Ireland In 50 Albums, No 28: Mary Coughlan,  Tired And Emotional (1985)

Nobody was as surprised as Mary Coughlan when her debut album became such a phenomenon in the 1980s 

Mary Coughlan brought an Irish twist to bluesey songs with Tired and Emotional. Picture: Frank Millar

Arguably Ireland’s greatest jazz and blues singer, Mary Coughlan, has been creating uncompromising and wholly personal music for five decades. Born in Shantalla, Galway city, Coughlan endured a difficult upbringing – something she sings about with poignant heft – with north stars coming by way of Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith, each who recognised and replicated the sounds of their own human experience.

As Coughlan describes it, she was leading a “hippy lifestyle”, before she was discovered, teaching breastfeeding, writing magazine columns, and singing at the odd session. Then, along came Dutch musician and producer Erik Visser heard her and made magic.