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Sunday World
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Irish country music star on how he nearly lost everything before getting sober
'I'm totally up for talking and being open about my struggles with alcohol if it can help to inspire somebody else.' Ryan appreciates how supportive his wife Michelle and five children have been Ryan with T Graham Brown, who had a big hit with Wine Into Water Irish country musician Ryan Turner looks back on his life a decade ago and admits: 'I had €50 in my pocket and I was a mess.' The dad-of-five reveals that he was in the grip of alcohol addiction and at risk of losing everything he cherished, having been told to leave the family home several times. As he celebrates 10 years of sobriety, Turner, who has played keyboards in bands with everyone from Margo O'Donnell to Patrick Feeney and Louise Morrissey, says he's speaking out in the hope that his story will inspire others. Ryan with the Gene Watson band at the Grand Ole Opry 'I'm not ashamed of it because I have come out the other side,' Ryan tells Magazine+. 'I'm totally up for talking and being open about it if I can inspire somebody else.' Now enjoying success with his own group, The Ryan Turner Band, the Donegal man from Carndonagh admits that he started drinking at the age of 17. 'He says: 'I was playing music from a very young age and that's one thing about the music industry — you're around alcohol all the time. 'People think they're doing you a favour buying you a drink… one leads to another and time goes by…weeks, months and years…and eventually for me after a period of time I felt I was tied up in it. 'Even though I tried to not let it affect my work and I was trying to be professional, as a musician working in bands I did treat Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as my weekend. Ryan's son Luke after riding a winner for his boss Willie Mullins 'My work was at weekends, so I thought it was normal to go to the pub those weekdays as I regarded it as my Friday, Saturday and Sunday, even though when I was working I was still having a few pints over the weekend.' Ryan, whose children are aged 24 to 15, admits that he neglected his family during his booze-fuelled days. Paying tribute to his partner, Michelle, the mother of his children, he says: 'I'm not going to lie about it, Michelle had a huge task because she was raising five kids by herself up to the point that I quit drinking. 'I was just gone all the time, so she did most of that on her own. If I wasn't working I still wasn't at home… I was gone and I was drinking and I was partying.' How did Michelle put up with that? 'I don't know, she's a saint,' Ryan responds. Ryan appreciates how supportive his wife Michelle and five children have been Did she not throw you out? 'Oh I was thrown out several times. Nobody would put up with that,' he admits. Despite the turmoil in his personal life, Turner couldn't quit the cycle of boozing. 'A very close friend of mine since childhood, another Donegal man, songwriter and musician 'Shunie Crampsey, would talk to me,' Ryan says. 'He knew the pubs where he'd find me and he would talk to me. Ultimately that was a big part of my reason for quitting… he talked to me and inspired me. 'I was completely in denial that I had a problem and he pleaded with me to try one year off the drink. 'I remember clearly him sitting and saying to me, 'Please just try one year, a week is no good, a month is no good, you have to do a year… and you have to do a first of everything, a first Christmas, a first birthday.' Ryan with T Graham Brown, who had a big hit with Wine Into Water 'He said, 'Once you do that year, if you don't feel any better I'll personally take you back to the pub. The drink will always be there to go back to. 'So I did the year with help from Shunie and another singer, Hugo McLoughlin. Both those guys were so, so good to me and supportive of me and checked in on me on a daily basis for the first few months. The first year was tough, there's no doubt about it, but I got over those hurdles. When I got the first year over Shunie rang me and he said, 'Well, I know you have your year done, how do you feel?' 'I said, 'I think I'll do another year.' That's 10 years past on the 21st of June. I attended about three meetings of AA in that time and I found it helpful to see that I wasn't alone in it. There were so many other people struggling with the same addiction and I learnt there that it wasn't something to be embarrassed about, that it was a disease, and I learnt that there was help.' Turner is particularly grateful that today his relationship with Michelle and their family has never been better. He talks about a son who is a successful jockey with top trainer Willie Mullins, while his youngest son is a musician and they perform together. 'Everything is great now and I'm delighted that after it all I have a life,' he adds.
