Sharon Corr talks COVID, her love for Australia and why family is more important an ever to The Corrs

For four siblings who'd spent their childhood growing up together in the Irish town of Dundalk before spending more than half of their adult lives, performing and touring the world side-by-side, it felt like an eternity.

But in the darkest moments of the lockdown sisters Andrea, Sharon and Caroline and their older brother Jim kept in touch most days, checking in on each other over FaceTime.

"I turned 50 during COVID and my kids made me a lovely birthday and I had my siblings on FaceTime and we tried to mimic a celebration in that way and were there for each other," Sharon Corr says over Zoom from her apartment in Madrid.

"People had their days where they were up or down. When one was up, the other would be down, so we just helped each other.

"When you go through something like that, when everyone went through COVID all over the world, a lot of us focus on how lucky we are to have people in our lives. To have family, someone to pick you up when you're down."

On November 26 The Corrs will finally reunite on stage for their first concert together since 2017 at the Hunter Valley's Hope Estate.

"The last time we were out it was very very special," Sharon says. "This time it's going to be more special, I have no doubt.

"When we do get on stage together there is this magic that occurs and it's really lovely with the harmonies. We're super in-sync as family.

"Our mum and dad would be really proud if they were still around, and where ever they are now they'd be going, 'yes you're back on stage, finally'."

Remarkably the "one night only" show at Pokolbin will be The Corrs' first gig in Australia in 21 years.

It's especially amazing it's taken the Breathless and Runaway hit-makers that long to return, given Australia's pivotal role in their meteoric rise in the mid-to-late '90s.

Outside of Ireland, Australia was the first country to latch on to The Corrs' infectious blend of Celtic instrumentation, pop and rock arrangements and gorgeous harmonies.

The band's 1995 debut album Forgiven, Not Forgotten reached No.1 on the ARIA charts and went nine-time platinum courtesy of the popular singles Runaway, The Right Time and Love To Love You.

Follow-up albums Talk On Corners (1997) and In Blue (2000) also cracked No.1 and brought The Corrs to Australia for tours in 1997, 1998 and 2001.

"We noticed when record companies showed you graphs of where you're spiking, we noticed there was a spike in Australia," Sharon says.

"When you're signed to an American record label they want you to stay in America. We were like, 'I think we're going to Australia'.

"Definitely it just took off and it took off from the first album. My theory behind it is the radio in Australia at the time wasn't super controlled. The DJs could play what they wanted to play and what people wanted to listen to.

"The Celtic pop twist really appealed to Australia. We have a lot of heritage in common."

In 2006 The Corrs went on hiatus as Jim and Caroline raised families and Andrea and Sharon embarked on solo careers.

Sharon released the albums Dream Of You (2010), The Same Sun (2013) and The Fool and The Scorpion (2021) and became a TV personality as a judge on Ireland's version of The Voice.

Over the northern summer she supported guitar legend Jeff Beck at his shows throughout the UK.

The pair are old friends, and Beck played on the track Mna Na h'Eireann from Sharon's debut album.

In 2015 The Corrs reunited for a concert in Hyde Park and released the album White Light, followed Jupiter Calling (2017).

Sharon says the manic years of their early success at times tested their relationships inside and outside the band.

The opportunity to grow as people and artists outside of The Corrs, has in turn, made the band stronger.

"We had all grown up and removed each other from our pecking orders," she says. "Whereas there was a lot of pecking order applying in the early days.

"I think we've all evolved from that and let people live and have their input. We appreciate the input and it adds another branch to what we're doing.

"We've grown musically so there are different influences coming in and out."