TO say folk laureate has a way with words would be an undersFionn Regantatement.

While he is embarrassed at the suggestion that his lyrics sound more like poems, he does admit ther is something metrical about the couplets he uses in his songs.

“'I’m scared of saying that word – poetry,” he says. “But at the same time, I typed the lyrics out for the album sleeve and I think some of them stand up pretty well, especially the title track.”

He is referring to The Shadow Of An Empire, the name of his second album, the follow-up to his 2006, Mercury Prize-nominated debut The End Of History.

The 28-year-old, who hails from Bray, just outside Dublin, likes his similes, often comparing his songs to fireplaces or fields, and has an analogy to describe the act of touring.

“The sails might take a battering, but if you stay in the harbour, you might get rusty,” he says.

For all his literary ways, you kind of know what he means.

After a number of years touring, looking for a record deal, he finally signed with one of the UK’s only remaining independent labels, Bella Union, and released The End Of History in 2006.

A minor classic, it was immediately heralded as one of the records of the year, although sales failed to live up to those lofty appraisals. In 2007, the album was deservedly nominated for a Mercury Prize and things really started to pick up for Fionn.

He plays Southsea’s Wedgewood Rooms tonight.

Call 023 9286 3911 or visit wedgewood-rooms.co.uk.