Eleanor McEvoy: ‘I lived in a bedsit and invested my savings in my music career instead of buying a house’

It was the title track on A Woman’s Heart, a compilation album of songs from female Irish artists that went on to sell more than 750,000 copies in Ireland. Decades later, Only a Woman’s Heart still resonates with Irish women, even featuring in the award-winning Channel 4 show Derry Girls.

McEvoy released her 16th album, Gimme Some Wine, in 2021. She is currently touring Ireland, and will be performing at the Sea Church in Ballycotton, Co Cork, on July 19; St Matthew’s in Baltimore, Co Cork, on July 20; Forest Fest in Emo, Co Laois, on July 21; and at the Cornerstone in Gurteeny, Co Galway, on July 26.

How did your upbringing shape your relationship with money?

I grew up in Cabra, on Dublin’s northside. Both my father and mother had very little money growing up, so they were always very careful with it.

They definitely passed this on to me and it’s actually something I’m grateful for. I love treats and small indulgences, but I’ve never been a huge spender and I have absolutely no desire to have an ostentatious lifestyle.

When were you most broke?

When I went to New York just after college. I had no job lined up, so I headed into Manhattan with a subway token and my violin and started busking. New York was very dangerous in the late 80s. It just felt very tough, very scary, and very lonely playing on the streets on my own.

What was your most lucrative ever gig?

I didn’t know it at the time, but it turned out to be a Monday night gig I did at The Baggot Inn.

Tom Zutaut, an A&R man with David Geffen’s record label, saw me and signed me to an international recording contract.

How did the closure of live entertainment during Covid affect your financial wellbeing?

It was fairly catastrophic. The onset of the pandemic happened just as I was beginning an Australian tour. As an independent artist, I “float” the tours myself, so I typically have to pay all the costs upfront.

When the tour was cancelled, I lost most of what I’d paid out without getting any income whatsoever.

I then had to spend thousands of euro trying to get a seat on one of the last flights out of Australia. Little did I know that that concert I did in Melbourne in March 2020 would be the last time I’d stand on a stage for 520 days.

What’s been your best investment?

Many years ago, I worked as a violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra and lived in a bedsit in Rathmines. Over a few years, I’d managed to save up a small deposit to buy a house.

After many, many sleepless nights, I made a decision not to buy a house, but instead use the money to start my career as a songwriter/artist. It was a gamble for sure and everyone around me told me I was nuts. I’m so glad I chose to invest in myself back then.

Do you still carry cash?

No, not at all! I used to always have a small amount on me for emergencies, but now I just use my phone. I’m sure it’s going to land me in trouble one day soon when my battery runs out and I end up stranded somewhere.

What’s been your biggest ever financial mistake?

Deciding not to shrink-wrap my album Yola when it was manufactured. Just as the album was released and shipped, the anthrax attacks happened in the US. North America was my primary territory at the time. Most of my albums had to be binned or destroyed.

Do you have a pension?

I have a very small pension. I’m trying to put as much in as I can now.