Constantly evolving Mundy makes March date in Clare

HAVING been a household name for the last decade, and having been behind a string of instantly recognisable songs such as By Her Side and Mexico, Mundy is now working on his fifth album.
He is also coming to the Banner County, playing in Patrick’s Bar on Thursday, March 8. The Offaly singer is no stranger to Clare, he says. “I played in Scariff during the summer, I played in Patrick’s Bar before, been in Glór and the West County, I’m fairly broken in.”
When he spoke to The Clare Champion, he was just about to go to London but said he is really concentrating on writing. “I’ve written a lot of stuff but I’m still waiting to see if there are any gems out there.”
His writing is changing a bit, he says. “I find I’m learning more, constantly evolving. I think my writing’s getting better, it might be getting a bit weird for some people but it’s probably a bit more subconscious than it ever was before. It’s less organised.”
Each of his previous albums have thrown up songs that most people could hum if pushed.
“On every album, I’ve had some kind of song that people really like. On my first album I had the Romeo+Juliet song called To You I Bestow, then July became what it has become on the second album which has Mexico as well. Then, on Raining Down Arrows you have the likes of By Her Side and the song Raining Down Arrows. All the albums I’ve had, even the live album that had Galway Girl and a few others. July would be the one I’m mostly assoicated with over here.”
His version of Steve Earle’s Galway girl, recorded live with Sharon Shannon, is probably what people most associate him with. While it was a popular and commercial success, it might have left people in doubt about what his music is all about.
“Oh, it was massive for over two years. It kind of confused things in a way as well. It’s a brilliant song and it definitely broadened my audience, brought me to a lot more people but I’d say a lot of people were interested in that rather than my long-term career. They mightn’t get it because my other stuff is completely different really. Galway Girl wasn’t a plan, basically Sharon came on as a special guest at one of my shows one night. Usually, live albums don’t really sell.”
It has been 16 years since the Offaly man went on tour for the first time. He says his career has been “interesting and turbulent” and the music industry has certainly changed dramatically since he got involved. The easy availability of free music has the potential to damage quality over time, he feels.
“The hard thing, I think, is that you want to make an album as beautiful as you can but that costs money. And nobody wants to pay for it. It’s not profitable anymore, it’s loss-making and a lot of people can’t afford to be in that position anymore. I just think it might affect the quality of the music along the way. Not the quality of the writing but the quality of the recording.”
In principle, he supports the idea of anti-piracy laws, which are due to be introduced by Government.
“If you go to the shop and rob something, you’re going to get arrested but if you rob an album you don’t. It’s my only income and I’m one of the providers in the family. It affects me bringing home food for my kids. That’s not good.”
Although he is working on a new album, he will play his best-known tunes for the audience in Ennis.
“I’ll play across the board. You can’t just go in and lob a new album onto somebody and expect them to like it. I’ll probably play two or three new songs too. If people are going to come and see you, you have to give them what they want.”