‘IT WAS AN HONOUR FOR ME TO SING AT LARRY’S FUNERAL’
RISING star Rachel Goode has performed at top concerts and on hit TV shows, but she says her biggest honour was singing at the funeral of Ireland’s ‘king of radio’, DJ Larry Gogan.
Singer Rachel, whose music ranges from folk and country to classical, grew up around Larry, who died in January 2020 at the age of 85.
“My dad’s brother is married to Larry’s daughter Orla, so she is my aunt through marriage,” Rachel reveals. “Larry was always at the family events such as the first communions and confirmations and he was a lovely man. When I got asked to sing at his funeral I was quite shocked in one sense because I was like, ‘Oh God, I thought they would have had someone famous.’
“Orla said, ‘No, Larry would have wanted this.’ He was a real supporter of emerging artists.
“I was doing a lot of opera at the time and I hadn’t released anything before Larry passed away. It was only after Covid that I started releasing stuff. He knew I sang because I sang at all the masses.”
Rachel, a native of Ballinasloe, Co Galway, and a classically trained singer, has been building her profile in Ireland for many years, having performed on The All Ireland Talent Show in 2009 and the 2022 Eurosong and Glór Tíre finals. “I was on the All Ireland Talent Show with Cliona Hagan and we both sang classical songs that year,” she says.
“I was always told my voice was great for country, blues, folk and I was kind of getting fed up of the opera world and wanted to dip my toes into this side of my voice. But I am doing a little bit of classical work this year and will be touring later with the Andrea Bocelli Experience.”
Currently working on a folk and country album, she is a regular guest artist on concerts by the major artists and was part of the Gertrude Byrne
All Star cruise to Alaska with Daniel O’Donnell and Nathan Carter last year. Rachel and her partner bought their own house in Ballinasloe last year and are also looking forward to becoming parents for the first time next month. “That will stall my performing side for a little while,” she laughs. “But even though baby is coming I have this new single out and I’m still going to be pumping out singles while I’m at home with baby and getting used to having a new person in my life.” One of her favourite ways of keeping fit, she reveals, is going country dancing with her maternal grandad, 81-year-old Kieran Egan.
“I love jiving and go dancing with my grandad, but we are both out of action at the moment because I’m expecting and he broke his foot. We always go dancing together, so we are hoping to be back doing it at the end of the summer because it’s great for keeping you fit. They all love grandad at the dances.” Rachel Goode’s new single, Keg of Brandy, is now available on all digital platforms.