Interview

Singer Mick Flannery on luck, harnessing misery and learning to not take himself too seriously

For 20 years, the acclaimed vocalist has told the messy, sweeping story of the human condition with empathy and without judgement – and, with an album out in September and a tour lined up, there’s plenty of dark emotion still to come

Mick Flannery is a songwriter in the mould of Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan, tackling both pop and politics. Picture: Susie Conroy

Listen superficially to the rain hitting the Ennistymon Falls Hotel on a Friday in July and you might think it a perfect day to meet Mick Flannery. All-encompassing, dark in humour and ever teetering on the precipice of misery, the weather today reflects the many ways in which he has become known by fans of his work.

Flannery, one of Ireland’s most respected songwriters, has the sort of demeanour that doesn’t come along very often ...