Fiachra Trench facts for kids

Fiachra Terence Wilbrah Trench (born 7 September 1941, in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician and composer. He comes from Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. He is known for his work with many famous artists and for creating music for films.

Fiachra Trench's Early Life and Music Journey

Fiachra Trench first studied Chemistry at Trinity College, Dublin. Later, he continued his studies in the United States. He attended the University of Georgia in 1963 and then the University of Cincinnati. From 1969 to 1991, he lived and worked in London, England.

Starting in the Music World

In the early 1970s, Fiachra Trench began his music career. In 1972, he helped produce an album called Waterfall for the band If. He also played keyboards on this album. That same year, he appeared on the first album by Solid Gold Cadillac. In 1973, he played piano on another If album, Double Diamond.

Famous Music Collaborations and Arrangements

Fiachra Trench has worked with many well-known musicians. He is especially famous for his string arrangements. These are the parts of a song played by instruments like violins and cellos.

Writing Hit Songs

In the 1980s, Fiachra Trench teamed up with songwriter Ian Levine. Together, they wrote and produced popular dance songs. These were called hi-NRG club hits. They wrote for singers like Miquel Brown, Barbara Pennington, and Evelyn Thomas.

Music for TV and Big Hits

Through Ian Levine, Fiachra Trench also helped write the theme song for a TV show. This was for the 1981 BBC Doctor Who spin-off called K-9 and Company.

He is also known for his string arrangements on two very famous songs:

• "I Don't Like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats
• "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues

Working with Music Legends

Fiachra Trench has worked with many other legendary artists. These include:

• Van Morrison: He arranged strings for Van Morrison's 1989 album Avalon Sunset. His string arrangements for the song Have I Told Lately are considered some of his best work.
• Elvis Costello
• Art Garfunkel
• Sinéad O'Connor
• The Corrs
• Phil Lynott: He did the orchestral arrangements for Lynott's solo hit "Old Town."
• Sweet: He arranged and played piano on some of their early hits.
• Joan Armatrading
• Paul McCartney: He even taught Paul McCartney's late wife, Linda, how to play the piano.

In 1996, Fiachra Trench conducted the French entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was "Diwanit bugale", performed by Dan Ar Braz.

Fiachra Trench's Film Music

Besides working on albums, Fiachra Trench has also composed and arranged music for movies. This is called film scoring.

Notable Film Scores

He has created music for several well-known films, including:

• Pearl Harbor
• The Boxer
• The Tailor of Panama
• The Ring

In 2006, he reworked a piece of music called "Lux Aeterna" by Clint Mansell. This was for a special advertisement for AIB during the Ryder Cup golf tournament. The advert was called "Epic."