R.I.P Val Doonican.

[colonel c]

Sad news.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33363...


Special PH significance due to O'rafferty's Motor Car.

Edited by colonel c on Thursday 2nd July 11:03

[Eric Mc]

Sorry to hear that. At a time when the behaviour of some Irish was not endearing them to the British general public, Val was a ray of hope and Irish "niceness" in what were sometimes bleak times. He was a firm favourite in our household - and a mighty fine singer too.

[Fishtigua]

My Nana loved a bit of VD on a Sunday.

[Funkycoldribena]

Along with Patrick Macnee,I thought he was dead years ago!

[anonymous-user]

I saw this pop up on the BBC news feed but felt a bit ashamed I had never heard of him. I just looked him up and played some of his classics but hadn't heard of them either. Is that a bit uncultured?

Was he popular outside Ireland?

[Funkycoldribena]

el stovey said:

I saw this pop up on the BBC news feed but felt a bit ashamed I had never heard of him. I just looked him up and played some of his classics but hadn't heard of them either. Is that a bit uncultured?

Was he popular outside Ireland?

Had a program on sat nights for years in the 70's.

[Mr_B]

Blimey, I didn't even know he was Irish. How did I miss that ?

[stevejh]

el stovey said:

I saw this pop up on the BBC news feed but felt a bit ashamed I had never heard of him. I just looked him up and played some of his classics but hadn't heard of them either. Is that a bit uncultured?

Was he popular outside Ireland?

He had his own prime TV show every Saturday night on BBC1 for many years in the seventies. All very laid back, easy listening type stuff.

[Cliftonite]

el stovey said:

I saw this pop up on the BBC news feed but felt a bit ashamed I had never heard of him. I just looked him up and played some of his classics but hadn't heard of them either. Is that a bit uncultured?

Was he popular outside Ireland?

The country is being taken over by young people.

This must be stopped!

[Adrian W]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UAcRug1saTY

[Eric Mc]

el stovey said:

I saw this pop up on the BBC news feed but felt a bit ashamed I had never heard of him. I just looked him up and played some of his classics but hadn't heard of them either. Is that a bit uncultured?

Was he popular outside Ireland?

He was massive in the UK - and had his own TV shows that ran on both the BBC and ITV at various times into the early 1980s.

He arrived in the UK as part of a kind of folk singer in the mid 1950s but began to get a lot of radio play more as a crooner and singer of some "Cod Irish" type songs that were popular in the late 1950s. I think a lot of his popularity was due to the fact that his voice was very similar in tone to that of the legendary Jim Reeves.
Doonican hit the big time in the mid 1960s with "Walk Tall" and from that moment on was fairly constant in the singles charts into the mid 1970s. He also sang the theme song for the film "Ring of Bright Water" which is a lovely piece of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVexuzC9Zzw

[RegMolehusband]

One of my late Mum's favourites. Thank you for making her happy Val.

[loafer123]

Cliftonite said:

el stovey said:

I saw this pop up on the BBC news feed but felt a bit ashamed I had never heard of him. I just looked him up and played some of his classics but hadn't heard of them either. Is that a bit uncultured?

Was he popular outside Ireland?

The country is being taken over by young people.

This must be stopped!

Absolutely. Straight after our afternoon naps.

[CooperD]

I can remember watching his TV show's in the 80's when he sang in a rocking chair whilst wearing various items of knitwear. He did have some good guests on the show like Glen Campbell. It was very easy listening but very popular.

[Eric Mc]

He always recalled that one of his first memories of living in the UK was the Harrow train disaster of 1952. Doonican was living in a bedsit overlooking the railway line and heard the almighty crash. He was one of the army of helpers who recovered bodies and body parts from the wreckage. He said he never really got over that day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrow_and_Wealdston...

[Gandahar]

Gentle bloke from a time when things were not so gentle in Ireland.

Is it me or are famous stars from the past dying in nursing homes slightly discomforting ? I'd sort of expected for them to be cherished to the end

What hope have I got at 47 and a nobody?

[Bodie390]

Christmas was the time I remember about Val Doonican in his rocking chair rip.

[Cheib]

The more you think back to 70's TV the weirder it was....when you think there were only three channels and he was prime time on a Saturday night along with The Genration Game, Black and White Minstrels etc etc

For those of you that haven't seen or heard of the latter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoYOraDt1_k

[Einion Yrth]

Gandahar said:

Gentle bloke from a time when things were not so gentle in Ireland.

Is it me or are famous stars from the past dying in nursing homes slightly discomforting ? I'd sort of expected for them to be cherished to the end

What hope have I got at 47 and a nobody?

[supertouring]

We had this record when I was young, this is what I will remember him for - Paddy McGintys Goat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpqLgfc8n8Q

And Delany's Donkey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Ofhh30lwQ

Edited by supertouring on Thursday 2nd July 17:24