From winning the Eurovision to penning Ireland’s Call, Phil Coulter’s career in music has been varied to say the least. In 2015, he celebrated 50 years in the music industry. “I’m lucky that I’ve managed to survive for 50 years, which is not easy. People have careers that last only 50 days – 50 hours for some people on The X Factor,” he says. “The greatest privilege of all is to touch people with your music.”

With millions of records sold worldwide, there’s no doubt Phil’s music has had an impact. The walls of Coulter’s office in Bray are lined with framed records and posters. Some are from his Eurovision days, while the newer hit records with Celtic Thunder are also up there.

It’s an impressive display, but Phil insists the highlight of his career hasn’t been the gold records. Indeed, when Puppet on the String won the Eurovision in 1967, the biggest thrill wasn’t going up on stage in the Grand Hall in Vienna and being presented with the award.

“In the taxi. driving to the airport on Monday, we were at a set of traffic lights and a truck pulled up beside us. The driver was whistling Puppet on a String. I was nearly going to roll down the window and roar, ‘I wrote that!’” recalls Phil. “It was different to being number one in the charts. I remember that very, very well. It was special.”

homecoming

Another significant moment was the civic reception held in Derry when Phil returned home from Vienna after the Eurovision and his parents realised the young songwriter could carve a career in music.

“My mother and father’s dearest hope was that I would get a proper job – preferably one where I would wear a collar and tie and with a pension at the end of it,” explains Phil. “When I announced I was going to London to pursue a career in pop music, they thought I’d lost the plot. Bear in mind it was 1964. My mother couldn’t conceive that anyone could make a career out of that jazz music, as she called it.

“When I won the Eurovision Song Contest, she wouldn’t have been too au fait with selling records. She finally got it when the major of Derry gave me a civic reception, which consisted of not very much. But we were collected at our door by an Austin Limousine Princess to drive us to the Guild Hall for the reception. The penny finally dropped for my mother – maybe there is something in this music after all.”

all-time favourites

Different songs give Phil a different buzz. There are the “pension songs” like Congratulations, that are known worldwide, but others have stayed with the songwriter.

“Of all of the songs, Scorn not his Simplicity and A Town I Love So Well would probably be my favourites. That’s a curious thing. They were never huge multi-million dollar hits,” he says.

It would have been Luke Kelly’s 75th birthday on the day we meet Phil. The Dubliner had a big influence on Phil’s career, and encouraged him to write Scorn not his Simplicity for his son Paul, who was born was Down Syndrome.

“That was the first time in my career that I would have dared to go that deep into my personal life. It was deeply painful at the time. I was only 24 or 25 – to have a child with Down Syndrome at that age is quite traumatic, because you don’t know why it happened. Why me, you know? Writing that song helped me come to terms with it,” says Phil.

“I possibly wouldn’t have written it if Luke Kelly wasn’t in my ear. Hearing Luke’s voice singing it as I was writing was important, too. I’ve said it many times: I owe a great debt to Luke Kelly. He was larger than life.”

Ireland’s Call

Twenty years ago, Phil was asked to write a unifying song for the Irish rugby team. The Derry man took the task very seriously.

“I was glad and proud to be asked. I said to the powers that be: ‘This won’t be accepted overnight.’ Bear in mind, it was a time when things were highly charged up North,” he says.

“Ireland’s Call was never meant to replace Amhran na bhFiann – that wasn’t the intention. The fact is, the players from Ulster had to stand there while the other players sang their national anthem. Whether you like that or not, you have to accept and respect that there are people in Northern Ireland with an allegiance to Britain. It’s wrong for them to feel alienated or diminished.”

With the Rugby World Cup in 2015, the spotlight was back on Ireland’s Call again.

“I knew there would be resentment initially. Twenty years later, that’s history. I’ve been at a rugby match with two of my songs and heard Ireland’s Call. To think, when I’m not around anymore it will still be played. It’s a nice feeling to think you’ve left something behind,” he says.

Tour

Phil has wrapped up his 50th anniversary tour in Ireland, moving on to the US in February and Abu Dhabi in March. The show takes people through his impressive repertoire and was well-received across the country, says Phil.

“During the early years, I was happy to be a songwriter and producer. I didn’t get feedback from an audience before,” he says.

It’s no surprise that Phil has no intention of retiring just yet. “As long as I have my health, I’ll keep going. I still enjoy the two hours I have on stage,” he says. “I take music seriously. This is my job, but it’s been a hell of an adventure.” CL