Isla Grant to take on a 20-date Irish tour this year.

Scottish singer-songwriter Isla Grant has a soft place in her heart for Irish audiences. It was in Ireland that she made her first major breakthrough in the 1990s. As Isla prepares for a 20-date tour starting in Buncrana, Co Donegal, in mid February, she is so happy to be heading back to the Emerald Isle.

“Ireland is where it all happened for me as a songwriter and I will be eternally grateful to the people for the way they embraced me as a person and entertainer. This is where my entire career took off and I owe so much to the great people of Ireland,” says Isla.

Recognition on a grand scale may well be just around the corner for Isla. She has composed in excess of 300 songs and has released 17 albums (as well as some others) of all her own compositions. Some people are currently researching to see if this spectacular achievement could well be a qualifier for the Guinness Book of Records.

“I love writing songs. I wrote another six in the last five weeks. One of them, Just Because Of You, was inspired by my two granddaughters only last week. I draw inspiration from life and people and things happening around me.

“The longest I’ve taken to write a song was around 50 minutes. Mother’s Chair and Cottage in the Country were written in around 10 to 15 minutes. It has always been that way. I could not sit for hours writing a song.

“Back Home is a song I wrote in Australia a while ago. I was away from home on tour for many weeks and I was feeling a bit homesick one day. I wrote the song and performed it on shows soon afterwards and it is going down a storm. People love the connection with home the world over,” reflects Isla.

Back in 1992, Isla and her husband Al were involved in a horrific head-on road accident about five miles from their home in the south of Scotland.

“We could not avoid the other driver. It was such a traumatic time in our lives. I incurred several broken bones and other injuries. I was off the road with regards to gigs for five years.

“Post-traumatic stress is something that I can now relate to in such a personal way. That accident changed my life dramatically and, in a strange way, perhaps for the better. I appreciate everything so much more now.

“A lot of the gospel songs I’ve written are drawn from that experience. I find I can relate to so many people in different ways. I can understand and talk to them about things. Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces, such as leaving the house), which affects a lot more people that some might think, can be a terrifying illness.

“I have had people who have come out to my concerts because they feel the words of my songs and my voice is something they can identify with and that has helped them come to terms with their phobia.”

Isla’s appeal on the international scale is truly phenomenal. Just a few years ago, she played to an audience of 4,700 in Sri Lanka, just herself and the band.

“It was the biggest show I have ever done. The First Lady of the country was sitting there in the front row.

“Australia and New Zealand are just amazing as well, and we play all the major theatres over there. I will be doing a 54-date tour of those countries in September, October and November. Before that in June, we are doing a concert tour of Canada and we love going back there.”

Immensely proud of her Scottish roots, she cherished the memory of the legendary Jimmy Shand.

“I have a special friendship with the Shand family. My song, The Old Accordion Man, is a tribute to Jimmy. He was a national hero and a symbol of Scotland around the world.”

Her new album, I’m A Survivor, has been released ahead of her Irish tour.

“The majority of the songs are my own but I have included a few covers as well. They include the title track which is a Lacy J Dalton song, the American country singer. I’ve always rated her highly. I have also a Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan song on the album. The covers are songs I’ve always wanted to do. We had a lot of fun recording them with some fine musicians at Glen Flynn’s Studio outside Tullamore.”

Isla and Al reside on the Scottish side of the border country, just a few miles from Berwick-on-Tweed, the northernmost town in England.

“We are looking forward so much to our Irish tour,” says Isla. “Glen Flynn has been part of my band for the last 15 years. Al and Glen will sing a few songs each night on my show. The audience always demand some Jim Reeves songs from Al. He can’t get away from that. Our show has a very acoustic feel to it. Our audiences like the intimacy of the shows. It is great to be heading across the Irish Sea again.”

• The 20-date Isla Grant Irish concert tour gets under way in The Gateway Hotel, Buncrana, Co Donegal, on 15 February and concludes in the Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen, on Thursday 16 March. Log on to www.tomkellypromotions.com for more information. CL