Singer Mary Coughlan has blasted updated nightlife and entertainment guidelines as "clear as muck".
The veteran performer was told by RTE’s Clare Byrne that allowing an audience to sing at her gigs "could get her in trouble".
“It seems to me that a lot of the onus is put on us and indeed on publicans and venue managers. And it’s as clear as muck as usual,” Ms Coughlan said.
“I did a gig in Belfast in July and I had 10 inch screen in front of my face and that was somehow supposed to stop the spread of Covid, so we had a good laugh about that.
"There were 300 people at that gig and they were all singing and I was singing. And they don’t sing loudly. It’s a very beautiful thing to hear,” she said.
The Galway native was reacting to the updated nightlife and entertainment guidelines.
The guidelines for artists and their teams state there is increased risk of virus transmission during activities such as ‘vocalisation, playing musical instruments, dancing or performing.’
“Organisers should discuss this with performers in advance to ensure they are not encouraging attendees to breach event protocols or increase the risk of the spread of the virus through their actions (i.e. load chanting/singing, social distancing).”
“You won’t be able to say ‘Up Galway’ as that will be inciting a reaction from the crowd and that could get you in trouble,” Clare Byrne said.
“I guess I won’t be inciting them. I never do,” Ms Coughlan said.
Asked if she had ever told an audience to stop singing, Ms Coughlan replied she had not.
“But I’m singing. I don’t understand it. I did a concert in the Pearse Stadium in Galway and it was going to be 200 people, then they said we could have 700 and then 1,000 people outdoors.
“And the next day, a Sunday afternoon, there were 35,000 people roaring and shouting in Croke Park louder than anyone would ever sing!
“It’s very confusing. I know this is a difficult time for people but I really don’t think that singing softly, angelically I might even say, is going to add to the Covid spread,” Ms Coughlan said.