Sunday World
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Ireland's top country stars thrilled to gather for President Higgins' last garden party
It was the final summer garden party of his 14-year presidency. In the final summer garden party of his 14-year presidency, Michael D Higgins chose this week's event in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin a tribute to the stars of the Irish country music scene. And Sabina Higgins was determined to make it an unforgettable evening of entertainment, springing from her seat and encouraging the crowd to join her as she danced the night away like a teenager to the music of singers such as Claudia Buckley. 'I never thought a young country girl from Athenry in Co Galway would ever be up at the Áras to sing for the president,' Claudia tells Magazine+ . Claudia Buckley with President Higgins and Sabina News in 90 Seconds - Saturday July 12 'It was an honour beyond all honours and something that I'll remember for the rest of my life. And the fact that Sabina got up and waved to the audience, 'C'mon, let's have some fun!'… that was so cool. 'I hadn't met President Higgins and Sabina before, so I didn't know what they were going to be like. I didn't know if they would just sit there and be stoical. 'But Sabina is some craic. She jumped up and soon had the floor packed with dancers, with herself in the middle of them. And she gave me the thumbs up. You could see that she was ready to party and she was having a ball.' Among the new young stars of Irish country music, Claudia is a daughter of one of the genre's biggest entertainers Jimmy Buckley, who was watching from the audience with his wife, Clarice. President Higgins and Sabina greets guests 'It was a very proud moment for Clarice and myself watching Claudia singing for President Higgins and Sabina. As a parent it doesn't get any better than that,' Jimmy says. 'This is my second visit to the Áras because he has hosted country music artists before and he has been so good to the Arts in general. 'For Michael D, as the president, to honour our sector of the music business is a wonderful honour. Not every president or head of state of a country would do that. 'He's a man of the people and he appreciates and understands our genre, and he pointed out the contribution our music has made to Ireland in general. He acknowledged that and it was a lovely thing to do. 'We will miss Michael D when he's gone. There is nothing you couldn't admire about the man. He's definitely our most popular president ever. I hope people will take the time to elect somebody of the same calibre. Class is very hard to find if you compare him with statesmen from other places.' The attendance included the Queen of Country Philomena Begley, known affectionately as Philly, who is an idol to the young generation of entertainers. 'Me and Philly sat for a while after the event and she threw her arms around me and said, 'I've never been so proud of someone,'' Claudia reveals. President Higgins and Sabina with a guest 'And the biggest compliment she could have paid me was when she said, 'I see my younger self in you and I really think you are going to go far.' That just meant the world to me. 'Philly is from the same generation as President Higgins and you could see how much he admired her when they shared a big hug at the event. 'You could also see that he's a big fan of Brendan Shine as well and he was singing along when Brendan was performing. He knew all the words to Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down.' Brendan Shine says that 'long before he became president, Michael D was a great supporter of our music. Maybe the higher echelons of music in Ireland might look down on the kind of thing we do, but not Michael D. 'He is someone who can see the value in what we do and I think that's a wonderful thing. He has the common touch and he understands and appreciates the culture that country music has brought to Ireland. 'I was very touched by his attitude. It's great that no matter what genre you're in, someone like the President of Ireland would give you a little bit of encouragement.' Brendan performed at the country concert with his daughter, Emily. 'It was a great honour to sing for the president and to be on that stage and in those beautiful surroundings is something we'll carry to the grave with us,' he says. 'It was a great boost for all the artists — the younger ones and those that have gone before them.' The attendance, which included Ben Dolan, the McDonald family, Foster & Allen, Trudi Lalor, Johnny Carroll, Mike Denver and Michael English, also featured live performances from Derek Ryan, Cliona Hagan, Patrick Feeney, Sean Keane and Sandy Kelly. 'To hear the President of Ireland mention your name and to know your name, even before you go on stage was a big thing in my head,' says Sandy, who has recorded with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson in her glittering career. 'Like I said on stage, he is my favourite president. He is so clued in to what we're doing and he values and respects us and that's huge for us coming from a president. 'Everyone, young and old, loves Michael D. My grandson Frank was with me and was so delighted when the president stopped for a photo with him. I absolutely adore Michael D, and the same with Sabina, and I will miss them terribly.' President Higgins told how he got to know many of the bands as a student in Galway when he used to book them for gigs. 'I was president of the students' union in Galway back in 1965,' he recalled. 'One of the things the president could do was hire the band to play for the students in Seapoint in Salthill, so I got to know all of them. 'And meeting all those musicians was great and they said that time if you played Seapoint you were 'on the road'. 'Thankfully the music lasted longer than Seapoint.'
