{"id":14565,"date":"2020-05-14T14:05:52","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T18:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=14565"},"modified":"2021-04-19T12:39:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T16:39:17","slug":"mary-coughlan-a-true-superstar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=14565","title":{"rendered":"Mary Coughlan – A True Superstar!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mary Coughlan July 2019 (Simone Rudolphi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>Each week we will highlight one artist from Paddy McCarthy’s regular Music And Entertainment Guide for your reading pleasure. To read the full weekly guide, visit our ePaper<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mary Coughlan is one of the most underrated folk singers that has ever come out of Ireland, not to me though as I think she is one of the greatest. She had it tough in her early life and fought through it and became a superstar in my eyes. <\/p>\n

Mary was born in\u00a0Galway, Ireland. Her father was a soldier from\u00a0County Donegal. She was the eldest of five and had endured an erratic youth. She left convent school and started drinking alcohol and taking drugs when she was fifteen. At this age she spent time in a mental hospital. After time in hospital and a belated graduation, Coughlan decided to leave home. <\/p>\n

In the mid-1970s, she moved to London, England, where she married Fintan Coughlan and had three children. In 1981, she left her husband and took custody of her children. In 1984, she moved back to her hometown of\u00a0Galway.<\/p>\n

On her return to Ireland, when she started to perform in public, she was noticed by Dutch musician and producer Erik Visser. Visser, whose band\u00a0Flairck\u00a0was popular in Europe, helped Coughlan record her first album,\u00a0\u201cTired and Emotional\u201d. Visser went on to become her long-term collaborator. <\/p>\n

The album sold an unexpected 100,000 copies in Ireland, partly because of an appearance on\u00a0The Late Late Show. Despite problems, Coughlan continued to reap praise for her recording output on\u00a0WEA. On\u00a0\u201cUnder the Influence\u201d\u00a0(1987) she sang the 1948\u00a0Peggy Lee\u00a0hit \u201cDon\u2019t Smoke in Bed\u201d and the\u00a0Billie Holiday\u00a0ballad \u201cGood Morning Heartache\u201d, as well as\u00a0Jimmy McCarthy\u2019s \u201cRide On\u201d, which reached number 5 on the Irish pop charts in 1987. <\/p>\n

In 1988 she made her acting debut in\u00a0Neil Jordan\u2019s\u00a0\u201cHigh Spirits\u201d. In 1990, she signed with\u00a0East West Records, which released her third album,\u00a0\u201cUncertain Pleasures\u201d, recorded in the UK and produced by Peter Glenister, former music director for\u00a0Terence Trent D\u2019Arby. It included compositions by Mark Nevin and cover versions of the\u00a0Rolling Stones\u2019 \u201cMother\u2019s Little Helper\u201d and\u00a0Elvis Presley\u2019s \u201cHeartbreak Hotel\u201d. <\/p>\n

After receiving treatment, it seemed as though Coughlan had landed on her feet again.\u00a0\u201cSentimental Killer\u201d\u00a0(1992) and\u00a0\u201cLove for Sale\u201d\u00a0(1993) were received well. In 1994, she lent her vocals to\u00a0\u201cA Woman\u2019s Heart Vol. 2\u201d\u00a0album with\u00a0Mary Black\u00a0and\u00a0Dolores Keane. She released\u00a0\u201cLive in Galway\u201d\u00a0and in 1997\u00a0\u201cAfter the Fall\u201d, which became her American debut.<\/p>\n

In June 2000, Coughlan took another turn in her career when she presented a series of multimedia shows in Dublin and London celebrating Billie Holiday, a singer whose life had parallels to Coughlan\u2019s. Material from these shows was collected on\u00a0\u201cMary Coughlan Sings Billie Holiday\u201d. In April 2001\u00a0\u201cLong Honeymoon\u201d\u00a0was released,\u00a0and in 2002\u00a0\u201cRed Blues\u201d. She appeared on the\u00a0RT\u00c9\u00a0reality television charity show\u00a0Celebrity Farm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe House of Ill Repute\u201d\u00a0was released in 2008. She participated in the album\u00a0\u201cSanctuary\u201d\u00a0with\u00a0Moya Brennan.Yes, I have giving you some personal information on Mary only to tell you how strong she is after all these hardships she had growing up, keep it going Mary! <\/p>\n

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