Frances Black

For people of a similar name, see Francis Black (disambiguation).

Senator Frances Black
Black in 2020
Senator
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 June 2016

Frances Black
Genres	Celtic Folk
Occupation(s)	Singer, addiction counsellor
Years active	1988–present
Website	Official site – Music

Frances Patricia Black ^[1] (born 25 June 1960) ^[2] is an Irish singer and politician. She came to prominence in the late 1980s when she began to play with her family's band, the Black Family, performing a mix of traditional and contemporary Irish music. ^[3]

Black was elected to Seanad Éireann as an independent senator in 2016 for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. ^[4]

Background

Black was born in Charlemont Street, Dublin in 1960 into a musical family. She was educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines. Her father Kevin was a keen fiddle player and mandolinist, a plasterer by trade and a native of Rathlin Island, County Antrim. Her mother Patty (from Dublin) used to sing in local dance halls. She is the youngest of five children, having three brothers Shay, Michael and Martin, and one sister, Mary Black, who is also a well-known singer. ^[5]

Musical career

Pre-solo

Black's musical career began at 17, when she began singing with her siblings, in her family group, known as the Black Family. She gained confidence in her singing abilities and enhanced her performing skills by joining the band Arcady in 1988 (with former De Dannan member Johnny McDonagh, Brendan Larrissey, Patsy Broderick, Seán Keane, Cathal Hayden, Sharon Shannon, and Paul Doyle). The group toured in Europe, Iraq and the United States. They recorded their debut album, After the Ball, containing a mixture of traditional tunes and vocals/songs. The single for the album's title track, the song "After the Ball", which featured Black on lead vocals, performed well in the Irish charts and also made an impact on the American folk market. Due to her young family, the gruelling touring schedule was too much for Black, so she decided to leave the group. Her last tour with the group was in the US in August 1992.

Black teamed up with the Newry singer Kieran Goss, and the pair recorded the album Frances Black and Kieran Goss in 1992. One of the songs on the album, "Wall of Tears", was featured on the compilation album A Woman's Heart . The album went on to become the biggest-selling Irish album ever, and this, along with the subsequent tour, advanced Black's career in the music industry. Other artists on A Woman's Heart included Eleanor McEvoy, Sharon Shannon, Maura O'Connell, Dolores Keane, and her sister Mary Black, who had achieved international success by then. ^[6]

Solo career

Black in November 2003

Black received rave reviews while on tour in Australia and New Zealand in March 1993 with 20 other Irish artists, in a Guinness celebration of Irish music. This resulted in a record deal from the Irish label Dara Records. She released her first solo album in 1994, Talk to Me. It became an instant hit, selling over 100,000 copies and spending eight weeks at number one in her native Ireland. The album contained four Nanci Griffith songs (which were unrecorded by Nanci at the time of the release), one Vince Gill song and John Lennon's "Intuition". However, it was her cover of the Christie Hennessy song, "All the Lies That You Told Me", that received the most attention and it signalled the arrival of Black as a major new talent. Talk to Me was released in the UK and United States also, where she toured in 1994.

In March 1995, Black's second solo album, The Sky Road, was released in Ireland, the UK and the United States. She was the recipient of the 'Best Album by a Female' award, by the IRMA. Due to her rising popularity in America, she embarked on her second solo tour there in 1995. Among Ms. Black's most successful singles are re-recordings of Acker Bilk's "Stranger on the Shore" in 1996 and 1997, the Yvonne Elliman-popularized tune "Love Me, Please". 1997 saw the release of Black's album The Smile on Your Face. It contained songs written by numerous Irish, English and American songwriters. The follow-up album was 1998's Don't Get Me Wrong, which was released in the UK under Sony Records and was her fourth solo effort. It once again cemented Ms. Black's reputation as an international performer, becoming as revered as her older sister Mary. ^[7]

2001 brought the release of a compilation, The Best of Frances Black, on Dara-Dolphin Records. The album included 16 tracks from her recordings with Arcady and The Black Family, as well as her solo recordings. Her two most recent albums How High the Moon (2003) and This Love Will Carry (2006) have also sold well in Ireland and Black toured the United States in support of the recordings. ^[8] Her latest compilation, The Essential Frances Black (2008), went platinum and contained 40 of her most popular songs.

