Singer Mary Coughlan said that touring with A Woman’s Heart helped her stay on the wagon and curb the booze for good.
Mary will rejoin Eleanor McEvoy, Hermione Hennessy, Gemma Hayes and Sharon Shannon on the stage at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin next week for another Woman’s Heart tour but said that the 1994 tour was a real challenge.
According to The Irish Mirror she said: “It was the first thing I did when I came out of the Rutland Centre 18 years ago.
“I wasn’t going to do the second one because I thought I would give up the music business altogether when I came out.
“But it turned out to be the first tour I did after that and at that stage it was already huge.
“We were doing these massive gigs in the UK to thousands of people.
“It was really good, we had great craic. And everyone was really supportive,” she said.
Mary said the tour tested her strength as she battled with her will power throughout the journey.
“I came out and I did this tour so I was thrown into the deep end. It was hard being back with all of the same people and not drinking and stuff because I had so many memories of us all together having the craic with drinks.
“I got through that and I thought, ‘If I can get through that I can get through anything,” she said.
Mary said time has flown and it doesn’t feel like nearly 20 years ago that she first performed with the girls.
“It really doesn’t seem like 20 years have passed to me – it’s ridiculous but we all think that we are the same age.
“I don’t feel any different – I feel a lot better than I did 20 years ago, actually.”
“I feel brilliant, I am really busy. The last 18 months I have been busier than ever which seems really strange because the country is gone down the toilet. But I am doing more work than I have done in 20 years,” said Mary.
The singer recently became a grandmother for the third time and said that she and her ex husband Frank Bonadio have reconciled for the sake of their children and grandchildren.
The couple hit the headlines in 2007 when Frank began a relationship with singer, Sinead O’Connor.
However, Mary said they are now good friends.
“Frank and I are in touch. We are grandparents now and we made our peace a long time ago,” she said.
Although Mary has been dating her boyfriend John for over five years now but has no plans to wed in the future.
“Marriage is not for me. I’ve done it twice now,” she said.
The Woman’s Heart tour will be in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre from August 29-September 2.