Sunday World
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
American country star reveals two of her favourite men are famous Irish exports
'Maybe I'm just lucky and have met only wonderful Irish people, but Niall and Hozier are such good people. Y'all grow them different over there.' American country pop superstar Maren Morris reveals that two of her favourite men on the planet are Irish — Niall Horan and Hozier. And the singer and songwriter is besotted with another young male in her life — her five-year-old son Hayes, who she describes as 'a perfect little human.' Maren (35), who will play Dublin's National Stadium in November, was the opening act for Mullingar heart-throb Horan on his 2018 Flicker World Tour. 'Oh my goodness, one of the faves, he's just such a gem of a human being,' she tells Magazine+ as we chat by Zoom this week. Maren doesn't have her camera on while we talk because, she explains, 'I look like sh*t.' Country pop star Maren Morris But back to the former One Direction idol Horan, the straight-talking entertainer goes on: 'We opened for him and he's just one of the most down to earth people. 'And most Irish people that I have worked with or met are… but Niall, for what he has gone through being in one of the biggest boybands of all time and to come out of that so humble and down to earth is remarkable.' He has handled it so well. 'Yeah, I think he's just that sort of guy, he doesn't care about any of that [fame]. It was definitely one of the most fun tours we have done. 'It's just nice when the headliner and the opener can hang out off stage and on stage, and there's a rapport. 'On those days off on tour you are sort of all in this camp together and some people aren't as approachable. Maren Morris and Hozier on stage 'But with Niall and his team we all became friends on that tour, and whenever we tour in Ireland or in the UK I feel like those people will come out to our shows and support us and it's just so fun.' He kept his friends from his home town close to him. 'Yeah, that's the ticket, isn't it?' Maren says. 'Your friends are loyal, they humble you, they knew you before everyone else in the world did and there's just a really special connection there, and I have the same with my friends from Texas. 'They've been my best friends since sixth grade and obviously they're so excited for me and proud of me. They come to shows, but we also go on vacations together. We've built this life over decades… that's such an amazing thing when you can hold on to a piece of home in this crazy business. They are definitely my anchor, them and my family for sure.' Speaking about Hozier, who duetted on her song, The Bones, and has shared many stages with her, Morris says: 'Over the years we have done so many shows. He has been so kind to come out to my shows. He came out to my show in the Hollywood Bowl a couple of years ago and we just did a festival this past fall together and he came out and sang with me. Maren and Niall Horan perform on stage 'Hozier is such a good human and has a talent level unmatched on this earth. He's a really sweet guy. Maybe I'm just lucky and have met only wonderful Irish people, but Niall and Hozier are such good people. Y'all grow them different over there.' Just like Niall Horan, Morris had a shot at reality TV shows such as American Idol, The Voice and America's Got Talent starting out — but was rejected by all of them. Later, after hitting the big time, she would see contestants singing her hits on those shows. 'Yeah, I think that was the way it was supposed to happen,' Maren tells me. 'I don't think I would have done particularly well on those shows. It's so high pressure, I'm glad I took the longer road.' It can be very damaging if you're not prepared for it? 'No one can really prepare you, there's not like school on fame or global success and what it does to you as a person,' she points out. 'I am so fortunate that I was like, 26, when my first record came out, instead of being 16 on a TV talent show. I really would have burned myself out. No one should be famous until they are at least 25. 