Sep 2, 2026 · 21 min · 9 segments
John Keane spoke recently with the wonderful Mary Coughlan ahead of her upcoming performance in this years Waterford Harvest Festival. Mary chats to John about the gig, past gigs, and the stories…
Mary CoughlanGuestJohn KeaneHostListen, you're in this business now, as you said there, 40 celebrations last year.
You've seen a lot of people come and go and you've seen a lot of people, of course, in the industry that have just, you know, excelled and whatnot.
stop it i was talking about it and michelle from ulton conlon do a podcast um we were talking about this recently
i am really really lucky and privileged to be in the position that i am still 70 now and still able to pull in a few people for a gig and you know i'll do the olympia in january
you know what I mean all the people you know what I mean those theatres and like the likes of the church down in Waterford and the you know the theatres the small theatres around the country I do them all you know and a few people I know do them all maybe not every year but once every year or 18 months
And there's no record companies and there's nobody putting their hands in their pockets.
And, you know, we used to moan about record companies when we had them because they were... you know, they were taking a huge share of, in fact, in my case, they took the entire share of the first three albums.
But that was the deal we did with them, you know, and I did it and, you know, it worked out.
Look at me, I'm still working, do you know what I mean? That's what it meant in those days.
To have a record deal and to do the likes of, you know, television and Jules Holland and the Late Late Show and stuff, it really, really, really meant something, do you know what I mean? like I was talking today before we went on air, like, does anybody watch television anymore?
The whole thing is, and we were talking with the whole old online stuff and the little snippets and You know, if you're not on, I am, and I'm not on a TikTok, you don't know what's going on really in the music industry anymore.
Well, the funny thing about it, the funny thing about it is, is that I'll get asked for, I do a few gigs here and there, like, and I'll get asked for a song.
And the most recent one we say, going back, we say, but in the middle of the summer there, most recent was.
Listen, you're in this business now, as you said there, 40 celebrations last year.
You've seen a lot of people come and go and you've seen a lot of people, of course, in the industry that have just, you know, excelled and whatnot.
stop it i was talking about it and michelle from ulton conlon do a podcast um we were talking about this recently
i am really really lucky and privileged to be in the position that i am still 70 now and still able to pull in a few people for a gig and you know i'll do the olympia in january
you know what I mean all the people you know what I mean those theatres and like the likes of the church down in Waterford and the you know the theatres the small theatres around the country I do them all you know and a few people I know do them all maybe not every year but once every year or 18 months
And there's no record companies and there's nobody putting their hands in their pockets.
And, you know, we used to moan about record companies when we had them because they were... you know, they were taking a huge share of, in fact, in my case, they took the entire share of the first three albums.
But that was the deal we did with them, you know, and I did it and, you know, it worked out.
Look at me, I'm still working, do you know what I mean? That's what it meant in those days.
To have a record deal and to do the likes of, you know, television and Jules Holland and the Late Late Show and stuff, it really, really, really meant something, do you know what I mean? like I was talking today before we went on air, like, does anybody watch television anymore?
The whole thing is, and we were talking with the whole old online stuff and the little snippets and You know, if you're not on, I am, and I'm not on a TikTok, you don't know what's going on really in the music industry anymore.
Well, the funny thing about it, the funny thing about it is, is that I'll get asked for, I do a few gigs here and there, like, and I'll get asked for a song.
And the most recent one we say, going back, we say, but in the middle of the summer there, most recent was.
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