Donie, far left, and Peter Cassidy, far right, with, from left, Frank O’Meara, Tony Allen, Sean O’Meara and Mick Foster, after they all received awards at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Mullingar last year.
The publishing rights to “Grace” are owned by another well-known Westmeath native, businessman and former politician Donie Cassidy and his son Peter, writes Rodney Farry.
The original recording of the song was a huge hit for folk singer Jim McCann when it was released in 1986, staying in the Irish charts for over six months. Since then, the song has been recorded by more than 100 artists, including Rod Stewart, The Dubliners, Foster and Allen and The Wolfe Tones.
Donie believes that the fact that the song is more popular than ever is a testament to the songwriting skills of its creators, Sean and Frank O’Meara.
“It’s a beautiful love song. The words in the first line of the chorus: ‘Grace, just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger’ – they are just haunting and can resonate with so many people.”
In recognition of their contributions to music, Donie, Peter, Frank and Sean were presented with the Gradam Na hÉigse Award by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann at a ceremony on the steps of Christ the King Cathedral on the Thursday afternoon of last year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
The O’Mearas sang “Grace” along with Foster and Allen, another musical duo that Donie has worked with for decades. He says the song will continue to be performed by musicians for centuries to come.
“It’s an uplifting song and I’m happy to be involved in it.”
The fate of a publisher
Donie and Peter own the publishing rights to a wide range of well-known Irish songs, including ‘My Lovely Rose of Clare’, ‘After All These Years’, a song made famous by Foster and Allen and written by another Mullingar native, Ollie Kennedy, and ‘The Westmeath Bachelor’, one of Joe Dolan’s first big hits.
Donie says publishers have to work hard to get a return on their investment.
“A songwriter writes a song. Then he goes to publishers and takes the song to big-name recording artists and asks them to consider it for their next album or whatever. Then if they record it, he also tries to get them a spot on the radio and on TV. So the publisher has to work to make a living.
“If he doesn’t work on the songs that aren’t being played, he gets nothing. As you know, Spotify is very small now (in terms of royalties), but it’s wonderful to be associated with the success of a song or the success of an artist.
“If you build up a catalogue over the years, all the little revenue that comes in will eventually be worth it, but it takes about 30, 40 years to get there.”
Donie and Peter are currently trying to get some of the biggest names in country music to record “After All These Years.”
“It’s just waiting to be recorded by a major artist. It’s a song that U2 could record. I’m trying to get Willie Nelson to record it in Nashville.
“I think Willie is 87, 88 years old. He’s an icon of country music. And I think for people like him, Dolly and all those singers, this song could be really good because the melody is strong, but the words are strong too.”
