Musician's latest album an ode to Killarney

As the in-house summer entertainer at Killarney Mountain Lodge for the past 15 years, Andy Lowe raves about the picturesque Georgian Bay hamlet located about an hour south of Sudbury.

“I just think it's breathtakingly beautiful,” he said.

Earlier this month, Sudbury-based Lowe released his third CD, “The Long Way Home.” Given how he spends his summers, it's not surprising a large portion of the songs on the album are about his beloved Killarney.

For example, “Fish Fry” is about the annual Killarney fish fry weekend, a popular fundraiser for the Killarney Volunteer Fire Department.

“Sunset” is about the beauty of sunsets in the area, and "Killarney in the Fall" is about celebrating the joy of autumn.

He wrote “Going to Killarney” for the many boaters who visit Killarney Mountain Lodge at the height of boating season.

“A lot of people come in the summertime in the boats, and they moor up outside the lodge,” Lowe said.

“They would say to me 'Andy, we played your CD. It gets us in the mood for Killarney.' I wrote this one especially for that purpose.”

While not all of the album is devoted to Killarney, most of them do speak to the Northern Ontario experience.

“Hard Rock Miner,” for example, is about the generations of northern miners and “Burwash Train” is about how Lowe imagines inmates at the old Burwash prison would have felt when they heard a passing train.

Lowe said he supports himself entirely by entertaining at local bars, with the occasional wedding thrown in. At his shows, he mostly plays covers of other people's songs, but occasionally sneaks in an original tune.

That's how he came to start writing about the north.

“I interact with tourists from all over the world, and what I've found with them is as much as they like to hear the covers, they love it when I play songs about Killarney or about Northern Ontario,” Lowe said.

Given his subject matter, you might think Lowe was born and raised in the region.

An actor by trade, he actually came to Sudbury from England in 1985 because he had a contract with Sudbury Theatre Centre.

Also a musician, he made extra money by playing at local bars.

“My music kind of took off, so I started doing that more than the acting,” Lowe said.

He said there's been times where he's considered getting a day job — especially when his two sons were young — but said he's glad he didn't, because he loves what he does.

Lowe said he thinks he's better able to appreciate Northern Ontario's beauty than someone who come from here because he's able to look at it with fresh eyes and take it less for granted.

Copies of “The Long Way Home,” which costs $15, are available by emailing Lowe at [email protected], at the Killarney Provincial Park main office, or online at friendsofkillarneypark.ca.