“I’m delighted to be back,” says Newry country music singer Susan McCann. The 75-year-old’s album After All This Time, reflects upon how her life has changed since major cancer surgery in 2023 and how much her family means to her.
Her new album includes 15 tracks, including two trademark medleys, a selection of new songs, classics, and an ‘It’s All In The Family’ selection featuring husband Dennis on accordion, daughter Linda on piano and vocals from granddaughters Sinéad and Laura.
The title track is a new song written for her by Derek Ryan which celebrates all of Susan’s loves. The lyrics combine the joys of making music, longevity of marriage, two healthy and caring children and five grandchildren.
She admits it was thinking about Sinéad (18), Josh (17), Emma (16), Laura (16) and Tom (10) that helped her through her recent cancer journey.
It was the sudden temporary loss of power in two of her fingers when preparing a summer barbecue last year which led Susan to go to her doctor.
Fearing it was a stroke, as her brother had suffered one three weeks earlier, or at best a repetitive strain injury, she was shocked when blood results highlighted the need for bowel tests and cancer was found.
“I didn’t really have any symptoms. I was a bit tired, but I put it down to my age as I had been busy touring with Derek Ryan. I thought I’m 75, I’m entitled to be tired.
“Cancer is the most devastating word you can hear. You immediately think the worst,” says Susan who was grateful that the cancer was confined to her bowel. Surgery to remove the tumour and to take part of her bowel away was successful and didn’t result in her needing a colostomy bag.
“I thank God that I am as well as I am, but I also want people to realise there is hope and that nowadays lots of cancers can be cured,” adds Susan, who began thinking about her new album, her first since her 2020 album The Older I Get, when she was recovering.
“I wanted to do something to lift my spirits, so I thought why not get a few songs together. It was the best thing I ever did.”
The first song that came to mind was Your Health is Your Wealth. Written by Gerard Dornan of Country Harmony, it was recorded in his Loughinisland studio.
“We changed the timing and made it a bit different. I sang it at my first gig back at The Carrickdale recently which was emotional. It means so much to so many because its lyrics are real - your health is your wealth.”
This 16-date The String Of Diamonds tour, like her album it’s a family affair, with members of her family joining her.
Susan’s granddaughters Sinéad and Laura have inherited Susan’s gift for singing and the voices beautifully combine to make unique harmonies on the songs I Have a Dream, Fernando and Any Dream Will Do.
Dennis and I are a team. It wouldn’t have worked without him by my side.
— Susan McCann
They also have two solo songs, with Sinéad singing Daddy’s Hands and Laura singing Pick Me Up On Your Way Down.
Sinéad Heaney is already a talented country singer in her own right, though Susan reveals she is planning to study physiotherapy in September at university.
Getting “the singing bug recently” is her cousin Laura Turley. “Laura’s a more classical singer. At our first concert recently, she got a standing ovation and I said “you’ve upstaged your granny”,” she tells me proudly.
Despite our dismal weather so far this year, I Wish It Would Rain, Susan’s first single from her new album, has become very popular and is getting great airplay.
I ask her if she decided to record Nanci Griffith’s timeless song to torment our farming community?
“When I went to record that Gerard Dornan’s did say to me “Susan where do you live?,” she laughs apologetically.
Having toured the world playing at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and The Grand Ole Opry, as well as recording over 700 songs and hosting her own television, what was her fondest memories?
“I suppose winning the much-coveted European Gold Star Award in Holland in 1982 (country music’s equivalent of Eurovision) and recording in Nashville where I met all the great country musicians.”
Closer to home, she warmly remembers putting on a sold out Sound of Music show in Cork, Dublin and Belfast in the 1980s.
“I just like singing,” says Susan about what has kept her going all these years.
“I’m not too fond of the travelling, but it must be done. When we started off there were dance halls in every townland in Ireland. That was your only way of meeting your respective partner.”
Susan too found love through music, meeting accordion player Dennis Heaney when she joined The John Murphy Ceili Band, as a singer at the age of 16.
“We were friends for a good while and then we started going out together. Daddy didn’t know anything about it,” she laughs.
It turned out she had nothing to worry about as her dad actually knew Dennis’ parents, who lived just a few miles away in Silverbridge and gave them his blessing.
In their early years together, Dennis went on to train as an accountant and Susan had her own hairdressing business in her hometown of Forkhill.
Together with guitarist Brendan Murphy they formed their own group The Fairylanders, before Susan turned professional in 1976 forming The Storytellers.
Dennis has remained as Susan’s rock of strength through the years, personally and professionally – as husband, musical director, accompanist, roadie, manager and everything in between.
“Dennis and I are a team. It wouldn’t have worked without him by my side. Dennis is a very quiet fella, he very much takes a back seat and lets me do all the talking. But he’s with me 100% and an absolute gentleman.”
Their love is reflected in her new track After All This Time.
“When I was touring with Derek Ryan last year, before I got sick, I didn’t realise he was observing me and Dennis.
“We have been married over 50 years now and it’s the perfect song.”
One thing she will “never forgive him for” is giving her the title of ‘The First Lady of Country’.
“Dennis wouldn’t have a fashion sense, but when he saw me dressed up he would call me a real lady and I suppose Philomena (Begley) was already Queen, so my title has stuck,” she smiles.
Another occasion in which Dennis left her in a spot of trouble was during a winter gig in Belmullet, Co Mayo when he forgot to put her outfit bag in the band’s van.
“I was wearing furry boots, a long clad skirt and a woolly jumper. It was an hour before I went on stage that I realised I had nothing to wear.”
A quick trip to the organisers home and a glitzy maternity gown was borrowed for the stage.
“Sure everyone had a good laugh,” chuckles Susan.
