Documentary inspires a love song from Limerick singer about dementia
SINGER-songwriter Conor Ward has released an acoustic-driven song about those caring for loved ones with dementia.
With his new track, Elephant, he explores the life of those who care for people who suffer from dementia. Speaking of his inspiration for the song, he said: “I went on a Safari in South Africa a few months back. I couldn't sleep on the flight over so I ended up watching the incredibly powerful documentary, Finding Jack Charlton.
“I was in awe of how strong and resilient his wife, Pat, was while faced with this terribly sad fate. She is one of so many amazing people out there facing similar circumstances.”
Inspired to write a song to reflect the sentiment, Conor created an upbeat celebration about the strength and resilience of these wonderful souls.
“It's effectively a hopeful but tragic love song,” he noted.
Conor said that, thankfully, dementia hasn't impacted his family.
“Most people would have a relative that has been in that scenario. I think it's quite an easy thing to empathise with because you can imagine how difficult it is. It’s something that definitely resonated with me. It's a very scary thing too, if you were with someone every single day and the fact that they would just literally forget everything about you, it's very terrifying,” he said.
“You can kind of see the flick of light where they recognise them and then they just forget them again. It's like, it's like years and years of bonding and all the shared experiences that just kind of evaporate instantly.”
If there is one memory he would never want to forget, it's his wedding to his partner, Joanne.
“My wedding day, it was just a really nice day. We got married in West Clare on the beach, surrounded by friends and family,” he recalled.
Conor's latest single adds to his strong back catalogue of songs, like Stuck, City Apart or Hope, which have earned him local and national airplay.
His single, Hope, was featured in the movie, Finding You, a romantic comedy set in Ireland.
As a result of its cinematic release and subsequent streaming worldwide, Conor has earned thousands of new listeners from across the globe.
He has supported Hermitage Green, The Stunning, Hudson Taylor, Paddy Casey and Mundy as well as performed shows of his own in iconic venues like Dolan’s and Whelan’s.
Having started the year being named one of the finalists for Irish Music Month, 2023 promises to be an exciting year for Conor and his music.
“I'm hoping that people will discover this song and then maybe discover the rest of my music that's out there,” he concluded.