The Goo 1
Twilight by John Hegarty Paul McDermott TO HERE K
NOWS WHEN – Great Irish Albums Revisited Quiz Question: Name two artists who released an album with the same name on the same Irish record label within 12 months of each other in the early 00s? Answer at the bottom of the page. In December Glen Hansard played Cleere’s in Kilkenny in aid of Ukrainian Action. After the gig Hansard spotted John Hegarty at the bar and got the audience who were leaving to head back into the venue. Hansard then sang Hegarty’s ‘Limerick’, a song he has covered for years, before getting Hegarty up on stage to sing ‘Bonfire Night’. Both songs come from Twilight, Hegarty’s debut album released twenty-five years ago. “One of the best nights I’ve had in years,” said Hegarty. “You couldn’t make it up.” Hansard’s been a fan of Hegarty’s since Twilight. Back in 2002 he introduced Hegarty on Other Voices in Dingle saying: “I remember the song ‘Bonfire Night’ having a huge effect on me, it sort of became my Astral Weeks. I listened to it constantly.” Hansard continued, “I’d see John Hegarty in town and I’d never go up to him, because I was so afraid of him. I saw John opening up for the very first David Gray gig in Ireland and I went to him and I got to tell him what I thought.” 44 Hegarty was in Female Hercules, the great Dublin band, who put out a few killer 7”s in the 90s. Since then he has continued to work with loads of artists and bands, contributing to records by Adrian Crowley, Cian Nugent, Seti the First, The Great Western Squares, Jubilee Allstars, Barry McCormack and loads of others. Alongside this session work Hegarty has also played in the bands Dinah Brand and Let’s Get Lost and he’s also released four albums under his own name, the most recent of which, Daydreaming (one of my favourite Irish albums of 2024) came out a few months ago. The songs on Twilight were written when Hegarty returned to Ireland from England in the mid 90s. He settled in Limerick and he found the city and his proximity to his native Kerry a great inspiration. He decided to make the lives of people in West Munster the material for a set of songs, all set at sunset. Twilight was recorded in Birmingham and produced by Bob Lamb whose previous work included producing Signing Off, the debut album by UB40 and more importantly The Lilac Time’s eponymously-titled debut album. It’s an album that owes as much to the West Midlands in England as it does to West Munster. “I wanted to write about Kerry, and where I’m from,” says Hegarty about Twilight. “But through the lens of Tim Buckley – sort of Lilac Time, sort of Go-Betweens – the music that I liked.” It received rave reviews upon its release. “There’s a literary quality to the lyrics, and the musical backdrop – lush strings, woodwind and uilleann pipes – lends an expansive air to proceedings,” wrote Hot Press. Twilight was reissued on vinyl by Rollercoaster Records in 2022, its available from Bandcamp. Answer: Twilight (2000) by John Hegarty and Twilight (20021) by The Handsome Family both released on Independent Records. God damn it, how come I never get asked this kind of question at a pub quiz? John Hegarty revisits Twilight on To Here Knows When – Great Irish Albums Revisited, available on all podcast platforms. Episode notes and further information: https://www.paulmcdermott. ie/podcast