Actress and singer Maria Doyle Kennedy ‘entranced’ by West Cork ahead of gigs here
You’ve been a regular in West Cork, haven’t you?
It is my favourite bit of the world. My first visit to West Cork was around 30 years ago when friends living in Schull invited us to stay. Kieran (Maria’s husband, singer Kieran Kennedy) grew up in Cork city and we would have visited Cork city often to see his family, but West Cork was a world unknown … and of course I was entranced by the beauty of the landscape and the soundness of the people. We’ve probably had as many gigs in De Barra’s as we have years of marriage. We return as often as we can.
Is mixing family and professional life difficult?
I think every working parent faces a juggle fitting work around their children. We did shorter, intense bouts of touring and brought them along where possible, and somehow it worked. They are compassionate young men now and none the worse for a sometimes-chaotic growing up. For Kieran and I, playing music together is a shortcut in communication that has been a gift. I’m grateful for it.
You juggle music and acting. Which do you prefer?
I like to make things, that’s how I make sense of the world. I don’t try to do them all at the same time, I have to commit to what it is I’m making. Music is the thing though, that I couldn’t live without, it has given me comfort and hope when I most needed it, and the shared experience of a live show is unlike anything else.
• Maria and Kieran play De Barras Clonakilty on Friday Dec 13th, Levis, Ballydehob on Dec 14th, and Coughlan’s Live, Cork on Dec 15th.
