album. Earlier in 2025, he celebrated a milestone birthday and he tells Ireland’s Own readers what inspired him to record … THE ARROW OF TIME

He is an internationally acclaimed songwriter and bestselling novelist, but mention the name Brendan Graham at any Irish kitchen table and more often than not the first thing that they will say is, “Ah, the fella that won the Eurovision … twice!”

He is the songwriter behind our 1994 and 1996-winning entries Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids and The Voice. Other internationally recognised hits that he has written include You Raise Me Up and Isle of Hope Isle of Tears. Many different artistes have recorded his work, Johnny McEvoy, Daniel O’Donnell, Seán Keane, Josh Groban, The Chieftains with Liam Neeson, The Gipsy Kings, Johnny Mathis, Dervish, Westlife … the list is endless, and now Brendan has given us the opportunity to hear the songs ‘in the raw’, as they sounded in his head when penning them all those years ago.