We sat down with Sharon Corr on her flying visit home…
You’re on a flying visit home to Dublin, Sharon. how does it feel being back?
Oh, I love it being home in Dublin, it’s a real treat. And we got a nice sunny day! I’m here because I’m an ambassador for No7 Future Renew and we’re launching the SPF 50 which I need all the time because I’m living over in Madrid. It’s a really beautiful cream, I love it.
What do miss most about here, besides the people? What are you always looking forward to when you touch down?
Brown bread and proper butter!
Can’t beat it! How is life in Spain though?
Oh, I love it. I fell in love with Spain in the late 90s when I was over there promoting albums with The Corrs. I remember being there and just thinking to myself, yeah, I’m going to live here some day and I just decided to do it!
Is there a big lifestyle difference?
The city has everything you need however it moves at a slower pace. They really value quality of life, the lunchtimes are long which I love, the food is amazing. We have a lot in common, the Irish and the Spanish. People are kind to each other, they’re very helpful. I go to lots of concerts, lots of art museums and do lots of walking.
Are you good at penciling in time for yourself, enjoying your downtime?
I’m very good at it now, but I was terrible! I always felt like I should have been doing something. Now, I’m getting a little too good at it [laughs]. I rather condense my time, work really well and really hard for a specific timeframe and then say ok I’m done, I’m off, I’m going out with the girls. I think it’s very important, especially as a woman with two children, to use my time properly so I’m in the moment and not so worried about the past or the future. If I don’t refuel by having that downtime, I don’t have the same fire in me. You need a break to come back with energy.
During downtime, are you big into reading, what was the best book you’ve read recently?
Jane Eyre! I’m a divil for Bronte and Jane Austen. I really love the way that they wrote. Sometimes I get irritated with very casual language. It’s very stimulating for my brain but I love a good ol’ love story as well with a bit of heartache and tragedy thrown in. It’s great. To sleep, I listen to audiobooks and it’s all Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. It’s beautiful literature and they’ve great stories.
Aside from the audiobooks, do you delve into podcasts too?
Oh, I like a bit of everything! I love some of the TED Talks, Sadhguru, people who give great advice on how to be a human and how to be in the moment. You need to keep relearning how to live in the moment because this world is constantly trying to impose on us to be everywhere at the same time, especially with social media. We have so many platforms! How do we even get to know who we are? We just need to refocus.
What would be the biggest lesson you’ve learned over the last couple of years?
Everything passes. If you’re having a really bad time, you’ll look back whether it’s in a week or five years time, and it’ll have passed and you’ll know you’re a survivor. That’s one of the things I love about growing older. I’m much more confident in my skin, in myself. I consider my wrinkles as badges of honour that I’ve survived this far. I love being a woman. I’d also always say, don’t sweat the small stuff.
What’s been your most joyous memory? Looking back, when were you happiest?
Oh wow, I’ve had many happy moments with many people. The days my children were born absolutely stand out. So many happy times just belly-laughing with my friends, too. That sort of thing. And making music. When I’m on stage, I’m at my happiest. I’ve had happy moments during my career, like standing on stage in the Aviva Dublin which was still called Lansdowne at the time, playing to something like 48,000 people during our homecoming concert. We were terrified going on stage but then when I calmed down a bit, I looked out and saw all these people singing our lyrics back to us and I just thought, oh my God; it was so amazing.
What are you most looking forward to next, Sharon?
Just seeing what the future brings!
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