'And I say that as someone who, for me, has a perfect amount of fame and success. I can still function and go out in public and not really be recognised, but I still get to live out my dream simultaneously.' Morris has had a traumatic few years, during which she suffered with postpartum depression after the birth of her son, Hayes, and cancelled all her work. She later split from her husband, Ryan Hurd, and the couple, who remain amicable, finalised their divorce in January of last year. Then in June of last year Maren came out publicly as bisexual announcing during Pride Month that she was 'happy to be the B in LGBTQ+.' Maren, whose latest album, Dreamsicle, was released last month, uses her songwriting to process what's going on in her life. 'Music is a vehicle for me and it's deeply personal and therapeutic,' she tells me. She has come in for criticism for publicly voicing her opinions and beliefs, including the country music industry's handling of issues like racism, homophobia and sexism. 'I'm a human being and I have feelings and morals and ethics and anything I feel I need to use my platform for I will do it,' she says. But Maren says she's optimistic for the future and what young people like her son will bring to it. 'He just gives me so much hope because he is such a sweet boy and so thoughtful and kind and, yes, that's partially nurture, but it's also his nature and he just is that way and he is his own person 'He's not me, he's not his dad, he's himself and I think that whatever combination there is of our teaching and genetics, he just came out the other side such a perfect little human and gives me hope for how people and especially boys can treat other people.' Maren Morris's new album, Dreamsicle, is out now. Tickets are now on sale for Maren Morris Dreamsicle World Tour which plays The National Stadium, Dublin, on November 3.
Sunday World
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Domhnall Glesson says he'd ‘love to' act alongside his dad and brother again
FAMILY MATTERS | As he plays his darkest character in new film Echo Valley, Domhnall Gleeson looks back over the highlights of an incredible career. But the actor reckons sharing the stage with famous father Brendan and equally successful actor brother Brian at Dublin's Olympia Theatre has been his proudest moment in the spotlight. Treading the boards together at the start of 2015 in Enda Walsh's comedy The Walworth Farce, the trio were critically hailed for their comic timing and chemistry. Domhnall as Armitage Hux in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens 'I did a play with my dad and my brother in Dublin in the Olympia about ten years ago and I thought the work was stunning,' Gleeson said. 'The play was absolutely insane — it was bananas and it was amazing working in Dublin every day. But getting to go out and do that with my dad and my brother every night was a very, very proud thing in my life. 'I still when I think about that; I think it's amazing that we did it. And I'm proud of the work I did in that one as well.' The thespian dynasty, led by legendary patriarch Brendan (70) who was nominated for an Oscar in The Banshees of Inisheerin — has since reunited on the small screen for hit TV series Frank of Ireland in 2021, written by Domhnall and Bad Sisters' star Brian. Domhnall as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter And Domhnall admits the family are due another performance because he 'always wants to work with them'. 'We've done it a few times and if the right thing came along, I'd always want to work with them. They're amazing. I'd love to work with them again.' It's full circle for Domhnall, who enjoyed one of his first screen roles opposite his dad in Martin McDonagh's short movie Six Shooters while barely in his early twenties. Now 42, the star has taken the opportunity to reflect on his impressive, more than two decades on the stage and screen while promoting his latest role in Apple TV+ thriller, Echo Valley alongside Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney. Speaking to Magazine+ from London, Domhnall cuts a relaxed figure in jeans and a navy cardigan just before the film's release. While pondering some of his most memorable roles, including turns in Lenny Abraham's The Little Stranger and in Enda Walsh's play Medicine, the actor admits some of most physically punishing roles belong to Angelina Jolie's WWII epic Unbroken and Leonardo DiCaprio's blockbuster The Revenant. Domhnall with Rachel McAdams in About Time But playing Irish icon Bob Geldof in 2010's When Harvey Met Bob left the deepest impression. 