Mayo musicians have got their hands on the classic song The Way We Were and given it a new lease of life.
Italian-born and Mayo-based singer songwriter Giuliano Gnagnatti, along with some of his talented musician friends, have released their own twist on the song made famous by Barbara Streisand.
Giuliano and Friends consists of Ballina’s Ray McHale on guitar, Donncha Butler on double bass and Tom Gilligan on percussion, alongside the vocals, guitar and songwriting talents of Giuliano. The single comes as the four prepare for the release of their new EP in late autumn, featuring original songs all recorded in Westport’s Clew Bay Studio.
As a musician, Giuliano had (and still has) two lives and two different profiles.
In Italy, age 15, he formed a rock band, The Spirituals, which is still alive and rockin’ in his region – with all its original members – and where he plays lead guitar.
Debuting back in 1962, the band started playing classic rock of the 1950’s and instrumentals, to then embrace the British wave the year after, and US folk-rock and more over the following years. In their most recent concerts, titled A Rock Story, The Spirituals go through their history and musical influences throughout the decades.
Here in Ireland, where he has been living on and off since 2015, Giuliano has been playing acoustic guitar in folk clubs around Mayo, including in Westport, Ballina and Killala.
Once a regular in open sessions at Cobbler’s Bar at The Wyatt, Westport, he took part in the recording of a post-Covid collective album, Unmasked: The Cobblers’ Lockdown Sessions, to which he contributed with one of his own songs.
Back in 2019, he also had his own monthly acoustic session at The Gallery Wine Bar in Westport, where he used to invite guest musicians each month.
His acoustic repertoire consists mostly of covers of American and British singer-songwriters (James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, etc), acoustic folk-rock (CSNY, The Band, etc) and some Irish trad and contemporary folk.
Giuliano also has in store a collection of classic Neapolitan songs through the centuries, which he is planning to record and package together into a dedicated album with his own voice and guitar, alongside traditional Irish instruments.
Another passion of his is rearranging classic songs – best known in their original electric or orchestrated versions – for acoustic guitar, as is the case with his first single, now released online and on CD.
“My very first recording project in Ireland is my own acoustic interpretation of a classic song, The Way We Were, in contemporary folk style,” said Giuliano.
“This single comes to life under the banner of Giuliano & Friends, a creative collective rather than a traditional band, where a lineup of exceptional artists comes together for unique projects. In this first adventure I’ve been joined by Ray McHale, Donncha Butler and Tom Gilligan, three top musicians of outstanding talent and the best choices for the project.”
Hailing from Ballina, Co. Mayo, guitarist, Ray McHale has been a well-known face on the Irish local and national rock and folk scene for many years.
Donncha Butler studied piano and music theory as a child and has played bass guitar since he was sixteen – mostly in church accompanying his wife, who plays piano.
Tom Gilligan is a passionate drummer, music enthusiast and author of Irish Drummers Volume 1 – Interviews with 32 Irish Drummers, as well as being a well-known figure across Mayo. Tom is also responsible for establishing the website www.irishdrummers.com, which exists to showcase the talent and creativity of Irish drummers.
The Way We Were was recorded in June 2026 at Clew Bay Recording Studio in Westport, Co. Mayo, and engineered, mixed and mastered by Bart de Boer.
