B-Side the Leeside: Margaret Barry - Songs of an Irish Tinker Lady

Cork's Greatest Records: In the first of a new run of our series, Pet O'Connell looks at the classic album by a Cork street singer who went on to share a billing with Bob Dylan and sing at both Albert and Carnegie halls

Margaret Barry in Camden Town, London, in 1976. Picture: John Harrison

‘Oft, in the Stilly Night’ and ‘Smilin’ Through’ were the only songs Margaret Barry knew by heart when she first plucked up enough courage to sing on the streets.

Though she was later to share a billing with Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and perform at the Royal Albert Hall, Barry was once too shy to sing in front of the crowds queuing at Cork’s Palace Cinema.