Leonard Cohen has been speaking to The Guardian about his fondness for Ireland. The Canadian singer, who battled with depression throughout his life, told the newspaper of how his persona in the early 70's was that of a "broken-down nightingale", often addressing audiences with irritable phrases and sardonic humour.
However Cohen spoke of his joy at performing in Dublin on his recent comeback tour, saying how touched he was for every cheer and moment of applause. "I was touched by the reception", said Cohen. "I remember we were playing in Ireland and the reception was so warm that tears came to my eyes and I thought, 'I can't be seen weeping at this point', then I turned around and saw the guitar player weeping."
Cohen releases his twelfth studio album Old Ideas at the end of the month.
