Mike Scott on his love for Munster, how to write a hit song and becoming a Taylor Swift fan

From the childhood holiday to Kinsale that sparked a love affair with Ireland, to writing classics like The Whole of the Moon, Maeve Lee chats to Mike Scott as he returns to the Marquee with The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The Waterboys: "a holiday to Kinsale with his mother at the age of 12 that first sparked his love for this country." Pic: Larry Cummins.

It’s a bright but breezy day in Cork City when I meet The Waterboys frontman, the legendary Mike Scott. Perched above a glistening River Lee, it seems as though the city is pulling out all the stops for its special guest.

The Scottish singer-songwriter is sitting across from me within the walls of Electric on Cork’s South Mall. He is wearing a dark blue suit, a polka dot shirt and a pair of tortoiseshell glasses. The outfit, of course, is complete with his signature cowboy hat which, upon closer inspection, I realise is decorated with small silver jewels.