'I mean, I lost weight for a role in Unbroken, and that was challenging, and The Revenant was a really, physically tough shoot. 'Then I also played Bob Geldof in a thing years ago and so that was a different sort of physical transformation, but also fun to do. And, you know, doing somebody who exists trying to get their voice down, and the look down, that was all different.' Did Geldof see his performance? 'No, I met him and he was very nice, but I don't think he ever saw the thing. And maybe that was for the best.' Married to longtime partner, producer Juliette Bonass, since 2023, the actor has enjoyed a spectacularly diverse career, including the aforementioned turns in the Star Wars franchise as malevolent Genera Hux, to fan favourite Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter universe. But when I ask him about a role that audiences and critics had misunderstood, he offers a surprise response with 2013 About Time with Bill Nighy and Rachel McAdams, which was one of Gleeson's first forays into romantic comedy. 'About Time, when it came out, it wasn't like critically reviled or anything like that. I think it did fine with the critics, and it actually did okay at the box office. But it's been really heartening and amazing to see how over the years, it's sort of grown and grown in stature. That's been like, amazing to see. I guess as time has gone on, the reception to it has warmed comparative to how it was when it came out. And so I think that's always a good I always remind myself of that. 'If you're in something and it doesn't find an audience when it comes out, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll just never have an audience forever, you know.' Brian, Domhnall and Brendan in The Walworth Farce A sci-fi romance about a young man with the ability to time travel who tries to change his past in hopes of finding his true love, About Time was initially criticised for a lack of coherent storyline and gaping plot holes. However, the British production went on to make over €76m at the global box office and Gleeson admits he'd love to see a sequel down the line. 'I could do scenes with Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy and all those amazing people again. So maybe I'd pick that and I'd get to hang out with Richard Curtis again, which would be nice.' After his character — spoiler alert! — ends up happily ever after with McAdams' character, does he think they'd still be together in the follow-up? 'When we finished the film, that's what I felt. Yeah. When I finished the film, I thought, this is a guy set up for happiness. And that made me very happy for him.' In Echo Valley, Julianne Moore plays a lonely rancher who covers up a murder to protect her addict daughter, played by Hollywood It Girl Sydney Sweeney. In a brooding turn, Gleeson is Jackie, a scheming lowlife who stumbles on the truth, and becomes hell bent on destroying the family. And the actor relished the chance to play nasty in the thriller, which also stars Irish acting legend Fiona Shaw. 'He's a guy, he was pretty dark. He was a pretty, you know, a pretty awful character. And it's nice to do something as a reactionary against that.' With an upcoming role in TV series The Paper, a highly anticipated offshoot from Ricky's Gervais' iconic comedy, The Office, Gleeson has worked tirelessly non-stop for the past two decades. But the actor has learned the important lesson to slow down. 'I've done roles where I end where I had been working so much that I went into it tired. And it's not good to start a job tired, you know what I mean? I've done jobs where I entered into it tired because I've been working too closely up before. 'But then again, if you have something locked in that you have to do and then, you know, Paul Thomas Anderson comes calling, it's not like you're going to say, 'no, sorry, I need time to rest for the right opportunity'.'
