Cathal Coughlan (16th december 1960- 18th may 2022)

Some months ago, the Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg asked François if he would like to comment on one or more of the works in the exhibition Histoires naturelles (21 January – 31 December 2022). After discussion with the curator, François chose to propose something for works by Maria Sybilla Merian (1647 – 1717) an artist and naturalist who documented the life of plants and insects in the Americas. After some exchanges, it was decided that visitors to the exhibition would hear the song “The Life and Death of a Plant Hunter” as they approached Merian’s works. This song, written by Martin Newell, was sung by (for) Cathal Coughlan in our opera Petit Traité Pop du Jardin Botanique (2004-2006) and is included in the album Into the Green (2017). The text tells the story of a botanist bringing back countless species of plants and flowers from distant lands. At the end of the song, we understand that the plant hunter is dead but that all the species brought back will preserve his memory forever.

A few days after we decided to use this song, our friend, the great songwriter and singer Cathal Coughlan died. Cathal was a rare person, funny, concerned about the state of the world, a true friend and a great artist. He delighted the teams and audiences of three of our operas and an orchestral project. We loved him and remember the years we spent together on stage, backstage and in the recording studio, but also in restaurants, travelling on tour, listening to music and browsing in record shops, exchanging CDs and books, meeting and saying “goodbye” in railway stations and airports, sending greeting cards and emails. Cathal was a wonderful hunter of stories and melodies, a voice with an incredible intensity. His solo records, with Microdisney and Fatima Mansions and recently Telefis, the many traces of his concerts and the documentary The Adventures of Flannery (Johnny Gogan/2008) will keep his memory alive.

 Eva et François, july of 2022