What inspired you to begin composing music for media, and what were some pivotal moments for you in your career so far? 

I grew up with a passion for music, but I thought in order to work in music, I’d have to be a concert pianist. I’ve never really been much of a performer, so I decided to pursue a career in film, but I initially set out to be a picture editor. It wasn’t until after a few years of working in post production that I realised composing is a job that people have. When I discovered that, it just kind of made more sense to me to combine my musical background with my film background. Moving to Vancouver was a really pivotal moment because up until that point, I didn’t really have the confidence to pursue something like this. When I moved here, it was a fresh start and I felt like I could be whoever I wanted to be. The next milestone was attending the Screen Composer Academy in Greece in summer 2022. I got to meet some amazing people, as well as record some of my work with an orchestra for the first time, which was a steep learning curve. After that, I’ve been working mainly as a music editor and composer.

Your music is very evocative and incredibly versatile, in both instrumentation and feel- ranging from electronic to orchestral and Irish traditional. Could you share a bit about how you’ve developed your unique sound over the years and how your Irish background influences your writing? 

I grew up playing piano, but I was surrounded by traditional Irish music (trad) so I used to play around with trad tunes on the piano. One of my inspirations, composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, captured it perfectly when he said, “Here am I stuck with the wrong instruments for this music that I love. I don’t play the pipes or the whistle. I can play the odd tune, but no matter how long I stick with them, I’ll never master them. I’ll always be a piano player.” It reminds me of a drawing class I was in one time and the instructor said something like “no matter what you draw, you can’t escape your own originality.” It’s the same for music, who you are is always going to come through. Trad is just part of me, where I come from. Think about the word “originality”. It comes from “origin”. Growing up I used to listen to a lot of orchestral film score music. I had the likes of John Williams and Howard Shore on my iPod as a teenager, as well as the usual chart music. Later, I got more into electronic music and more recently I started to learn to DJ. I’m hoping to lean more into the trad-electronic pallet and release some of my own music at some point. 

Alongside your composing work, you’ve been a music editor on series such as Hamsters of Hamsterdale, The Madame Blanc Mysteries, and numerous films. Can you share a little bit about your process for music editing and how those skills translate to or differ from composing? 

I love music editing. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work with other composers and see how they approach things. I find it’s a different part of the brain, manipulating rather than creating. I also find I get to save some emotional energy and just enjoy the music I’m working with. You get that separation from not being the creator. The role varies from show to show. For animation, I’m creating libraries and laying in tracks, trying different things. For features, I’m mostly auditioning source music. Whatever the project, I’m always managing deliveries and that’s helped me in delivering my own work, seeing how the stems should be divided, how to keep a tidy session, and what the mixer’s preference is. It has afforded me the opportunity to sit in a lot of mixing sessions and playbacks. I’ve definitely gained a lot of technical and housekeeping skills from music editing. 

You’re currently composing music for the tv series, The Good Ship Murder Season 2. What are some of the highlights and challenges in composing for this series and how did you establish the musical pallet for the show? 

This is a really fun show to compose for. We have characters and relationships that were established in season 1, so it’s great to play with those musical themes and have them develop along with the characters. The post team is amazing too and I love working with them. One of my favourite things about this industry is the people I get to work with. The biggest challenge is getting back into the swing of things after a really quiet year. It’s kind of a marathon that I haven’t been training for, so I spent a lot of time on the first episode getting more efficient in my workflow. As for the musical palette, it’s light orchestral with a lot of piano. Piano is my main instrument so I always end up using it (even if I don’t intend to). It’s one of the main features of this score. I’ve got a few main themes and everything else is developed from those. Winds are featuring a bit more in this season too, especially clarinet, I keep coming back to that.

I understand you’re currently participating in the Academy’s Women In Post Program which provides higher-level industry access and professional development for emerging to mid-level women-identifying and non-binary creatives working in all areas of post production. Could you share a bit about your experience in this program and the importance of mentorship in your journey so far as a composer? 

I’ve been blessed to have so many mentors in both composing and music editing, as well as peers, which I think are equally important. I wouldn’t be where I am now without them. Having people who believe in you is invaluable and having people who can answer your questions (no matter how silly they might seem) is vital. The Academy’s Women In Post program is a great initiative and through it I’ve had the opportunity to participate in post production workshops, I’ve had one-on-one sessions with industry professionals and I’ve been able to create relationships with the other participants and alumni. We still have a ways to go in terms of gender equity, especially in composing, so programs like these are really important.

You’ve composed music for quite a wide range of genres in film; do you have a favourite genre of film to compose for? What would your dream career look like? 

I don’t really have a favourite genre but I love dramas, mysteries, fantasy and adventure. I would love to work on a project that allows me to lean into trad music a bit more and I would love to do a quirky stop motion (Wes Anderson-style) that allows me to colour outside the lines. I’d also love a film that calls for traditional Irish music. My dream career is balancing both music editing and composing on a variety of TV series, feature films and animations, working on stories I connect to with nice, genuine people and every so often having budget for an orchestra. That’s the dream.

Interview by Amanda Cawley.

Check out the AWFC directory for Eimear MacCarrick