Imelda May: ‘I’d rather be naive than cynical’

As you read this Imelda May is getting ready for Santa’s arrival, and as she is the sort of person who is not into the level of consumerism that infiltrates the Christmas season, it’s no surprise to discover the key ingredient for her Christmas cake is empathy (which we will return to). The way anyone can safely negotiate their way through the mire of human misery, she says, is to “keep it simple”.

The Dublin singer is in a serious frame of mind as she settles into a sofa. There are reasons for such reflectiveness. We are here to talk about next week’s Sky Arts seasonal special, Christmas in Ireland with Imelda May and Friends. The theme of May’s devised and curated programme (directed by IFTA award-winning Maggie Breathnach) is sharing kindness and gratitude at this time of year, and while the show features well-known Irish musicians (Glen Hansard, Jack L, Loah, Seamus and Caoimhe Ó Flatharta, Sharon Corr, May herself, and more), the guests of honour, she says, are volunteers and service users from the Dublin Simon Community.

Having for some years taken part in the traditional Christmas Eve Busk on Grafton Street (which returns this year, thanks to a dwindling level of pandemic cases), she realised that “the volunteers, who help others, are themselves out on the streets, literally. They are always out helping people, which is amazing.” May stops for a few seconds and considers her words. “We’re not that far away from the same predicament because a set of circumstances can put you in a completely different place. I’m very lucky that I was brought up in a loving family, with loving parents, so whatever else happens in life I have those foundations. What if you’re a person, however, that doesn’t have those foundations? What if the street is safer than your home?”

If you’re not getting empathy at home, then how do you ever get it? How do you gain an insight into what empathy is and what it does?

The primary ethos of the show, May says, is to share the real meaning of Christmas – “an inclusive, joyous celebration of humanity”. For many it is not about consumerism or making sure you have to have everything, she says. “I’m not interested in getting presents from friends. Christmas is about reflecting on life, acknowledging those who are no longer in our lives and who we miss wholeheartedly. It’s a beautiful time to join together and the simplistic, raw beginnings of its spirit are where you find its glory. Celebrating being together is what we did in the show.”

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May’s political conscience also plays a part in the devising of the show and in the invitation of the guests of honour and some of the musicians. While she admits that corralling the music guests was, to say the least, a logistical challenge (“months of back and forth and, of course, some people couldn’t make it, so it was like a jigsaw puzzle trying to fit the pieces together to get the right artists and the right balance”), the result is akin to a statement in more ways than one. “The spirit is definitely in the room; you could taste it. I wanted to reflect an Ireland and its music that I love and that I think other people should see.” She singles out three moments that are particularly meaningful to her, but for fear of being accused of spoiling the party, names the people involved: The Dubliners’ fiddle player, John Sheahan, Glen Hansard (“something occurs that turns into a piece of magic”) and her father (“I brought my dad in to recite some of his poetry”).

Aware that she is perhaps often perceived as an effusive tourism board for the Liberties, the area of Dublin that she grew up in, May nonetheless values where she came from and what she absorbed from it. Her politically motivated mindset came from being raised “in a loving home and a loving neighbourhood, and a strong community that while full of love, had to fight for everything”.

“That’s what I have within me – a lot of fight and a lot of love. Yes, I keep my ears to the ground on what’s happening in the world, and I write about that in my songs and my poems. It’s easy for all of us to sit at home and have a rant, but the lesson we have to learn is how can we do better with the way things are, and how do we feel about that?”

She says it boils down to two simple things: love and inclusivity. “They don’t come easily all of the time. Sometimes, it takes a while to think and to understand, to try to figure things out. Love is not always the easy option, either; it’s often quite the opposite, especially if fear is involved.” May gathers again her thoughts for a few seconds. “It’s just trying to be better, isn’t it? If everybody did that then we could all have such glorious days. Isn’t that worth trying? I’m no politician, but I have opinions, ideas, and ideals, and I think it’s good to keep a childlike view on things if you possibly can.” Trying to find similarities and not the differences in people and in life is, she emphasises, what she is getting at. “There are many of both and the type of person you are depends on which you want to focus on.”

Some time ago the actor Cillian Murphy asked her to write a poem for Ionbhá, a book published by Mercier Press earlier this year. Murphy co-edited the book, with more than 70 contributions from well-known Irish people, which focuses on the subject of empathy. “We know that empathy isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you learn about and get better at doing or applying”, she says.

You don’t remember the presents, but you remember those evenings when you were sitting around having a laugh

“What happens, however, to people who don’t have that growing up? If you’re not getting empathy at home, then how do you ever get it? How do you gain an insight into what empathy is and what it does? It’s something that Cillian said – it should be taught at schools, and everyone should be made aware of it, and practice it.

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“Personally, I think you get it from simple things, from being kind to yourself – if you don’t understand yourself in any shape or form then you can’t connect with others, so you have to take time to try to understand yourself a little – or to give yourself some time to reflect. Start with people around you – family, friends, neighbours – and then spread it from there.”

“Maybe I’m naive a lot of the time but I’d rather be naive than cynical,” she says before getting back to the subject of poetry and its place not only in the Sky Arts show but also in her life. Last year, her debut collection of poetry (A Lick and a Promise) was published by Faber Music. This year, after various setbacks, the audiobook version is available.

“Poetry,” she says in a tone of voice that brooks no arguments, “is a part of who you are”.

What does Imelda May want for Christmas?

“I lost my mam last year, and I had a little health scare myself a while ago, and things like that put life massively in perspective. I want to be together with my family and have a nice meal. That’s all. I want everybody to be happy and healthy and together. Of course, my daughter wants everything on her list that she’s sent to Santa, and as she’s been very good I’m sure Santa will arrive. But I’m only interested in people being together chilled out, taking the time out without any of the madness, having a nice meal, good company, good music, good stories, people entertaining each other with memories that last forever.”

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“You don’t remember the presents, but you remember those evenings when you were sitting around having a laugh. That’s what I remember, that’s what I want to create for my daughter, and that’s all that really matters to me. My dad was 90 a few weeks ago, and we’re just savouring all of the moments for him.”

Christmas in Ireland with Imelda May and Friends, a Sky Original, premieres on Sky Arts and NOW, on Saturday, December 24th, 9.30pm. Imelda May’s book of poetry, A Lick and a Promise, is available in book and audio form