Acclaimed singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke shares What Does The Eye Of A Great Whale See, the fourth single from his latest studio album Oceanic, released on October 16th. Turning to the natural world for perspective, the song reflects on the destruction of species and habitats, and the inextricable link between humanity’s survival and the health of the planet.
As we watch the decimation of species across the natural world, there is a danger that we become detached observers of a crisis unfolding around us. What Does The Eye Of A Great Whale See asks us to reconsider that distance, imagining the world through the eye of one of its great creatures and reminding us that we are not separate from nature, but part of it. Our survival depends on its own, and the damage we inflict on the natural world ultimately threatens us all.
New album Oceanic was recorded in Sydney with longtime friend and collaborator Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil) as co-producer. The album marks a profound full-circle moment in O’Rourke’s life and career, returning to Australia, where he first began recording songs as a teenager, and reflects a life lived across two continents and hemispheres.
Speaking on the album, O’Rourke explains:
“Oceanic somehow wrote, and then made itself too.
I’ve always felt that being an artist is a process of stripping away layers of yourself to get to the core. If that’s true, then Oceanic is a collection of dreams that have surfaced on their own, from among the deepest of my own layers.”
What Does The Eye Of A Great Whale See is available now on all streaming platforms here. Oceanic is available now on CD, vinyl and exclusive streaming from iTunes. Full streaming release due on November 20th.
Tour Dates – 2026:
NOVEMBER
6 TYRONE, Craic Theatre and Arts Centre, Coalisland
7 KILLARNEY, Gleneagle Club
13 ENNIS, Glór
14 CAVAN, Townhall Arts Centre
15 NAVAN, Solstice Arts Centre
21 DERRY, Guildhall
Tickets available now from www.declanorourke.com