The name Eleanor means ‘shining light and compassion’, and it suits Eleanor McEvoy very well. Eleanor is representative for Oxfam as well as her main career of musician where she is a shining light who happens to be the writer of ‘Only a woman’s heart’, the title song on the highest selling album in Irish history.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of ‘Only a woman’s heart’ and Eleanor is amazed at the celebrations that have occurred in Ireland for this song that has impacted on so many.
9 nights at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre and still crowds craving more, 4 more dates have been added in August and September to further celebrate the song. Eleanor is surprised at the representation of younger people in the audiences and that the song is generational in its girth and longevity.
This year her new album reunites Eleanor with some of the other women that contributed to ‘Only a woman’s heart’, Mary Coughlan, Sharon Shannon among them. Eleanor has penned another song for them to celebrate the 20 year anniversary called ‘The secret of living’.
This modest young woman is on the way to Tasmania to perform and she couldn’t be happier about it. Having first toured here in 2011, Eleanor tells me she loves the Tasmanian scenery, the pace of life here, so different to the rest of Australia and our cultural gem MONA which she adores in spite of its controversy.
Eleanor sees the museums and art galleries of the foreign cities she travels as temples of those places. She is pleased to say she will get a day off this time to explore at her leisure what Tasmania has to offer.
Eleanor has achieved such fame her portrait has been painted by Robert Ballagh and now sits in the National Concert Hall of Ireland.
Eleanor says she was having a cup of coffee with Robert and happened to put a piece of paper with sheet music into her handbag. Robert saw this and asked if he might keep it. Eleanor acquiesced and was surprised to see it used as the backdrop to her portrait. Eleanor sees it as ‘so true’ and is amazed at how Robert has captured her likeness going beyond the superficial to her very DNA with the portrait also having an astonishing likeness to her sister.
Eleanor’s fame is such that ‘Only a Woman’s Heart’ is even referenced in a novel ‘New Cardiff’ by ‘The Graduate’ author Charles Webb. The novel was later made into the film ‘Hope Springs’.
Just as her song ‘Sophie’ about anorexia still results in daily letters and emails Eleanor reflects on the fact that human nature is the same all over and songs appeal to each individual in a deeply personal way with everyone taking their life experiences to a place in her songs. The place Morris Gleitzman called ‘the magic spaces’ where author and audience meet.
You can see some Eleanor’s magic at The Polish Club, Hobart Saturday 15th June.
Paula Xiberras
