Person to Person: 'I'm definitely a night owl...my best ideas arrive after dark'

TELL us about yourself; 

My name is Méav Ní Mhaolchatha. I’m an Irish singer and composer who loves to collaborate with other musicians from many different genres. I am a Grammy-nominated founder member of the group Celtic Woman. I have toured internationally with my own band and as a guest soloist with many orchestras. I enjoy singing in Irish and English with a particular focus on singing music by Irish composers.

My Dad was a proud Corkman, so I’m delighted to be taking part in the Masters of Tradition Festival in Bantry this year.

Where were you born? Where do you live?

I was born in Holles Street Maternity Hospital in Dublin. My Mum used to mention this anytime we drove by, and I would peer up at the windows and wonder who was being born in each room today. I love to travel the world when I’m performing, but Dublin is home and always will be.

Family?

I am married to Tom, and we have two daughters, Anna and Catherine.

My only brother Oisín lives nearby with his family.

Best friend?

My closest friend is Róisín Dempsey, a teacher and recently qualified chaplain from Wexford. Róisín is a warm and compassionate listener, and as a gifted singer and conductor married to a drummer, she also understands the music world and how bonkers and brilliant it can be.

Earliest childhood memory?

I remember waking up alone as a toddler in the back seat of our Renault. I had fallen asleep during the drive from Dublin to Cork to visit my Uncle Kevin and Auntie Peggy. The rest of the family had already gone into the house, leaving the door unlocked for me to follow them in. I was very indignant that they had started the party without me.

Person you most admire? 

I have come to know two incredible peace activists, first through the pages of Colum McCann’s extraordinary book Apeirogon, and then through Colum in person. Rami Elhanan is Israeli, and Bassam Aramin is Palestinian. The tragic loss of their two young daughters in the conflict united them in grief. They have dedicated their lives to creating space for dialogue and reconciliation. It is extremely moving to hear them speak. It has been my honour to sing for them and to get to know them.

Person who most irritates you?

There are plenty of candidates, but I probably irritate myself most of all.

Where was your most memorable holiday?

We had an amazing family holiday in Norway last year, travelling by train and boat through the fjords from Bergen to Oslo. We visited the composer Grieg’s house where a concert hall has been built into the side of a hill in the garden and grassed over. It was so special to hear his piano music played there, with a view beyond the stage of pine trees and lapping lake water. 

I am trying to be mindful of our overheating planet though by aiming to holiday closer to home.. It's hard to beat the glorious coastline of West Cork. We spend precious time there every summer.

Favourite TV programme?

My kids got me hooked on the unsettling and compelling US show Severance. It was great to meet hugely talented Irish cinematographer Suzie Lavelle at Fastnet Film Festival in Schull last year, who created some of the amazing scenes in it. The lead actor from it, Adam Scott, made Hokum, a tongue-in-cheek folk horror film, in Skibbereen last year, and it was a blast seeing it featured at this year’s festival.

Favourite radio show?

I really enjoy listening to Arena for its pace, style, the broad mix of subjects it covers, and the warmth of presenter Rick O'Shea's voice. I also love the evergreen format of Desert Island Discs for a glimpse into another life.

Your signature dish if cooking? 

I love to feed people. I am gradually moving the focus to vegetable-based dishes, encouraged by my two animal-loving daughters. The house is much more welcoming when there is a pot of soup or a casserole bubbling on the stove.

Favourite restaurant? 

It’s hard to pick one, but for a celebration, the tasting menus in Comet and Amai by Viktor in Dublin were both fun and delicious. Café Paradiso in Cork city gets the thumbs up from the whole family too. In general, I prefer the focus on locally sourced food rather than on ornate décor, which should be a given but often is not!

Last book you read?

I recently re-read How Many Miles to Babylon? By Jennifer Johnston. She captures the atmosphere of the fading Anglo-Irish Ascendancy home so well. It struck me deeply, perhaps partly because I was setting a poem by Francis Ledwidge at the time that also tackles the subject of Irish soldiers in WW1.

Best book you read?

It’s impossible to choose one book, but I am in awe of how Claire Keegan can have such an impact in so few words in her short novels.

I have remained very close to a brilliant gang of women since our schooldays in Coláiste Íosagáin near UCD. We meet monthly for book club. Laughter erupts whenever we gather, and yes, we do read the book too!

Last album/CD/download you bought?

Loah’s debut solo album Materia Medica combines so many musical influences, anchored by her warm, soaring voice. She is a joy to sing with.

I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with her again and with many other powerful female performers in Sirens at the National Concert Hall in September.

Favourite song?

At the moment I find the song Should Have Known Better from the album Carrie and Lowell by Sufjan Stevens devastatingly beautiful and sad, with just a few glimmers of hope. It helped me find my own way to express grief and solace through songwriting.

One person you would like to see in concert?

I really regret never hearing Nina Simone live. She played in Dublin in 1999 and I couldn’t go because I had a Chamber Choir Ireland gig the same night and couldn’t let my colleagues down. I still think about it.

Do you have a pet?

Yes. Our Jeff looks like a springer spaniel, but he has comically short legs. He is very sociable, and strangers smile when they see him tootling along. His parentage is a mystery, as we adopted him from the DSPCA, who found him wandering on a motorway with patches of hair loss from stress. I hope his life is stress free now! Rescue pets are the best. My older daughter is heading abroad to study soon, and we all know that Jeff is the family member she will miss the most.

Morning person or night owl?

Definitely night owl. My best ideas arrive after dark. But compromise is key when you share a home with a morning person!

Your proudest moment?

Seeing my daughters find things they love to do.

Spendthrift or saver?

I much prefer a vintage find to a designer label, but I will spend a bit on something special if I love it.

I keep things for a long time and mend them.

Name one thing you would improve in your area in which you live?

I would like to see more incentives for people to come back to living in the city. It is sad to see really talented creative people leaving Dublin because they cannot afford to live here anymore. I’d also like to give the paving stones of Dublin a good scrub!

What makes you happy?

Spending time with family and friends, lingering over a meal and making people laugh.

Finding a sense of flow when creating a piece of music.

How would you like to be remembered?

Hopefully as someone who was kind and paid attention.

What else are you up to at the moment?

I am putting the finishing touches to a very personal new album called Sweet Sorrow,which I wrote with the film composer Stephen Rennicks. It’s all about grief, memory and consolation, with elements of classical, traditional and minimalist influences. I’m really looking forward to performing some of this new music for the audience in Bantry alongside some traditional songs.

Méáv Ní Mhaolchatha will be performing at Masters of Tradition in Bantry, which opens on Wednesday, August 19. Her new album, Sweet Sorrow, will be released in the autumn. See www.westcorkmusic.ie