Ciaran Gribbin is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and performer who, in addition to working with world-class artists such as Madonna, U2, Paul McCartney, Snow Patrol and Al Pacino, has toured the world as the singer of INXS.
As a sought-after and experienced keynote speaker, Ciaran's story is a multi-layered tale about never giving up on a childhood dream. It's an inspirational story about talent meeting hard work and overcoming the knocks and disappointments to live a dream. A unique story of how patience, persistence and determination made that dream a reality.
Ciaran was born during the Northern Ireland conflict and grew up in The Troubles. As a young musician he cut his teeth doing gig after gig in the tough bars of Belfast and Derry. During this turbulent time, Ciaran witnessed the bombs and bullets of sectarian violence and the paramilitary attacks that enflamed a divided society.
Ciaran was a founding member of the popular Irish band ‘Leya’ which toured for seven years with major acts including Snow Patrol and Embrace. The band also released the critically acclaimed album ‘Watch you don’t take off’. The band was nominated for Best New Act at the Irish ‘Metor’ Music Awards.
Ciaran’s first big break came in 2010 when he received a Grammy nomination for Madonna’s worldwide hit single ‘Celebration’, which he co-wrote with the American megastar and English producer Paul Oakenfold. Ciaran soon became a regular drawcard at music festivals around the world including Brazil’s Rock in Rio. He has opened concerts for acts such as Paul McCartney, Crowded House, The Script and Gotye.
Just as his reputation as a performer kept growing, his career as a gifted composer continued to flourish. He has worked on multiple movie soundtracks, including writing all the songs for the U2-supported feature film Killing Bono.
In 2011, Ciaran became the singer of the legendary Australian band INXS. He has toured extensively with INXS throughout South America, Europe and Australasia.
