Gerry Diver's Speech Project

Gerry Diver is a composer/producer/musician born in Manchester to Irish parents. He moved back to Donegal in his early teens and after studying in University College Cork under Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin after which he made his way to London where he now lives. He’s an award winning record producer and has worked with artists such as Tom Robinson, Billy Bragg, Nitin Sawhney, Sir Ian McKellen, Graham Coxon and Paul Heaton to name but a few. Notable highlights include a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and a Mojo Album Of The Year award for his work with Folk Singer Lisa Knapp and also a Mercury nomination for his work on Sam Lee’s ‘Ground of It’s Own’ album As a composer he released his own solo album entitled ‘Speech Project’ - an album which explored the inherent melody, rhythm and lilt of the uniquely Irish accent - The ‘Speech Project’ album was aptly described by Hotpress magazine as “Irish music through a Steve Reich blender”. The album’s guests and collaborators included Christy Moore, Shane MacGowan, Damien Dempsey and Martin Hayes. The album was generously supported by The Irish Arts Council and also Arts Council England. Subsequent composer commissions have included two BBC commissions to further explore the link between the spoken word and music - for these two works he collaborated with boxing legend Barry McGuigan and also with Welsh singer and activist Charlotte Church. Facebook Page for musician - producer - composer - Gerry Diver