“I thought he was miserable looking. I said, ‘Lookit, you better cheer up because I’m out to enjoy myself.’ He just burst out laughing.”

Soprano Ailish Tynan on meeting her husband Keith

Ailish Tynan in ‘Cosi fan tutte’

Ailish Tynan is not your typical soprano. “I’m not terribly precious. Life is too short to be going around worrying about looking after your voice,” says the 48-year-old from Mullingar. Based in London since 2000, she has won many big competitions down through the years. Now she enjoys a thriving career, frequently singing at the Royal Opera House and at the Proms.

Next week she’ll be doing three Christmas concerts with the Irish Chamber Orchestra in Limerick and Wexford. I caught up with her on her last visit in November when she did a recital with concert pianist Fiachra Garvey in Russborough House.