Red Hurley is coming to Kilkenny!

Red Hurley is coming to the Set Theatre in Kilkenny on December 3.

The famed Irish performer who has been entertaining for more than five decades has not lost his love of performing over the years. 

“Once you're performing and have everything lined up and in good shape, you can look forward to it,” he said, adding that he loves to sing and to perform.

Red Hurley represented Ireland in the Eurovision song contest in 1976 with his song ‘When’.

He comes to Kilkenny at least once a year to perform.

“I always think it’s a great gig,” he said, adding that there is a ‘great sound’ and good atmosphere in the Watergate Theatre, a venue he frequently performs at.

At a young age, he started out with Red Hurley and The Wheels and very soon progressed as the front man for the famous ‘Nevada showband’. 

While he loves performing, Red Hurley revealed that he is not a fan of travelling, but not in Ireland.

He said that when he was touring in America, they would be in a different state every day and the continuous security checks and customs affected his enjoyment of it, as well as the jetlag. 

He said that he would be in Detroit one day, then Canada the next, then Cairo and eventually he decided he wasn’t going to do it anymore.

Red admitted that he particularly enjoys touring in ‘most parts of Kerry and West Cork’.

“They tend to be somewhere I feel very much at home,” he said.

Red Hurley’s father comes from Macroom in Cork but he himself was born in Dublin.

Red was close friends with Dr Maya Angelou and even performed at her 80th birthday. In the audience that night was her ‘adopted’ daughter, Oprah Winfrey.

When Oprah heard Red sing ‘How great thou art’ that night, tears came to her eyes. 

Red said that he is a fan of Irish singer Paul Brady, saying that he likes his work and the way he sings.

He added that there are a lot of great singers across the country.

Tickets for Red’s upcoming gig at the Set Theatre are available online.