Damien Dempsey quotes:

My first song was about the smog over Dublin in the 1980s, so yeah, I suppose I was always socially conscious. My first song was not a love song, it was about smog.

When we sing a song we give our soul a cuddle

When it comes to popping pills, probably 90 percent bad. And people say they're not addictive - I still have yearnings for them. Especially after a few pints. I don't think you ever lose the yearning for them.

I was in my teens and I was going through a bit of a phase, drinking a lot and doing E tablets and getting into street fighting and getting depressed. Then I'd listen to Marley and it lifted me out of it. I'd like to try and do the same for kids, that my music would give them a bit of hope and strength, and they'd know that I was telling the truth and I wouldn't lie to them.

I'd love to do an acoustic album alright, just on stage. That'd be nice.