In his bestselling Autobiography, Morrissey devotes a few lines to Irish singer Damien Dempsey:
"By Monday we are sitting in the bar of the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin, where winsome Damien Dempsey is singing his Margaret Barry songs loudly, dispensing relief and joy to all except the duty manager – who tells him to shut up. He of sweet heart continues, and we inch our chairs closer into a tight circle. The duty manager’s shoulders sag, but Damien captivates and enchants with all the love of one blessed and unselfish. I see myself crying at his funeral, missing him already.”
Talking in the pages of Hot Press as he releases his greatest hits (the brilliantly-titled It's All Good), Dempsey smiles, "He gives me a nice mention there, alright. I can see him crying at my funeral.”
Has he been in touch with Moz recently?
“He was in town there a while ago, we were going to meet up for a drink, but I was gigging. Next time he’s in town we’ll meet up. He usually gives me a shout. We meet up, and have an auld chat and a bit of slagging.”
Dempsey says of their common ground: “We just talk about songwriting and all that, you know? Bit of history. He’s big into the history.”

Also in the interview, Dempsey discusses late night sessions with Bruce Springsteen, his new collection, as well as his stance against water fluoridation.

The new issue of Hot Press goes on sale Thursday, February 20.

It's All Good – The Best Of Damien Dempsey, is out now.