Róisín Meets: Gifted singer-songwriter Mick Hanly

In the latest episode of the Roísín Meets podcast, Limerick born singer songwriter Mick Hanly talks about his career in music, the long search to find his voice and his new album Homeland.

Hanly explains how his journey to find his voice led him to abandon the Showband sound for Country and to penning his biggest hit and signature song, Past the Point of Rescue – a piece that proved a huge hit for Mary Black here and repeated the trick Stateside for Country artist Hal Ketchum.

As a child, songwriting provided an antidote to Hanly’s “horrendous experience” of formal education. The corporal punishment dished out fostered “a feeling of dread on a Sunday night” that followed him into the classroom.

Maturity

Hanly explains he “had a love for the guitar from an early age”. As he matured, there occurred a move away from the limited potential of playing in the showbands. Instead he found his niche playing with Micheal O’Domhnaill, taking a fresh approach to the trad and folk sounds of the time.

An album soon followed under the name Monroe, released to good reviews and poor sales. “The record was met with the sound of one man clapping,” says Hanly.

However, he remained undeterred. After a stint playing in France, he regrouped and recorded a brace of well-received albums in the mid to late 1970s. A Kiss in the Morning Early (1976) and As I Went over Blackwater (1980) featured the talents of Donal Lunny and Andy Irvine, among others.

Although no doubt gratifying, the commercial success of Past the Point of Rescue has not changed his approach to the craft, he says. “I only ever write songs for myself”.

Mick Hanly’s latest album Homeland was released on March 18th.