FESTIVALS:OFFALY singer-songwriter Mundy had Mayo music fans singing about Galway girls last night at the Westport Music Festival.
The gig was Mundy's seventh appearance at a music festival this summer, coming after sets at the Womad Charlton Park festival and the Glastonbury festival in Britain, and appearances at Donegal's Mary of Dungloe Festival, the JFK Dunbrody Festival, Oxegen and the World Fleadh in Portlaoise.
Next Monday, he also plays at Puck Fair in Killorglin, Co Kerry, but despite his busy festival circuit, the Birr-born singer is not complaining. "It's a good way of spending the summer," he said while on the road to Westport yesterday, admitting that much of the demand for his attendance at these festivals has come on the back of his recent hit, Galway Girl. "I have to make a living, so I have to take advantage of it when these opportunities come."
With each festival offering a different experience, he singled out Glastonbury for its location and atmosphere. "Glastonbury is amazing in that it's set on sacred ground, mythical ground, as there's a lot of legend around the area of Glastonbury and there are thousands of people who come from all over the world to hang out there," he said. "At night time, you're meeting people, seeing fires being lit, it's very tribal."
In an Irish context, Oxegen was a particular highlight. "That's the All-Ireland of my career," he explained. "It's the biggest crowd that I get to play to in Ireland." He also enjoys playing at smaller towns and festivals, for the "old-school, honest to God craic" and the appreciation of local audiences.
"I'm from a small town and I understand when people who are pretty high profile come to bring their music or art to a festival, it makes a big difference," he said.
All these festivals mean a lot of time on the road. "I feel like I'm in a carnival," admitted Mundy
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Mundy plays Puck Fair, Killorglin, Co Kerry on Monday, and The Academy in Dublin on October 9th