John Gilheaney releases The Wind On The Hill
By Alan Shipston for Country Music News International Magazine
John Gilheaney brings a soft gentle breeze to his new song, The Wind On The Hill, a tune dedicated to the elements provided by Mother Nature. Going up against a great force is offered as a metaphor in the lyric as the imagery paints a tale of the jeopardy that life always seems to provide. The musical arrangement has a simple country feel next to an Irish undercurrent with the fiddle winding its way through the song as Gilheaney takes a gentle, folksy approach to the vocal.
This old world keeps changing for better or worse
And there’s no use just standing still
Can’t always live your life in the valley
When you gotta feel the wind on the hill
The Wind on The Hill has a soft cadence, inflected with a soothing feel, never overplayed by the session musicians. The rhythm section is straight forward and solid, creating a bed for the piano, guitar and fiddle to play charming licks throughout the song, including a strong eight bar fiddle solo.
John says the song, written by Pat McKenna and Michael Commins, has a special meaning for him. “I sang The Wind On The Hill at the Big Tom Song Contest in
Castleblayney last September.” John’s picture-book video for the single is a tribute to the natural beauty of Carrigallen, his hometown in Leitrim, Ireland. “The song’s lyrics and lilt, are beautiful,” offered John. “I relate, as I’m sure a lot of people do, to the sentiment of taking a risk in life.” The Wind On The Hill is John’s follow-up to his self-penned party song, Hooley Night as well as previous releases, The Photos On The Wall and Going Out Tonight.
Raised in Wales, John moved to Leitrim, the land of his fathers, in January 2025, to pursue his Irish country music dream. After a lifetime of varied professions, followed by a Master’s Degree in the Teaching and Practice of Creative Writing at the University of Wales, Cardiff, John began writing songs as a hobby soon to become a recording career. His diverse list of favorite artists includes Jim Reeves, Elvis, Sam Cooke, Marc Bolan, Showaddywaddy and The Blow Monkeys.