Meav - A wonderful Singer

Sunday 2nd April 2000

Meav Ni Mhoalchatha or, as she is known in her professional singing career, Meav, in one of the most unassuming, gracious and down-to-earth lady’s we have ever had the pleasure to meet.

Having met her earlier in the week, we were asked to meet her to take some photos of her and to conduct a mini-interview. Mike had left a message for her at her hotel on the Friday night requesting her to phone him to arrange a time suitable to her, but going to the hotel on Saturday morning to give something to Shaun Boyle, Meav happened to appear out of the lift “at the right moment”.

Smiling a greeting she went over to the reception desk and then came over with a copy of her CD for us to listen to as we had mentioned to her previously that it was not yet available in Cape Town, but was on a 6-week back-order.

Anyway, at this stage we arranged the meeting for Sunday morning at 10am. Sunday morning dawned grey and overcast in total contrast to the previous day, which had been a magnificent, hot and wind free day. We decided that Mike and Joanne would go to meet with Meav while Christel got to stay at home with the three little ones as we felt that they would either get bored or be an irritant.

We arrived at the hotel a minute or two before 10am and after greeting Des Bailey who was in the foyer, we sat down to wait for Meav. Like a perfect stage cue, Meav stepped out of the lift at 10am and we decided to go to the coffee shop next door for the meeting. To my dismay it was closed, but without any hesitation Meav asked me if I knew somewhere else to which I hesitantly suggested the Waterfront, half expecting her to decline so as to stay near the hotel. While I was hesitant and I suppose a bit shy, Meav was totally relaxed and chatted happily to us – totally unperturbed.

Having managed to get a table and order our coffee and a bun I tried to gather my thoughts and ask some meaningful questions. When I attempted to return her CD to her she declined and said we could have it, so we asked her to autograph it and it will now go into our most treasured best.

Meav comes from a musical family and can remember musical moments with her grandmother. Her father is also musically inclined which led her to formal musical training, in instruments and voice. Although she still has a music teacher she seldom has a chance to see her, but contacts her when she requires some advice. I must say that her diction and clarity on her CD are absolutely out of the top drawer. She has brought a mini keyboard and a computer with her on tour but has not managed to get in much work as yet. She is planning to release a second CD as soon as possible, but is waiting for her record company as her current CD has only recently been released in the USA. She has a slight preference for traditional type music, but is equally at home with classical music.

Although she has a solo tour planned for November this year, she will now have to wait and see if that can take place owing to her commitment with LOTD. Meav knows Anne Buckley and has performed with her previously, so the taking over of Ann’s role was a very easy step to take.

I had had the presence of mind to buy a nice bottle of SA wine for Meav which she was very pleased to accept as by pure co-incidence it was from the same wine farm she had visited the day before.

After a leisurely time chatting over coffee we returned to the hotel for some photographs, as it was a bit cool at the waterfront. Unfortunately Table Mountain was totally obscured by cloud and mist so I just took a few pics while outside the hotel before we went to the lounge, sat down and continued chatting. I also took a few more pics before Joanne took over and took some “unposed” pics of Meav while she was chatting to me, as well as taking a picture of the two of us!

After taking a final picture of Meav and Joanne we said our thanks and made our goodbyes with a kiss on the cheek for each of us! All of this took two and a half hours and at no stage did Meav appear to be wanting to get rid of us, in fact she seemed to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and general chat.

By the way, she unfortunately will not be with T1 in France as she will be on honeymoon – Meav is getting married on May 20th, which also happens to be Joanne’s birthday.

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Well, with sadness it was Goodbye to LOTD. We had a wonderful time and hope not to have to wait for too long before they return.

This notice Mike put up in the hotel,while they were busy with their last Cape Town performance, the night before they left.

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