He's been moving like… well, himself, for more than five decades and he's showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Mick Jagger will be taking to the stage with The Rolling Stones in Croke Park next month and he joined Miriam O'Callaghan on Sunday to talk about being in a band for 50 years, touring, playing Dublin in 1965 and singing with The Chieftains.

Miriam started by asking Mick about the Stones' previous visits to Ireland, dating all the way back to 1965. Mick recalled the two shows in the Adelphi Cinema:

"It was a great crowd, I think it was quite crackers and mad, but, I don't really remember very much about it… We played, like, six numbers and then went off and it wasn't that difficult really."

What's amazing is that he remembers it at all – it was 53 years ago, after all. The discussion moved on to the Stones' two shows Slane in 1982 and 2007. Mick revealed a fondness for Slane, citing the gorgeous setting and the fact that they played with The Chieftains on one of the shows (it was 1982 and the tickets were £12). Mick liked The Chieftains so much, he sang The Long Black Veil on their album of the same name. He told Miriam he still sings the song:

"I do it sometimes at parties on the piano. I remember that album very well, that was a really good album they did. That particular one I loved."

Given that he's been gigging for more time than most people have been alive, Miriam asked Mick if he enjoys it as much as he did when he started out.

"It's a bit difficult to make those kinds of comparisons, but I still really enjoy it, you know… Get up there and have a great night and the audience is really giving you a lot of buzz."

The Stones play more than six numbers at their shows these days, of course, and Mick told Miriam that while it doesn't get any easier as he gets older, he does still really enjoy it. And you've got to believe him, don't you? Why would he do it if he didn't enjoy it? But does he still feel as creative as he did when he was younger, Miriam asked.

"I don't think you do things as quickly as you do when you're, like, 21, you do things much more quickly than you do when you're like, whatever age I am – I don't want to think about it really – but I still do things… I can write things really quickly now."

Miriam (the name-dropper) mentioned that Bob Geldof told her that he still sees his main job as being the lead singer of The Boomtown Rats and wondered if Mick still sees himself primarily as The Stones' frontman. He was happy to agree:

"My main job is to be, you know, the cheerleader for this band and sing, you know?"

But why have the Rolling Stones stayed so enduringly popular? It's a question Mick Jagger has no answer to:

"It is a bit mind-boggling if you think about it, and it's not something to be taken for granted, I think… After all this time when there's so many musicians out there, there's so many great ones and there's so many people with great songs, and why would you still be in any way in demand. It's really a mystery, but I'm very thankful for it." 

The Rolling Stones play Croke Park on 17 May.

For more from Sunday with Miriam, click here.