Mary Black is in a contemplative mood when we meet for our interview. She’s been reflecting of late, for a number of reasons.

The singer of Katie and No Frontiers is currently midway through her final world tour, aptly called The Last Call, performing in some of her favourite venues for the last time. She also turned 60 this year: another reason to take stock.

“You learn a lot about living as you get older. No one likes ageing, but I look at things differently now. You appreciate things more and life gets richer,” she tells Irish Country Living.

“If you think about age too much you get depressed. It’s not something I feel in my head or in my body.”

Mary is not one for dwelling on matters such as age. She’s more interested in “living in the moment”, and though the tour has led to some nostalgic thoughts, Mary is excited about the future.

“Of course I have memories and they’ll stay with me forever. I played in the Royal Albert Hall and now I look back and think, ‘That was brilliant.’ I can enjoy these moments even more now,” she says.

“I have nothing to be sad about. This is what I wanted and it’s happening now,” he says. “Believe it or not, my first recording was in 1975. Now, it wasn’t my own solo album, but still … 40 years of singing. It’s long enough, isn’t it?

“We have a big tour of Ireland coming up. Then we’re going straight to Australia and we won’t be back until early April. I’ll do the odd festival and certainly keep playing in Ireland.”

Joining her on tour is Mary’s youngest child Róisín, who performs as Róisín O. The proud mother gushes about her daughter’s talents.

“Róisín is a far better singer that I ever was, by a mile, and I’m not just saying that, it’s what I really believe. She has a much broader range that me and has more power,” she says.

“She’s toured with us before. It’s great exposure for her, a great experience, and she’s come on a lot as a performer. It’s great to have Róisín there; the two of us are in the dressing room beforehand, getting ready, putting our makeup on, and asking each other what we’re wearing.”

Mary is passionate about her family. Her eldest son Conor is the only one with a “normal job” as a surveyor, while middle child Danny is lead singer and guitarist with The Coronas.

“Danny used to be my son, now I’m Danny’s mother,” she jokes. “He used to sit at the side of the stage and watch the musicians. That’s a vivid memory in my mind. He always wanted to perform, even as a kid.

“Music was in them – we didn’t encourage or discourage it. Danny and Róisín always wanted to learn and play. When they’re small, all you want is for them to be happy. That’s all I still want. It’s not about me – it’s about them. At the end of the day, it was their own decision. It’s a tough life, but it’s been good to me.”

With her husband Joe O’Reilly, who also acts as Mary’s manager, she has two grandchildren, Bonnie (three) and Fia (one). She adores them both, smiling broadly when we ask her about being a grandmother.

“They are the light of our lives at the moment, they’re great. I want to spend more time with them,” she says.

Time is something that Mary never really had, especially during the heyday of her career with three small children.

“I had my first child at 25, which is quite young. I was married with two kids at Róisín’s age,” she says. “When I was travelling, the kids were young. I might have been away for three weeks at a time, which is a long in a child’s life, but then I’d be back for six and go away again. I was there full-time a lot and there was always someone at home. My mother was a great help. Their life growing up was normal, as much as it could be.”

She experienced post-natal depression after the birth of Conor, which she wrote about in her memoir, Down the Crooked Road. “I thought, ‘What is wrong with me? I have a beautiful baby boy, a loving husband, and we’re okay financially.’ Depression is beyond all that, though – you don’t always need a reason,” she says.

“The first occasion it happened to me was the most frightening. I thought I’d never be normal again, that it would be like this forever. Once I got through it I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel. It’s nice to know that there is hope. A lot of people suffer with it and don’t talk. People still look down on mental illness and I think we should be more open.”

Mary, who got her first break with Christy Moore, worries about the young artists who think fame and success should be instant.

“That’s the way young people think, and the reality isn’t like that. Occasionally it happens, but it doesn’t really work like that,” she says. “There’s something really wrong with (shows like The X Factor) I don’t watch them because it upsets me. There’s too much emphasis put on manufactured artists.

“I think if you’re talented you should work your trade and go out there and do it, no matter how big the venue is. I was a waitress for years, long before I made money from music.”

Now that semi-retirement beckons, Mary has been thinking about how to use her free time. “We have a place in Spain and I’d like to think we’ll go there more. I love to paint. It’s not something I’ve had much time for, but I’d like to get back into it,” she says. “I wouldn’t be mad into fitness, but I’m always active.”

However, after years of touring, recording and full diaries, Mary won’t make much of an effort to plan her days.

“This is the time, today is important – not tomorrow or yesterday. It’s important to live everyday with fullness and I have a lot of living to do,” she says. “Who knows what the future has in store?” CL