Siomha latest single ‘Ritalin’ : Song inspired by her experience living with ADHD

“I WAS coming to the end of yet another day where I’d failed in my plan to completely change my personality.” explains Ballinteer singer-songwriter/comedienne Siomha Hennessy when asked about what inspired her latest single ‘Ritalin.’.

“My screen time was about 7 hours that day.

‘There was a wet load of laundry entering its third day in the washing machine. It was 1am, meaning I was well on my way to breaking my New Year’s resolution to stop staying up late.

‘And I was frustrated with the rut I was in (spoiler: I’m still in it).

‘The song is inspired by my own experience of living with ADHD, but I think lots of people relate to the desire to shake off our old habits and to reinvent ourselves.”

‘Siomha didn’t plan the songwriting process; it was more of an impulsive, spontaneous decision, stating, “If I’m p***ed off or have a strong feeling about something, I’ll often pick up an instrument and see if something comes out.”

For her, a highlight of the production was feeling the song come together in the studio, describing Rohan and Al of Beardfire Studio as “brilliant, musical, so fun, and they really get what I’m going for.”

‘In terms of challenges, Siomha states she’s “a bit of a last-minute Lucy,” and she has very high standards, but she is also “quite chaotic and last minute…

‘I need to get a manager who helps with that stuff, so I can focus a bit more on the creative side, as that’s my strong suit!  If there are managers reading this, get in touch!”

Siomha continues by stating she doesn’t prefer music over stand-up comedy or vice versa, as “I am both equally, and I think each informs the other.”

She points out how last summer, she brought her solo show ’30 Under 30′ to Edinburgh Fringe and also did a run of it in Dublin Fringe 2023 in response to a question of what has been her favourite project to work on over the years.

Her career plans for 2025 include touring ’30 Under 30’ around Ireland and the UK; we can also look forward to more single releases as the year progresses, and she plans to release an album containing all of the songs from the show in autumn.

For helping her with this single, Siomha would like to thank Rohan and Al Healy at Beardfire Studio, her cousin and “musical compadré,” Natalie Ní Chasaide, her sister Ornait Hennessy for all of her feedback on demos and songs, musicians Tom Shelley, Tim Doyle, and Kevin Foran, and Terenure singer-songwriter Keith McLoughlin for help with promotion.

‘Ritalin’ was released on all major streaming platforms on January 6; be sure to check it out!