Crossmolina’s Irish musician knitting relationship with Tasmania

When you look up Crossmolina, Mayo, on Wikipedia you get two notable persons that were born there, one, Gaelic footballer, Ciaran McDonald and the other Irish musician Marc Roberts. Marc is best known to Australian Irish music fans as some time song writing collaborator with Daniel O’Donnell, as 1997 Irish Eurovision song contest entrant, as a presenter of radio programs on Galway Bay FM that can be accessed on the internet and by his regular and respected John Denver tribute concerts.
I recently put some questions to Marc including the close relationship between his home town of Crossmolina and Tasmania.

You have visited Tasmania what do you enjoy about it?
We had a wonderful time in Tasmania. I have to say it’s a funny feeling to come such a long distance from Ireland and to meet so many people, that remind you so much of home. The people were so friendly and Salamanca in Hobart reminded me so much of Galway where I live. I remember doing an interview on TV with Daniel O’Donnell, and we were just back from Tasmania, and I used the analogy of ‘putting a knitting needle through that globe of the world’, in through Crossmolina,
where I was born, it would come out in Tasmania! We were the furthest away from home we could’ve been! It was a wonderful experience.

In 1997 you took part in the Eurovision song contest. How did that develop your skill and confidence as a performer?
Well, I was lucky in the sense that I had been a performer for many years prior to Eurovision. I had my own band and we performed a lot of shows around the country and especially in Dublin. So, when it came to performing in front of 350 million people, I was ready for it. It was an amazing experience and a wonderful opportunity to represent my country. I always think, that’s one of the most precious accolades you can be given! And finishing a credible second on the night, was
just an amazing thing.

What is your favourite song?
That is a very tough question! It’s almost like asking a parent to choose a favourite member of their family. Lol! I love quite a lot of songs in quite a lot of genres. Some because they’ve been written in such a way that it intrigues me. Typical example of this is ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Kate Bush. I always feel the chord structure is just so different and she was so young when she wrote it, it’s still stands the test of time, and it is still a fabulous song. I love the music of John Denver, James Taylor, Carole King, Dan Fogelberg and people like that. It may be because they wrote their own music. So much so, I feel I have a stronger connection with the message they were trying to convey.

What is the favourite of your own songs and why?
When you write songs, I always find, the most recent song you’ve written is usually your most favourite. So, as a result that changes regularly. I love when a song touches people. There’s nothing nicer for a writer, than when someone says that one of your songs has become a part of their lives in some way. ‘When I found you’, which I wrote with Majella O’Donnell, for her wedding to Daniel O’Donnell, is one of those songs that I get requests for from all over the world. Where
people want to perform it at their wedding! That means a lot!

You have a love for American country music but also for contemporary music and count John Denver as a major influence. Do you favour country or contemporary?
As i mentioned earlier, I love almost all genres of music. Like the late John Denver, people try to pigeon hole your music into a particular genre. As a writer, you cross genres regularly & nowadays there’s such a thin line between country, folk, pop & rock, that it’s almost impossible to do that. A lot of it depends on which direction the producer you’re using interprets the song. So, I can’t honestly say I favour one over the other.

Did you ever entertain another career ambition?
I remember on leaving school I got accepted for a couple of different colleges. There was a choice between primary school teaching, art college, but I eventually chose mechanical engineering. I did that for a year & then started doing shows during the summer holidays…I never went back! I guess I always knew it had to be music.

When you write is it an easy process or do you continually go back and refine your music and lyrics or do some songs arrive easier than others? What inspires you, ie I have spoken to writers who have their prologues visit them in dreams. Do you have any unusual events that led to you writing a song?
Writing I find cathartic…it’s something I have to do. There’s an old saying about a carpenter having to be able to use his tools before he’ll make his masterpiece. It’s the same with songwriting. They may not all be masterpieces, but the process & the practice is important. It’s a wonderful thing & no one knows where it comes from, but thank God it does! I think the most important thing is to continuously write down your ideas, document them! I use my phone quite a lot when I get ideas. Then, when I decide it’s time to work on something, I can go back over what I’ve scribbled down & see if anything suits. I can’t remember of anything unusual, but one of the most interesting had to be the song I mentioned earlier ‘When I found you’. Majella wanted to sing/write something special for Daniel the day of their wedding. But, needless to say, she had never written anything before. It was Don, my manager, that came up with the idea…….she wrote a letter to Daniel, as if he was going away to war or someplace that she may never see him again. This was her last chance to tell him exactly how she felt! I was doing a show in the National Concert Hall, Dublin & Majella met me after the show & handed me an envelope with the letter inside. Later that I week I had a
walk by the sea in Galway where I live & wrote the song using her thoughts, sentiment & some of her words. It worked perfectly! She sang it to one very shocked Daniel the day of the wedding & I accompanied her.

Do you have an epiphany when a song is finished?
I have a beer! LOL! No, seriously, there’s definitely a feeling of relief mixed with joy & then anxiety until you get to perform it live. In the meantime, I would continue to sing the song privately & make sure I’m totally happy with the lyric & melody before I share it.

How did you get involved in radio and how do you enjoy it. Is writing and is performing still your first love?
I was asked by my local radio station in Mayo, Mid West Radio, where I’m from, by Paul Claffey, the station boss, if I’d do a programme for the Summer. I did it for two summers & loved it! That sowed the seed. Then, when I represented Ireland in Eurovision 1997, I moved to Galway & was asked by the local radio station there, Galway Bay FM, if I’d present my own shows. I still do it, & love it! I also do some TV presenting, but yes, singing, performing & writing are my first loves!

What next for you….another album and if so what can we expect? More self-penned tunes or perhaps a DVD?
Well, I’ve started writing a new album & I’m trying to get back into the studio to record them. It’s a lengthy process but I’d rather take my time & be completely happy before it’s released. That’s the difference with original music. If you’re recording a cover version of someone else’s song, there’s a blueprint already there that people are familiar with. And, though you try to make it your own, there’ll always be comparisons made. With original songs, this is the very first time the public are hearing it, so you have to spend the time & hope that it’s the best that it can be!

Marc is keen to return to Australia to tour so any promoters out there you can get in touch with Marc’s management at the following address doncollins258@me.com.

Marc’s official website is www.marcroberts.ie and you can listen to Galway Bay FM online at www.galwaybayfm.ie
Paula Xiberras