EIMEAR Quinn is probably best known as the winner of the Eurovision song contest in 1996 with Brendan Graham’s ‘The Voice’. She captured the nation once again on Ryan Tubridy’s radio show singing ‘O Holy Night’ in the run up to Christmas.
So immense was the response that RTE regularly repeats her performance at this time of year. When it featured on RTE’s ‘Playback’, it was introduced with, “Put away your Valium, Eimear Quinn is about to magic all your stress away.”
In the aftermath of her Ryan Tubridy performance she recorded a full album of Christmas music, ‘O Holy Night’, in 2007.
“The album was brought out for Christmas time before my first daughter was born.
I haven’t recorded an album since, I’ve been indulging myself in motherhood,” laughs Eimear on the phone from her home in Monaghan.
Christmas brings back lovely memories to the engaging chanteuse who could sing before she could talk. As a four year-old she longed to be a singer.
“I was too young to be in the children’s choir in Tallaght where I grew up and my sister who is two years older was in the choir.
“But on Christmas morning I was allowed hold my bigger siblings hand and sing along with the choir. I fancied myself a singer from the moment I could make a sound, so I remember belting out ‘Little Town of Bethlehem’ with the choir.”
Eimear recorded the song for her Christmas album and gave it a childlike wonder quality in the recording because it brings back so many happy childhood memories.
With her youngest child now going to Montessori, Eimear is preparing for a busy 2016 in music.
She is co-writing new material with Brendan Graham and also reworking a version of ‘Vide cor Meum’ with the Irish songwriter and novelist. ‘Vide cor Meum’ is Patrick Cassidy’s famous aria used in Ridley Scott’s film ‘Hannibal’.
Eimear’s working relationship with Brendan Graham goes back to Christmas 1995 when he asked Eimear to sing his song ‘The Voice’ for Eurovision Song Contest which was the last time that an Irish act won the contest.
Eimear believes that Ireland could again win the Eurovision with a “rocking song with a good singer”, but wonders if we could ever afford to host it afterwards.
“The scale of the production is enormous now. It is coming up on 20 years since we won. We produced Eurovision in a big auditorium in 1997 where as now it happens in vast arenas like football stadiums, the scale of it is huge. I don’t know how you finance something like that but to watch it is extraordinary.”
The upcoming concert will be Eimear’s first ever solo concert in Limerick and she is looking forward to meeting old friends and checking out the markets and crafts shops for a bit of present buying while she is in town.
In this intimate spiritual night, she will bring her own rendition of Christmas songs and carols to the Lime Tree Theatre for a memorable musical experience.
Eimear Quinn plays Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College on Thursday December 10, accompanied by Mamisa String quartet and Scullion’s Robbie Overson on guitar.
