“We’re not friends as such, but we’re not enemies either,” jokes Mick Foster, half of the superstar Irish folk duo Foster and Allen, of his musical partner Tony Allen.
“We grew up twenty miles apart, so going back to the ‘50s and early ‘60s, 20 miles might as well have been 2000 miles.
“Plus he loves Gaelic football and I love hurling, with the result we would never even meet at a match.
“We had a few racehorses over the years, though, so we met at race meetings.
Never argued
“About 12 years ago he moved up to Northern Ireland, so we used to be a half an hour apart, but now we’re three hours apart. There’s definitely no chance of going out for a drink or a meal.”
For all that, though, the pair have never had an argument since they founded the duo in 1975, or during their pre-fame friendship going back to 1967.
Their 1983 single Maggie was an international hit, and they’ve recorded nearly 50 albums in their career. As recently as 2018’s Putting on the Style, they were still in the UK top 30 album chart.
Meeting Jimmy Shand
“The highlight of my music career, though, was meeting and getting to play with Jimmy Shand,” says Foster. “I listened to him since I was five or six, on my grandmother’s wind-up gramophone on the old 78 records.”
Dundee’s most famous musician made a big impression. “He was the nicest man you’ve ever met in your life. If someone like him doesn’t let it go to his head, there’s very little point a lad like me letting it go to mine.”
Foster is now 75, Allen 71, and Foster’s wife Moira is their bandleader. The couple live in the remote countryside between Dublin and Sligo (“you wouldn’t find me with a helicopter,” says Foster), and he’s mucking out the horses when I call.
Lighter schedule
The band used to tour regularly to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, America and Canada, but now their schedule is lighter – just one month in Ireland and one covering Scotland and the north of England.
“The crowds aren’t as big as they used to be all through the ‘90s, when we were on Top of the Pops and stuff like that,” he says.
“Now they’re roughly 400 people in smaller theatres, and it’s lovely, because there could be two or three generations of the one family there.
“Granny came, then she brought the kids when they were bigger, and now they’re bringing their kids.”
It’s been 48 years since Foster and Allen got together, and their 50th is a milestone to aim for.
“The plan, unless one of us kicks the bucket in the meantime, is to hopefully get to 50,” says Foster, laughing again.
“(After that) I’d say we keep going until one of us kicks the bucket, then the other fella will have one great year and that will be the end of it.
“Whichever dies first, the other has to put up a cardboard cut-out onstage and do one more circuit.”
Foster and Allen play the Rothes Halls, Glenrothes, Wednesday April12; Howden Park, Livingston, Thursday April 13; Webster Memorial Theatre, Arbroath, Saturday April 15; Whitehall Theatre, Dundee, Wednesday April 26. www.fosterandallen.ie
