This is the story behind Ireland’s first pop star, the man from Bannagher who talks candidly about his rise to fame “one week I was a ballad singer, the next a pop star”. Johnny Mc Evoy first came into the public eye with his number one hit “Mursheen Durkin” in 1966. Hit followed hit and Johnny’s good looks and presence on stage brought him into the public eye. The crowds followed.. “I was chased down O’Connell Street”.
But being in the spotlight brought its own problems; this intimate profile of the folk singer reveals how Johnny Mc Evoy “lived life as a single man”. He is open about how his marriage and family suffered the consequences and how unbeknownst to his fans Johnny privately battled with manic depression, an illness he has suffered with for over 40 years.
The documentary follows Johnny, now 63, on the road in 2010 to record this personal reflection on his life, his music and his family. Johnny travels back to Bannagher, Co Offaly where it all began. The programme includes footage of Johnny performing this year at the Cork Opera House and features new recordings of McEvoy’s more recent ventures as a songwriter at Hellfire Studios, Dublin and a re-recording of his infamous hit Mursheen Durkin with Sharon Shannon.