February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Andrew Bushe
DUBLIN — Chart-topping folksinger Christy Moore has been hit by a new bout of illness that could spell the end of his career, according to his long-time manager and promoter, Mattie Fox.
The balladeer, who was making a comeback with a new album and series of live performances after a previous bout of illness, has canceled eight Dublin dates over the next six weeks.
"This is a devastating blow for Christy," Fox said.
Two shows were canceled initially because it was feared he was getting flu. After a series of tests he did two more shows.
"After the show last week he went home and felt physically ill and had pains in his arms and his chest," Fox said.
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Fox said it wasn’t clear what Moore is suffering from or whether it marks the end of the singer/songwriter’s career, but added that it "is quite possible."
He said the illness was "obviously linked into whatever gear he goes into when he does a live show. Christy is a very high-energy, high-powered performer and cannot do it any other way."
Moore took an extended break to recover his health after he suffered from mental exhaustion following extensive tours of the U.S. and Australia. In December 1997 he canceled an Irish concert tour and five months later he said he was taking at least a year off.
It was only in September that he took to the stage again in Dublin — his first live appearance in the city for two years and eight months.
A former bank official, Moore left Ireland during the bank strike of 1966 and toured folk clubs in Britain.
On his return, three years later, he formed the folk group Planxty and then joined rock-folk group Moving Hearts.
Later he went solo and consistently sold out the biggest concert venues in Ireland and overseas and had 30 best-selling albums.
When he took his break in 1997, Moore, who is married with three children and had been on the road since 1966, said he realized "everybody needs a break, climb a mountain, jump in a lake."
His main hits include "Lisdoonvarna," "Don’t Forget Your Shovel" and
"Delirium Tremens," which drew on his experience as an alcoholic.
Apart from his success at home, his albums are also best sellers in
America, Britain, New Zealand and Australia and he had a loyal following
on the European continent, particularly in Germany.