“There is a crack in everything ~ that’s how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen

Robert Doyle never imagined that his first professional performance as a singer would coincide with his first pension cheque. “Just a crazy kid with a dream,” he shares casually via email from his home in Ireland, highlighting the irony. But dreams – especially those imbued with reverence and persistence – have a way of manifesting despite the odds.

Born in Wicklow in 1955, Doyle’s journey to the stage began not with fame or fanfare, but with a fresh start. “As a child, my family emigrated to the U.K. in 1958 due to there being no work in Ireland at the time,” he explains. He returned to Ireland as a teenager and later found himself in Zurich at age 21, where a chance encounter with Leonard Cohen at one of his concerts in 1979 would ultimately shape his destiny forever.

“I met him afterwards,” recalls Doyle, “and when he heard that I sang his songs, he asked me to sing for him and the band, but I didn’t have the nerve to do it!” The opportunity passed, but a seed was planted.

Doyle’s musical affinity for Cohen began even earlier, at 14, when he first heard the song So Long, Marianne. That initial spark never faded, even through decades of work as a photojournalist. “For 45 years, I did charity shows for various community groups and cancer charities, never believing that I would be good enough to do it professionally.”

But everything changed after Cohen’s death in 2016. “We did a memorial concert of his music. For a few years afterwards, we were constantly being asked when we would be doing the show again.” His long-time guitarist and musical director, Fergal Cantebury, gave him the final nudge: “He finally convinced me I was good enough to do it.”

The result was Thanks for the Dance – The Leonard Cohen Story, an immersive tribute show named after Cohen’s final album. Featuring an eight-piece band, the performance delivers a rich musical journey through Cohen’s life and work, including songs from his last two albums that Cohen himself never performed live. “That is an incredible honour, to deliver those songs live,” Doyle notes, “and quite humbling.”

In March of last year, Doyle experienced what he calls the most “mind-blowing” moment of his life during his sold-out show at Dublin’s historic Gaiety Theatre. “I had attended that theatre hundreds of times to take pictures of actors, writers, and singers for almost 30 years. Now, I was singing on that stage.”

The response to the show has been overwhelming, and audiences span generations and continents. “We have people travelling from all over the world to our shows, including from Montreal, Israel, across the U.K., Switzerland, Spain, and Germany.”

Doyle has a soft spot for those who show up reluctantly. “My favourite thing is when I ask during the show if anybody has been dragged along by their Cohen-loving partner. Usually, half a dozen people shout out. I ask them to come up and speak to me afterwards to see if we have managed to convert them.”

“Often, they are moved to tears, saying it was a spiritual experience…”

Doyle’s deep connection to Cohen’s lyrics is at the heart of his performance. “It’s simple; his lyrics are all-inspiring.” When asked how Cohen stacks up among legacy artists, he is firm. “Personally, I don’t see anyone with the same draw as him.”

Remarkably, young audiences continue to discover Cohen’s work through these performances. “At every show, I am amazed at how many young people there are. I always make a point of pointing them out from the stage and thanking them for attending.”

Now residing in Spain while the rest of the band remains in Wicklow, Doyle is committed to continuing the tour as long as possible. He dreams of one day performing the show in Leonard’s home. “That would mean the world to me.”

His gratitude is clear when he cites the most moving validation as the one he’s received from Christian McCashin of the Irish Mail, who wrote: “This is as close as you will ever get to seeing Leonard Cohen live on a stage again.”

For Doyle – who once couldn’t summon the nerve to sing for Cohen backstage in Zurich – the full-circle nature of his journey is not lost on him. “My greatest reward is that I am finally doing something that I dreamed of all my life.”