Sunday World
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
‘When you're doing eight shows a week you just grow the stamina'
We chat to the star of global hit musical SIX Alexia McIntosh as she takes the show to the BGE Theatre Alexia is one of six women from different backgrounds and cultures who all take a leading role in the stage show It's the morning after she powered through the fast paced, high-energy, non-stop, global sensation SIX the Musical, but Alexia McIntosh shows no sign of fatigue. 'When you're doing eight shows a week you just grow the stamina,' Alexia explains in an exclusive interview with Magazine+. Alexia is also revelling in the success of SIX, which is currently running at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin. Just like that other theatrical phenomenon, Hamilton, it's also now a hit movie and soundtrack. Styled like a super-slick pop concert – Beyoncé meets the Spice Girls - it's based around the six wives of Henry Vlll telling their own stories and ultimately reclaiming their identities. Like the Spice Girls, who as well has having an influence on the musical and have been to see the show, Alexis herself, who plays Anne of Cleves in SIX, is the epitome of 'girl power.' The cast of SIX on stage She says: 'I'm a working mum with a 15-year-old son and I've always been really driven. I'd always say to people, 'I'm going to make it.' I've always been a grafter, never turned down auditions and was never scared to try new projects. And look at this, it was brand new writing and it all fell into place, so I'm very grateful. 'A working mum is a lot of mummy guilt, so for my son to see that the hard work has paid off is inspiring for him. It all pays off when you are able to sit in a cinema with your son watching a movie that you're in – that's just surreal. So you're a movie legend? 'So they tell me, which is quite amazing,' Alexia laughs. 'When all of us girls were sitting in the cinema, when you see that Universal logo come on the screen, we were screaming. The premiere was amazing, a celebration for everybody involved.' Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the queens, fed up with only being famous for being married to Henry Vlll, perform as a red-hot girl group with four backing musicians, billed as Ladies In Waiting. Alexia is one of six women from different backgrounds and cultures who all take a leading role in the stage show News in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23 The wives take turns telling their story through biographical pop songs with the queen voted to have had the worst experience at the hands of Henry set to be chosen as the group's lead singer. Why has SIX become such an enormous worldwide success, particularly among young women? 'I think it's the contemporary music and dance married with the costumes, the lighting…it's just an extravaganza,' Alexia says. 'And then with the storylines…I think there's nothing new under the sun, so when you come and you're hearing real stories of women overcoming their situation and being triumphant, I think that brings a lot of hope and inspiration for the audience and I think that's where the connection comes from. 'It's such a great soundtrack and the soundtrack has done so well. It's had millions of streams and there's something about the music and the storytelling through song that really captures the audience.' On stage from the musical SIX SIX, which runs non-stop for 80 minutes, draws inspiration from Beyonce's powerful stage presence, costume design and the way she interweaves personal storytelling. You'll spot Beyoncé in the character of Catherine of Aragon, but the musical also offers glimpses of other pop stars such as Ariana Grande, Lily Allen, Alicia Keys and Doechii. The Spice Girls have been to see the show and went backstage to meet the cast, as have Hollywood actors such as Robert Downey Jnr. 'You just can't believe it because these are people that you grow up watching in cinemas and on television,' Alexia says of the stars who've flocked to SIX. 'We've got all the pictures with them, of course.' Just like the Spice Girls, SIX is comprised of different characters. 'I think it breaks barriers within' the musical theatre world where you've got six exclusive lead roles of women of different backgrounds and cultures and sizes,' Alexia says. 'It's not this 'one size fits all' and I think it's quite inspiring for young actors coming up to say that, 'Wow!, she looks like me, I can do this too.'' Referring back to the movie, Alexia says: 'It's amazing because now it has a legacy, it's there forever for everybody to watch who can't get to the theatres. 'It's just great to know now that the whole world can come and experience it, whether it's the movie or coming to see it live in the theatre. The cast of SIX on stage 'Either way I think they are still getting the same experience, the same joy and the same conclusion of 'what a show!'' On a personal level, Alexia says she's been enjoying her time in Dublin – her first ever visit to the city. 'I went up to Howth one of the days and it was so beautiful,' she says. 'I had some fish and chips and walked around the marina on a lovely warm day. 'We have rehearsals every day and then it's up to each individual to make sure they maintain their level of fitness, health and well-being. 'It's such a fast-paced show, so you have to look after your body, mind and soul to be able to deliver every night. We really look after each other, it's a sisterhood.' So you can't go out and party in Dublin? 'I don't know about that now,' she responds with a laugh, just like a true Spice Girl. SIX runs at Dublin's Bord Gais Energy Theatre until next Saturday.
