More Stories from Daniel O Donnell

I'LL BE LAUGHIN' ALL THE WAY TO THE CARIBBEAN!

CLASS ACTS: Brendan Grace and Frankie Mc DonaldWELL known Irish musician Frankie McDonald has a radio hit on his hands with his new single, My Elvis Dream. The single, which is getting great airplay on local stations around the country, imagines Elvis coming to Ireland, going to the dancehalls and meeting all the stars, from Big Tom to Joe Dolan.

Frankie, who played trumpet in the late Joe Dolan's band for 39 years, has been on a huge concert tour of Ireland with my old friend, Brendan Grace, in recent weeks. And Brendan and Frankie will be on the Gertrude Byrne 25th Anniversary Caribbean cruise that I'm joining for the first time this coming week. You can imagine the fun that lies ahead with Brendan on board.

Frankie, of course, misses his old friend, Joe Dolan, and the buzz of performing at Joe shows, which were always very special events. "It is so good being back on the road," Frankie says.

"Brendan and Joe were buddies, so it's the same kind of family."

Frankie's song, My Elvis Dream, is a great tribute to the Irish legends who have passed on, as it remembers Butch Moore, Doc Carroll, Brendan O'Brien, Sean Dunphy and, of course, Joe Dolan.

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Mullaghduff Band Fundraiser

FUNDRAISER: Mullaghduff BandMY sister Margaret (Margo) will perform in concert at Loch Altan in Gortahork, Co Donegal, next Saturday night, February 11, in aid of funds for the Mullaghduff Band.

Our family has a long association with the Mullaghduff Band, who are current All-Ireland Champions. Down through the years, our father was in the band and then our brother, John Bosco. I carried the flag for the band when I was a teenager, so we are very close to this band.

Tickets for this concert are available through th e hotel and usual outlets.

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Daniel O'Donnell

Dominic gets Hall the glory

Kirwan chuffed with top award

JUST REWARD: Fr. Brian D’Arcy presents Dominic Kirwan with the Hall of Fame AwardGREAT to see Dominic Kirwan being honoured this week with a Hall Of Fame Award at the Sunday World All-Ireland Country Music Awards in Mullingar. Dominic, who also wowed the crowd with his performance at the packed-out show in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Monday night, is one of the most popular entertainers to come out of this country.He's the same, lovely, friendly and full of fun guy off the stage as the man you see in the spotlight.

I've known Dominic a long, long time and I'm looking forward to going on a working cruise with him, from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean, from next weekend.This is the first time that I will be performing on a cruise ship, so I'm very excited about it. I'm sure it'll be lots of fun with Dominic on the trip as well. He joked on Monday night that he's far too young to be receiving a Hall of Fame Award, but his success story goes all the way back to 1989, when he released his first album,Try A Little Kindness, through Ritz Records.

Dominic formed his first band,The Melody Boys, in 1979 and they played all over the North West of Ireland, learning their craft in local bars, clubs, dancehalls, weddings and all kinds of functions. He first went solo at the end of 1984, recording his debut single, Alice Is In Wonderland, which is now a collector's item among fans.

All the while, Dominic kept trying for his big break by entering talent competitions the length and breadth of Ireland, from UTV's Entertainer of the Year to Search for a Star on RTE and Opportunity Knocks on BBC. Dominic finally got his big break in 1988 when he won two local radio talent shows and landed a recording contract with Ritz Records. He would go on to have numerous big hits, including the ever popular Noreen Bawn.

As Dominic says himself, he has gone on to lead a charmed life in music getting to perform with country superstars like Tammy
Wynette, Kenny Rogers, Charley Pride and Don Williams. With his rich voice and great variety of songs, Dominic has reached
legendary status on the entertainment scene at home and abroad. His recent album, My Kinda Country, gives a very good flavour of the type of music you can expect from a Dominic Kirwan live performance, everything from Garth Brooks to Kenny Rogers and Tom Jones. My Kinda Country is an album that reflects Dominic's love of country music and his respect for material, old and new.

Don't miss Dominic on his Live & Personal tour around the country where he'll be joined by special guest, Louise Morrissey.

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COUNTRY FANS GET A TREAT

FAN: Louise MorrisseyIRISH country music fans are in for a treat as TG4 launches its new Réaltaí Cheol Tíre show next Wednesday night at 10.15pm.

The series will be hosted by Roisin Ni Thomain and will feature entertainers such as Mike Denver, Patrick Feeney and Louise Morrissey. Next Wednesday night's show will have a profile of John McNicholl and guest spots with The Three Amigos, Gerry Carney and Matt Leavy.

The producer/director behind the show is Michael Bracken, who has worked with many of the artists through the years on music videos. A native of Mullingar, Michael started off filming local football and hurling games as he learned his craft. His first music videos were John Hogan singing My Guitar, and Foster and Allen.

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