Addication and charity work

Black returned to college as a mature student in 2004 and qualified as an addiction counsellor, and did some counselling work at the Rutland Addiction Treatment Centre in Dublin. ^[9] She established a charity called the Rise Foundation in 2009 which supports family members who have a loved one with an alcohol, drug or gambling problem. Rise runs a number of 10-week family programmes around the country and a one-to-one counselling service for family members who are suffering from stress and anxiety living with a loved one with an addiction problem.

Political career

Black was elected to Seanad Éireann as a Senator on her first attempt at a political campaign in 2016, as an independent candidate. She received her nomination from the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland and ran on the Industrial and Commercial Panel. She is a member of the Civil Engagement group in the 25th Seanad.

She has called for alcohol not to be sold next to nappies in supermarkets. ^[10]

In January 2018 Black tabled the Occupied Territories Bill, a private member's bill which she described as seeking "to prohibit the import and sales of goods, services and natural resources originating in illegal settlements in occupied territories". ^[11]

In April 2018, NBC's Vivian Salama, on behalf of the politician George Mitchell, personally presented the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF)'s Award for Individual Achievement to Black at the 20th annual Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards in Washington. Mitchell made a special video message in praise of Black. The award was in recognition of her work as founder of RISE Foundation and her "tireless efforts on behalf of those struggling with addiction and their families". ^{[12] [13] [14]}

She was re-elected at the 2020 Seanad election, and at the 2025 Seanad election.

Political views

As the Chairperson of the Ireland's Future organisation, Black is an advocate for Irish reunification. ^[15]

Black advocates for Palestinian nationalism and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. ^[15] In January 2018 she tabled the Occupied Territories Bill in the Seanad, which would have placed into Irish law a ban on "trade with and economic support for illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law".

In a 2019 interview, Black cited Clare Daly as someone she admired politically. ^[16]

Personal life

Black had her first child, Eoghan, when she was 19, and her second child Aoife, when she was 21. ^[17] Her first marriage ended shortly afterwards, and she is now married to her second husband, Brian Allen. ^[17] Her daughter Aoife Scott recorded a track on Black's album This Love Will Carry. Aoife is now also a well-known singer and songwriter herself in Ireland after releasing her first solo album Carry the Day. Her son Eoghan is also a well-known musician, songwriter and producer in the Irish music scene and is currently^{[ when? ]} completing a degree in psychology at DCU.

Discography

• Frances Black and Kieran Goss (1992)
• Talk to Me (1994)
• The Sky Road (1995)
• The Smile on Your Face (1996)
• Don't Get Me Wrong (1998)
• The Best of Frances Black (2000)
• How High the Moon (2003)
• This Love Will Carry (2006)
• The Essential Frances Black (2008)
• Stronger (2013)

References

1. Cionnaith, Fiachra Ó (13 January 2025). "141 candidates look to secure a seat in Seanad election" – via www.rte.ie.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. "Frances Black music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
3. "Här hittar du Sveriges bästa casinon!". Casinon.review.
4. "Frances Black". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
5. "The Black Brothers". Black-brothers.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
6. "Solitaire: Frances Black". Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
7. "Frances Black Bio Information". House-of-music.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
8. "Frances Black in Heartbeat City - Entertainment - Kilkenny People". Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
9. "RT? Television - the Afternoon Show". RTÉ.ie . Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
10. "Singer and Senator Frances Black: 'Alcohol should not be sold in supermarkets next to nappies'". Independent.ie. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
11. Hayley Halpin (31 January 2018). "Irish ambassador to Israel summoned by Netanyahu over Seanad bill". TheJournal.ie . Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
12. "Frances Black wins the Kahlil Gibran award". 28 April 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018.
13. "Frances Black to be awarded Kahlil Gibran "Spirit of Humanity award" in Washington DC - TV3 Ireland AM". 17 April 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018.
14. "Senator Frances Black receives humanitarian award in Washington". Metro Éireann. 26 July 2018. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018.
15. "Profile:Frances Black" . The Phoenix . 22 September 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
16. Bielenberg, Kim (23 February 2019). "How Frances hits the high notes in politics". Irish Independent . Retrieved 30 January 2025.
17. Hogan, Jen (29 June 2021). "Frances Black: 'Realising you're on your own and having two small kids, it was tough'". Irish Times . Retrieved 30 January 2025.

External links

• Official website (music)
• Official website (politics)