"IN FIVE years time, Mary Black is going to be unrecognisable to people in Ireland. She's growing in confidence all the time and I'm convinced that she'll break through internationally. And when she does, there'll be no stopping her. I'm looking forward to it."

If anyone has his finger on the pulse in this regard, it's Paddy Prendergast, the Irish-born boss of A to Z Music and head of the Grapevine label, on which Mary Black's albums are released in the U.K.

"The plan was to break Mary in the U.K. first," Paddy elaborates, "and then to move on to Europe. Two years into the project, we've sold 150,000 records here, which is very good. Mary has worked extremely hard. For eighteen months, she didn't make anything out of touring here but she stuck with the commitment and right now I feel that we're on the verge of something very big.

"She's now established as a name within the media, so that she commands attention on the radio and in the press. She's also established with the retail trade - they were actually waiting for The Holy Ground with a real sense of expectation. And live, on the next tour we'll sell out across the board, nationwide. It's got to the stage now with Mary that she's no longer seen as just another singer from Ireland - she's seen as an international artist who just happens to come from Ireland."

And what is it that distinguishes Mary from other women singers operating in a similar vein?

GREAT RESPECT

"Her choice of material is very strong," Paddy reflects. "But beyond that she really is a great interpreter. I've heard songs that she does sung by the original writers and her versions are far more intense. They're also a lot more melodic. I think people don't give her credit for it but she is very, very strong musically.

"She has a great voice. Her personality and her stage presence are also very attractive. There is, literally, no one here in the UK who has what she has, which is why I'm so convinced that we can break her here."

Looking further afield, Paddy sees huge potential also in the States. "She'll need to spend time there," he says, "and avoid playing just to Irish audiences. With proper marketing and hard work I have no doubt that it can happen but that'll be down to whether Mary and Joe and the family want to make the level of commitment that breaking the States involves."

In the meantime there's always Japan, where Mary has already established an enviable profile. "There are no frontiers to good music," a spokesperson for her label King Records told Hot Press, "So it should surprise no one that Mary's music is loved in Japan as much as it is loved in Ireland - like Guinness!

"All the staff at King Records are big fans of Mary Black. We also have great respect for her band and for Dara Records, so that while we enjoy a good business relationship with them, we are also like one big, happy family.

"This is a rarity in the international music business, so you can be assured that we will continue to fly the flag for Mary Black, for her music - and for Ireland."