IRISH eyes will be smiling in Worcester this weekend as one of the country's most renowned musical exports visits the city.

Eleanor McEvoy's career started out at the tender age of four when she performed at an Irish music competition as the lead singer in her sister's band.

It was not long before the budding musician took to the violin, aged eight, attending the College of Music in Dublin. Now the County Wexford-based 38-year-old is regarded as one of the leading singer-songwriters of her generation.

The tireless performer has even managed to fit in time in her hectic schedule to work with Dave Rotheray, of The Beautiful South, while playing dates and looking after her well-travelled three-year-old daughter, Sarah-Jane.

The collaboration with Dave came after he saw her perform and invited her on his tour with his musical project Homespun - also involving Sam Brown of Stop! fame - which called in on Worcester in January, this year, for a gig at the Marr's Bar. Eleanor said: "It has been fantastic working with him, because he's an extraordinarily strong writer. He is incredibly quirky and original in his writing."

Eleanor will be playing at the same Pierpoint Street venue on Sunday, October 16, where audiences will be treated to a mix of songs from her five albums as well as some new numbers. Her tunes cover a range of current issues, touching on everything from being dumped to fanaticism.

She said: "I like to think of myself as a folk artist but people say 'you're not folk!'. However, I am one woman with a guitar writing about what happens to a thirtysomething person."

Eleanor had a strong grounding in classical music, attending the prestigious Trinity College in Dublin where she studied by day and worked in orchestras by night.

On graduating, she was accepted into the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, working with them for five years before making the leap from classical music into song-writing

However, her breakthrough did not come until 1992 when her song Only A Woman's Heart inspired the title for the A Woman's Heart anthology. JOBY MULLENS

Eleanor McEvoy appears at the Marr's Bar on Sunday, October 16.