My Country Life

Irish country music legend Sandy Kelly (nee Duskey) has a remarkable story to tell. Born in Sligo into a family of travelling entertainers, she appeared in variety roadshows all over Ireland from the time she was a baby. Sandy joined a pop band in her teens and later went on to represent Ireland in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with The Duskeys. It was her recording of the Patsy Cline hit, Crazy, that changed her life after American country icon Johnny Cash heard it on the radio while he was on tour in Ireland. They went on to record together and Johnny opened doors for Sandy in America. However, along with the highs of her life and career, Sandy has also experienced many dark days, including the deaths of loved ones, the breakdown of relationships, financial and family struggles… and the nasty side of showbusiness, as she now reveals.

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SUSAN McCann is Ireland’s First Lady of Country, and in part two of her life story here on the Sunday World podcast My Country Life, the legendary singer recalls performing on the same Florida festival with Garth Brooks, while he was then on his journey to becoming a country music superstar. Susan talks about her meeting with Garth at that event in 1991, and tells how he was trying to achieve the same chart success in the UK as our own Daniel O’Donnell. “Garth Brooks was in the changing room right next to us,” Susan recalls. “And we chatted…he wasn’t even known in Ireland at the time. He knew Daniel O’Donnell. He had released a record in England and had been over to do a promotion on his album. “He said, ‘Do you know that guy, Daniel O’Donnell?’ Sure I knew Daniel very well. He used to call to the house when he was starting up. So I said, ‘Of course I know him.’ “Daniel had three albums in the UK charts at the time. ‘I can’t even get one,’ Garth said, ‘that man has three!’ He laughed about it.” Now listen here to Susan telling many more behind-the-scenes stories from her career in country music, her life amid the The Troubles in Northern Ireland…and why her favourite title today is Grandma…

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SHE’S Ireland’s First Lady of Country and Susan McCann has had a remarkable life in music, performing everywhere from the marquee in her native Forkhill, South Armagh, to Nashville’s famous Grand Ole Opry. As Susan tells it, she came from humble beginnings growing up among a family of 11 in a two-bed house with no electricity or running water. Starting off as the singer in her local céili band, at one point money was so tight for the future star she says she couldn’t afford the ticket price to see Philomena Begley performing. However, in 1977 Susan shot to fame in Ireland when she had a smash hit with a song called Big Tom Is Still The King. “If it wasn’t for Big Tom I might never have made it,” Susan says today. In Nashville, Susan was embraced by Porter Wagoner, the singer and TV presenter who gave Dolly Parton her big break, and who inspired her song, I Will Always Love You. She recorded several albums in Nashville with musicians who’d played on some of her favourite American country music records, including Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. Here, in My Country Life, Susan talks about her childhood, her rise to stardom and meeting the love of her life.

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SHE'S Ireland’s Queen of Country and at the age of 80 Philomena Begley says she has no intention of relinquishing her title anytime soon. As we speak, Philomena is celebrating an incredible 60 years in showbusiness and here on 'My Country Life' she says that singing and performing is the drug that keeps her young at heart. Philomena talks about her early life growing up in the Co Tyrone village of Pomeroy, picking potatoes and cutting turf as part of her childhood chores. She recalls how she left school at 15 to work in a hat factory and fell into a music career by chance at the age of 20 when a friend dared her to get up and sing with a local band. That performance would see her go on to join the group and become a star in her own right with hits such as Truck Drivin’ Woman, Queen of the Silver Dollar and Blanket On The Ground. She recorded in Nashville, performed at the Grand Ole Opry and was one of the stars of the Wembley Country Music Festival in London. Here, Philomena also talks about her friendship with Daniel O’Donnell and that hilarious video in bed with Nathan Carter.

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HERE in part two of The Joe Dolan Story, his brother Ben takes us inside their life on the road and the early days of ‘Driftermania’. He tells how Joe became an international star after performing on BBC’s iconic Top Of The Pops with his first major hit, Make Me An Island. This would lead to tours of South Africa, Israel, Russia and all over Europe. Ben takes us to Las Vegas where Joe tried his luck in the gambling capital of the world. He also reveals how Joe was attacked in Liverpool in the early days and suffered a horrific beating. And Ben recalls his brother’s final days and the heartbreaking events of St Stephen’s Day 2007 when Ireland lost one of its greatest and much-loved entertainers.

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Joe Dolan was one of Ireland’s greatest ever entertainers. He was our Elvis Presley. Our first pop star. Joe performed on BBC’s Top Of The Pops, toured the world as an international star, played in Las Vegas and had a string of hits that included The Answer To Everything, Make Me An Island, Lady In Blue and Good Looking Woman. One man who stood alongside him for almost 50 years as a performer was his older brother, Ben Dolan. Here, in a two-part My Country Life podcast as we reach the 15th anniversary of Joe’s death, Ben shares his personal family memories of growing up with Joe in their native Mullingar and recalls their early adventures as musicians.

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Here in part two of our My Country Life podcast with Margo, Ireland’s Queen of Country & Irish recalls her many struggles in life, including a personal battle with alcoholism back in the day. Margo opens up about her regret at never becoming a mother and reveals that she still carries a torch for her first love who remains a friend and gave her a personal gift on her 70th birthday – with the blessing of his wife. The legendary singer tells how she lost out on an estimated fortune of €17 million throughout her career before winning back the rights to her recordings in a court case. She also shares the inside story of her close friendship with American country music legend Dolly Parton and pays tribute to her brother, Daniel O’Donnell.

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She’s the Queen of Country & Irish music, and Margo O’Donnell has had a remarkable life. Long before the world heard of her little brother Daniel O’Donnell, Margo was topping the charts and performing to thousands of fans in dance halls all over Ireland. Margo also won the hearts of Irish emigrants in Britain and Ireland in the ‘60s and ‘70s with her poignant songs from their homeland. Here in part one of a two-part My Country Life podcast, Margo recalls her early years growing up as young Margaret O’Donnell in Kincasslagh, Co Donegal. She tells of her childhood years working as a tattie hoaker (potato picker) on farms in Scotland. And she reveals how a promise to her father on his death bed led to her becoming a professional singer at the age of 16.

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TODAY, he manages the career of Irish country music superstar Daniel O’Donnell, but former New Blues showband guitarist Kieran Cavanagh has had a remarkable life in his own right. While in his 20s, Kieran set out to bring some of the biggest stars in American country music to Ireland, starting with the greatest of them all – Johnny Cash. Here, on My Country Life, the Co Sligo-born impresario shares his many personal behind-the-scenes stories from his time with icons such as ‘The Man in Black’, Glen Campbell and Tom T Hall. Kieran also reveals a bizarre run-in with rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry while staging his show at Dublin’s National Stadium in the 1980s. And speaking just weeks before the death of Jerry Lee Lewis, he tells the amazing story of how he took over management of ‘The Killer’ back in the 1990s and helped him to clear a $1 million tax bill in America.

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Declan Nerney has lived a charmed life, from playing in bands with some of Ireland’s biggest country music stars, including Gene Stuart and Brian Coll, to meeting his idol Johnny Cash. Here, in My Country Life, Declan recalls how he dreamed of a life in showbusiness watching the big stars playing local marquee dances in his native Drumlish, Co Longford. He tells how he became a guitar player in a band while still in secondary school and recalls performing in Cork the night before his Leaving Cert maths exam. Now one of the legends of the Irish country music scene, Declan also tells the inside story of how his young niece and goddaughter Una Healy was a big part of his life as she grew up and he recalls his pride at seeing her become a major star when she found fame with all-girl pop sensations The Saturdays.

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