Upbeat about the downturn

Folk singer Damien Dempsey is tired of talk of the recession. His new songs speak of hope for the future, says Ed Power

FOLK singer Damien Dempsey is tired of the endless teeth gnashing over the recession and the death of the Celtic Tiger. The Dubliner suspects his fans feel the same. So his next album is going to be upbeat. His intention is to spread hope, rather than focus on the dark side. This, he says, represents quite a change in tone from earlier records.

“In the past, I wrote about the negative elements of the Celtic Tiger, about the industrial schools, the scandals in the Church,” he says. “People are being bombarded every day with all this stuff about the banks and the economy and how grim the outlook is. I don’t want to do something in that vein. Everyone is sick of it. You turn on the radio in the morning and it’s all you hear all day. I want to create something that is positive, that emphasises the values of community spirit. Sitting down to write the album, I had a very clear idea of what I needed to achieve ”