Fiona Sharkey

Fiona Sharkey, a senior associate at McInnes Dunne Murphy LLP, performs under the project name Sharkett and just released her new single, Shy, on major streaming platforms including Spotify.

The new track follows the release of her debut EP, High Line, last year.

While she admits juggling music with her busy legal practice “can sometimes be difficult”, Ms Sharkey told Irish Legal News that it was made all the easier by her colleagues.

“I couldn’t do it without the support of my colleagues in McInnes Dunne Murphy LLP — they have been so supportive of my career since I joined,” she said.

“They all attended my first ever gig and EP launch, which meant the world to me.

“I was also lucky to have the support of my colleagues in A&L Goodbody, where I kickstarted my employment law career and music career during the pandemic.”

She added: “Being an employment lawyer, a profession I very much enjoy and thrive on, is something I love doing day to day.

“Both can cohabit together and actually benefit one another with the right amount of organisational skills. It takes work to maintain the balance, but it is worth the effort.

“I take myself on trips to the west of Ireland to get some writing time in when I can — most recently, I visited Clare Island with a dear friend who is also a lawyer and a writer, and we had the best time on our own writers’ retreat.”

Ms Sharkey describes her work as “atmospheric electronic music backed by pop undertones” and has embraced a friend’s labelling of it as “Celtic dance”.

“Eurythmics, Simply Red and Roxy Music were always playing in my house growing up,” she said.

“Acts like Cut Copy, Washed Out, and Satin Jackets inspire me to write electronic music and I’m a big fan of the soundscapes and atmospheric sounds created by musicians like Nils Frahm and the genius that was — and will always continue to be — Eoin French, Talos.

“My biggest influence, however, is my mum Jenny who is a trained opera singer and classical guitarist. She is the first person I send my tracks to whenever I write something new.”

She added: “I am working on some new tracks at the moment and taking my time to get them exactly how I want them. The pace is slow and steady but the wait will be worth it!”