Mary Black Biography: Children, Husband, Music, Ethnicity, Age, Net Worth, Siblings, Parents, Awards, Books

Mary Black is a prominent Irish singer during the late 1970s, initially gaining recognition as a member of the group General Humbert.

Her transition to a solo career in the early 1980s marked a significant turning point, with her self-titled debut album released in 1983 achieving considerable success.

Over the years, she has released numerous albums, collaborated with various musicians, and garnered accolades for her contributions to the music industry.

Profile

• Full name: Mary Black
• Date of birth: May 23, 1955
• Age: 70 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: Dublin, Ireland
• Nationality: Irish
• Profession: Singer
• Height: 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
• Parents: Kevin Black (father, a fiddler from Rathlin Island) and Patty Black (mother; singer)
• Siblings: Frances Black (sister), Shay Black (brother), Michael Black (brother), Martin Black (brother)
• Spouse: Joe O’Reilly
• Children: Conor O’Reilly, Danny O’Reilly, Róisín O’Reilly
• Relationship status: Married
• Religion: N/A
• Ethnicity: Irish
• Net worth: $5 million

Early Life and Education

Mary Black was born on Charlemont Street in Dublin on May 23, 1955. Raised in a musical household—her father, Kevin, played the fiddle, and her mother, Patty, sang—she learned traditional folk songs from her brothers by the age of eight.

Mary grew up between Dublin and Rathlin Island (her father’s birthplace). She attended St. Louis High School in Rathmines, Dublin, where her musical education continued informally through family performances at local clubs.

Personal Life

Mary Black married Joe O’Reilly (of Dara Records) in 1983. The couple has three children: Conor, Danny, and Róisín. Their son, Danny O’Reilly, is the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Coronas, and their daughter, Róisín O, performs as a singer-songwriter in her own right. The family resides in Dublin but spends a significant amount of time in County Kerry.

Career

Mary’s professional career began in 1975 when she joined the folk band General Humbert, with whom she recorded two albums (1975 and 1978) and toured Europe.

In 1982, she started working with producer/guitarist Declan Sinnott and released her self-titled debut solo album in early 1983. That album was honoured with the Irish Independent Arts Award for Music (1983) and remains regarded as one of the decade’s best Irish albums.   

During this period, she also guested with De Dannan, recording the album Anthem (1985), which won the Irish Album of the Year award. Subsequent solo releases—Collected (1984) and Without the Fanfare (1985)—shifted her toward a modern folk-pop sound.

By 1986, IRMA named her Entertainer of the Year, and she won Best Female Artist in 1987 and 1988. In 1987, she released her first multi-platinum album, By the Time It Gets Dark.

In August 1989, her groundbreaking album, No Frontiers, went triple platinum, topped the Irish charts for five weeks, and spent over seven months in the Irish Top 40, sparking her popularity in Europe, Australia, Japan, and the United States.

After No Frontiers, Mary toured extensively in North America. In the spring of 1991, she released “Babes in the Wood,” which entered the Irish charts at No. 1 for six weeks; its single, “The Thorn Upon the Rose,” reached No. 8 in Japan.  

She played her first Royal Albert Hall concert in January 1992 (broadcast on Channel 4 in 1993). IRMA again named her Best Female Artist (1992). Her album The Holy Ground (1993) also topped the Irish charts, followed by a US tour in late 1993.

In 1995, she recorded duets with Joan Baez for Ring Them Bells and released her first most excellent hits collection, Looking Back. Albums Circus (1995), Shine (1997), and Speaking with the Angel (1999) followed, earning her additional IRMA Best Female Artist awards in 1994 and 1996.

Mary’s live album Mary Black Live appeared in 2003, alongside her studio album Full Tide. In 2008, she issued Twenty-Five Years – Twenty-Five Songs, celebrating 25 years in music, and guested on Christie Hennessy’s posthumous The Two of Us.

She also appeared on Liam Clancy’s The Wheels of Life (2008) and Steve Martin’s The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo (2009). Her studio album Stories from the Steeples emerged in 2011, and she performed a live duet of “Walking in the Air” with Westlife.

A “Last Call” tour with her daughter, Róisín O, ran from 2014 to 2015, billed as her final international tour; her autobiography, Down the Crooked Road, was published in October 2014.  

In 2017, she remastered By the Time It Gets Dark for its 30th anniversary (adding “Wounded Heart” and “Copper Kettle”) and released Mary Black Sings Jimmy MacCarthy (2017), featuring six previously recorded tracks, four new songs, and a live duet with MacCarthy; she toured in 2018 to promote these.

Awards

• Irish Independent Arts Award for Music (1983)
• Entertainer of the Year (IRMA, 1986)
• Best Female Music Artist (Irish Recorded Music Association): 1987, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996
• Hot Press Awards – Best Irish Solo Artist (1993)
• National Entertainment Personality of the Year (1993)
• IRMA Best Irish Album – The Holy Ground (1994)
• Belfast Telegraph EMA – Best Irish Solo Artist (1994)
• Irish Music Magazine – Best Female Folk Artist (2000, 2001, 2005) and Best Contemporary Female Artist (2003)
• The Irish Post Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)
• Lifetime Achievement Award at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards (2022)
• Honorary Doctorate in Literature, University College Dublin (2022)

Net Worth

Mary Black’s net worth is estimated at approximately $5 million, primarily from album sales, tours, and publishing royalties.

Social Media

• Instagram: @maryblackmusic
• Facebook: Mary Black
• YouTube: maryblacknet

Discography

• Mary Black (1982)
• Collected (1984)
• Without the Fanfare (1985)
• By the Time It Gets Dark (1987)
• No Frontiers (1989)
• Babes in the Wood (1991)
• The Holy Ground (1993)
• Circus (1995)
• Shine (1997)
• Speaking with the Angel (1999)
• Full Tide (2005)
• Stories from the Steeples (2011)
• Mary Black Sings Jimmy MacCarthy (2017)
• Orchestrated (2019)
• The Best From 25 Years (2023)

Books

• Down the Crooked Road (Autobiography, 2014)