In this series, we speak to people in – and about – intimate spaces, exploring the relationship between person and place. For Issue 75, American grunge pioneer Mark Lanegan opens the door to his current sanctuary: a cosy, pebble-dashed house in the south-west of Ireland.
Text: Briam Coney
ON THE AWE-INSPIRING RING OF KERRY ROUTE, in the heart of Ireland’s scenic South-West, you’ll find Killarney. The small town is one of the island’s most popular tourist destinations, famous for its lakes, sandstone mountains and 26,000 acres of sweeping woodland. It has a population of around 14,500, many of whom have resided in the town and its surrounding area for generations. Last year however, in August, it received a new, rather unlikely denizen: grunge pioneer, Mark Lanegan.
Over the years, the 56-year-old – who found fame as frontman of the Screaming Trees, before embarking on a lauded solo career – has battled addiction, homelessness and everything in between. But now, 5,000 miles from Los Angeles, the city he called home since the late ’90s, he is hitting reset all over again. How one of the most imposing figures in modern music came to take up residence in an unassuming, pebble-dashed house in Ireland is a curious thing. For many, making such a move during global upheaval might have seemed unthinkable. But for Mark and his wife and collaborator, Shelley Brien, it was like a jigsaw falling into place.
“I had planned for years to come to Europe because this is mainly where I work,” he says, fixing a stare behind tinted glasses in the living room that now doubles as his creative control centre. “California is great but it’s a long flight, especially if you’re coming two, three times a year. My band for years have been Belgium guys, so it’s something I wanted to do for a very long time. I didn’t know Ireland was going to be the landing point until I got here.”
After selling his LA home in the wake of a minor earthquake, Mark and Shelley had originally planned to relocate to Portugal. But it wasn’t to be: this was around the time many European countries were banning travellers from the United States due to Covid restrictions. Ireland, however, was not. “My friend had a place sitting empty here, so I was just going to quarantine and move on to Portugal,” says Mark, speaking in the low, rumbling baritone that has been a hallmark of his output since 1986. “But once we started meeting people really quickly here, and I saw its physical beauty, it just felt correct to stay. I’ve always enjoyed Ireland. Once I actually got
