Singer Mary Byrne chats to Claire about her one woman show; Mary Byrne - Check Me Out; her life told in songs and stories. Listen back above.

Mary Byrne is ready to tell her story – and what a story. The singer, presenter and X-Factor finalist spoke to Claire Byrne this week about her upcoming one-woman show Mary Byrne - Check Me Out, which comes to Tallaght's Civic Theatre at the end of the month.

Straight after being on The X Factor in 2010, Mary was approached about putting her life story on the stage. She says the show's management talked her out of it at the time; as they had their own ideas about the direction of her showbiz career. Mary says she has no regrets about not doing a stage version of her life story earlier, as the timing is perfect right now:

"That’s when I was first approached to do this, just to sit in an armchair and tell my story. This is better, because I’m now in a different place. I’m also older, there’s a little bit more to add to the story."

Mary has teamed up with writer Rob Murphy to write the script and the show will be interspersed with songs and stories that have meant the most to her over the years:

"I’ve met Tom Jones. I’ve sung for the Queen. I’ve opened for Neil Diamond. I’ve met Michael Bublé. I sang onstage with Bon Jovi. I mean, for God’s sake, look at the achievements a 50-year old woman from Ballyfermot has done in the last 14 years. I’m 64 now and I’m still achieving stuff."

Each song resonates with part of Mary’s life story; be it celebrating her love for her daughter, or the waves of emotion she still feels when she recalls her own parents. Claire plays a clip of Mary singing 'Always on my Mind’ which brought tears to Mary’s eyes in the studio. She talks about running away from home at 17. Her parents didn’t know if she was alive or dead for at least a month, which caused them huge anguish, she says:

"I broke their hearts."

Months later, Mary came back to see her parents. She remembers her mother holding out a coat she had bought for Mary as a gift, hoping she would return. Mary says she was overcome:

"My poor mother. She was so thin - she had these skinny little legs and she was holding this coat, a green gaberdine, that she probably paid a fortune for and couldn’t afford it and said ‘I bought you this for Christmas’ and she was crying, because this was her first time to see me in six months."

Mary says the song ‘Always on my Mind’ expresses things that she feels she should have said or done to avoid causing such pain to her mother:

"She was a lonely woman in herself and she had her own issues. And I can see that loneliness in her eyes. When that song comes on, that’s the reason I sang that song, because it was the only way I could say, in my heart, I should have done all these things and I didn’t."

Mary says her parents were her heroes and her best friends – both of them. Later on, when she asked for their forgiveness, she says they gave it so willingly it was upsetting:

"All my father and mother said was, ‘As long as you were safe – we know you’re a little bit of a traveller, we know you’re mad and you like to do all these things, and we love you.’ That’s what broke my heart, that they could forgive me so easily when I can’t forgive myself."

Mary talks in the interview and in the show about living with depression, how she manages it and how her view of herself has changed over the years:

"Yes, I still suffer with depression, but I also know my worth now. Sometimes it’s hard to keep that worth there when you’re feeling low; but I know it’s there."

Mary is proud of what she has achieved in showbiz, from her X Factor success and musical collaborations, to shows like Menopause the Musical, panto and TV appearances as well as this new show. But she says life can sometimes push them to the back of her mind:

"All those achievements, I have to keep reminding myself of them, I forgot all about them during COVID. I forgot all about them when I came out of the X-Factor because I was in a whirlwind. But now when I think of them, they help me with my mental health, they help me to be positive."

There are plans afoot to bring the one woman show to a wider audience, and with one knee replacement done and another on the way, Mary feels ready for the challenge; if a little apprehensive. She says she still has to pinch herself at times:

"I do get the imposter syndrome, where you think like what are you doing on this stage, acting and singing? You’re just from Ballyfermot. You worked in Tescos."

Mary says she now has techniques to deal with the bad days, and reaching out to other people has made all the difference, she says:

"Talk – whenever I feel like talking about it. Ring a friend, ring a counsellor, ring the doctor – whoever. And that’s what I’ve learned to do. I’m not afraid now to turn around and say I need help."

Listen back to more great interviews on Today with Claire Byrne here.

The show Mary Byrne - Check Me Out runs from the 29th January to 3rd of February 2024 at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised above you can find information on helplines here.