Tony Cummings met up with the globe-trotting Irish singer DOMINIC KIRWAN

Dominic: A lot of them are suggestions but knowing some of the songs and then having to research some of them, there's a storyline running through it. I think, as you rightly said, there's a very Christian base to some of the songs, and then there is obviously that awareness, which I think is a very important word in life and society, and awareness of how people think and how they feel and how they express themselves, their lives and our own lives, as well. So that's really where it was coming from, that background.

Tony: Do you sense the inspirational songs are giving the audience more than some other types of songs?

Dominic: I think you get that all the time. I would say that the majority of music is spiritual. I'm an emotional sort of a guy myself, for people who really know me I can get really emotive and there are occasions, and I can never pinpoint any one in particular, when you can be on stage and get filled with emotion. There are occasions when some songs will do that to you more often but I'm happy with that because I sometimes feel comfort within myself, that you're getting to the inner soul about genuinely singing the song for the right reasons. So I'm comfortable with that.

Tony: What are your favourite songs on the album?

Dominic: The song that came out as a single, "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good". It's a very strong song in itself and I think the words speak for themselves, so I really do enjoy singing it. You might think that I like singing them all - of course I like singing them all - but there are some songs that just hit you a little bit more than others, so I've loved performing it. I love songs like "You've Got A Friend", "Lean On Me", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - which is without a doubt one of my all-time favourite songs. I have a good memory of the song for another reason: when Simon & Garfunkel did their reunion tour in the mid-1980s, they came to the RDS in Dublin and I was fortunate enough to be at that concert.

Tony: Do you enjoy recording?

Dominic: I love the studio. I love my work on the road and I love getting to the audience and meeting the people. I think that's an important aspect of my career: to actually have the time with your audience afterwards and to talk to them and pick up on the odd little stories. Let's face it; everybody's got a story to tell. Sometimes some people need an ear, just for somebody to listen. So I do enjoy that side of the business, but in the recording side, I love the whole aspect of the building of an album. There will be levels of something of what you've said; some of the track will be prepared by the time I get there, but it's never completely finished. By the time I'm involved with it, you can still put your input into certain songs. I think that can be very spiritual in itself and it can be emotive spiritual. Having that input and then listening to the final product, I think can give you a really good sense of satisfaction.

Tony: Where was 'Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good' recorded?

Dominic: Everywhere, and I mean it. There's parts of it recorded in, let me see now: we've been down in St Albans, over in Norfolk; we've been in Donegal where a lot of the engineering and mastering was put together. Part of it was done in Suffolk; it's been all over the place. The album was produced by my guitarist, Wayne Golden. So Wayne would be on the road with me a lot, but at the same time he's had to go back and be in different places to get the job done. He's based mostly in England, apart from working with me in Ireland, so we used the studios in Ireland for different purposes and then we used the studios in England. So it's all over the place, but I think that makes for a better album, for me, better sounds, different inputs.