When Irish singer and musician Eleanor McEvoy is out on tour, one of her favourite things to do is visit local charity shops to find interesting pieces to wear on stage.
“I’m a budget-conscious girl, and I’m a freelance musician… If I’m going somewhere posh, I’ll always go a bit early to check out the second-hand shops,” she tells The Irish Times Women’s Podcast.
A lifelong lover of thrifting, McEvoy is an ambassador for Oxfam’s Second Hand September, a campaign encouraging people to take a stand against the global impact of fast fashion and to shop for preloved clothes.
Speaking to podcast presenter Róisín Ingle, McEvoy says second-hand shopping can be daunting at first, but there are a few tricks to get the most out of your experience.
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“If you find something really cool that looks amazing on you and is exactly the right fit and exactly your vibe, scour the rest of the shop, because chances are the person who donated that item has donated four or five or six other items, and they’re going to be the same size as you or have the same kind of vibe.”
In this episode, the singer also speaks poignantly about the heartache that inspired her 2021 album, Gimme Some Wine.
“God, a whole lot of stuff just went wrong in my life at the same time. My dad had died, and then my relationship of 23 years just ended really suddenly,” she explains.
Offering advice to anyone going through a similar grief, McEvoy says although it’s a cliché, time is definitely a healer.
“Maybe some of your listeners are in that position, maybe they’re in a bad relationship, or maybe they’ve just come out of a relationship they didn’t expect to end suddenly. And if there’s one message I can give people, it’s that five years on, life is wonderful. Things can get better.”
McEvoy says the healing process included therapy sessions, supportive friends and a move to a new county.
“You will get through it. You really will. Not only will you get through it, but your life might be better than it ever has been before. And that was certainly my experience,” she says.
You can listen back to this conversation in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
