The House Must Win

Mick Flannery • Susan O’Neill

In the Game • Live 2021-2025

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MICK FLANNERY

The story of The House Must Win begins in 2005, when Mick Flannery released his debut album Evening Train. The record told a story of love, lust, gambling, and a fateful betrayal. At the time, Flannery was just 20-years-old and attending Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa in Cork City. For a second-year project, students were asked to set a creative brief for themselves.

“Lacking life experience, and struggling for lyrical content, I decided to write songs to a story based on fictional characters. It all grew from a song I had written called ‘Creak in the Door’. That song depicted a disappointed mother berating one of her sons over the actions of the other. I fleshed out the feel of that song to create the full album, based on the lives of these two very different brothers.”

Now in 2026, The House Must Win is a stage adaptation of Evening Train, a project that has been in development for over a decade. There are as many new songs as initial songs from Evening Train in the new work.

“Writing songs for a musical is a little different from writing ‘normal’ songs. Everything has to track with the arcs of the characters involved, and ideally the song should push the narrative of the play forward. So it’s not merely a song, but also a cog in a machine. I enjoy when the song can exist, both inside the play, and outside it, without losing too much meaning or, conversely, becoming too difficult to follow.”

Some of the original songs from Evening Train feature subtle lyric changes to emphasize the storylines that exist now within the musical. All of the songs, old and new, feature arrangements by American musician and Music Supervisor Liam Robinson (Hadestown).

In January 2026, a few months ahead of the premiere stage production of The House Must Win, Flannery entered Monique Studios in Cork with longtime collaborator Christian Best, with Robinson producing, to record the full album of songs from the musical.

Sonically, the record moves between dark, swampy bar-room and heart stomping compositions, weaved between delicate ballads. The songs carry a tension both lyrical and musically that can feel almost unsettling as though something inside the heart has momentarily fractured.

But as the story unfolds, that tension becomes part of the landscape. The world of The House Must Win ebbs and flows, ultimately carrying the listener toward a shoreline of deeply human stories of love, regret, pride, and longing.

“The band on this record have been working on these arrangements with us for the past few years. It’s been a great experience to capture the recording ahead of the stage production and to be able to share the story and the songs in this format.”

The band features some of Ireland’s finest musicians: Matthew Berrill (reeds), Killian Browne (piano, banjo, harmonium), Niamh Varian-Barry (violin/viola), Dan Bodwell (double bass), and Dominic Mullan (drums).

Flannery also invited an array of guest singers to join the many duets and ensemble pieces on the record. Among them are Grammy award winning, Vermont singer-songwriter and fellow musical theatre collaborator Anaïs Mitchell, Portland songwriter Jeffrey Martin, Canadian, Juno Award nominee Jenn Grant, and closer to home, reunions with Mercury prize winner Lisa Hannigan and Susan O’Neill. West Cork folk singer Marybeth O’Mahony joins longtime collaborator Yvonne Daly, Belfast artist and a The House Must Win cast member Tabitha Smyth takes on a solo performance and in a special moment, Mick’s brothers Brian, David, and Eamonn Flannery make their recording debut alongside him on “Take It on the Chin”, one of the iconic songs from Evening Train.

“These songs are intended to illustrate a small-town story. Two brothers, alike in many ways but contrasted in the paths they choose, are both in love with the same girl, Grace.

Though Grace chose the younger, wilder of the two brothers, her time with him is losing its appeal. And as the older, steadier brother begins planning his escape from their small lives, she finds herself drawn closer to him.

The story tells of pressures from past and present bearing down on the younger generation, forcing them into risky decisions. For Grace, her father Ray is a controlling force, intent on marrying her off in pursuit of higher social standing.

For the brothers, Frank and Luther, the memory of their absconded father hangs over them both. Neither would like to admit how much they resemble him, yet each finds themselves capable of bringing his ghost back to life.”

The result is a collection of 20 songs that tell the story through Flannery’s signature storytelling lyrics. It’s perhaps more music than he might typically release in a single outing were it not tied to such a bold and ambitious stage production. Yet every song earns its place - not a beat is missed. From the opening moments, the arrangements and production transport the listener into another world. It’s a world Flannery has been carefully building for over two decades, and it’s one that feels certain to stand the test of time. This is an evergreen record - another remarkable outing from Flannery that continues to confirm his place as a master of his craft.