0:00:04 > 0:00:07Back in 1970, Northern Ireland was in serious turmoil.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Catholics and Protestants fought on the streets of Londonderry and Belfast.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14And yet, in the middle of this anger,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18a different side of Northern Ireland emerged.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21# Snowdrops and daffodils... #
0:00:21 > 0:00:25A 16-year-old schoolgirl called Dana surprised everyone
0:00:25 > 0:00:29by winning the Eurovision Song Contest with All Kinds Of Everything.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33# All kinds of everything
0:00:33 > 0:00:35# Remind me of you... #
0:00:35 > 0:00:39# It's gonna be a cold, cold Christmas... #
0:00:39 > 0:00:42It launched a career that included top ten hits,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45success across the Atlantic,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50and, to the surprise of many, a career in Irish politics.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Dana's had an extraordinarily varied life,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58and today she's my guest on a special Songs Of Praise.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Coming up, some of Dana's favourite songs and hymns.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07She's in for a surprise when she returns to her old school,
0:01:07 > 0:01:12and Dana meets someone whose life was changed by a project
0:01:12 > 0:01:15that's helped create a more peaceful Northern Ireland.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Songs Of Praise today comes from a remarkable building.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32This is Air Studios in North London, once an abandoned church,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36until Sir George Martin converted it into a recording venue.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Now, for the first time in 40 years,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42a congregation is back within these walls.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And they're here, looking forward to our special guest.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Ladies and gentlemen, Dana!
0:01:47 > 0:01:49CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:50 > 0:01:51Thank you.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56And you are back on home turf,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59- because you were born just up the road.- I was.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03I was actually born in Islington, just off the Caledonian Road.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05I don't remember a whole lot of it,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08but my mother talked about it for all of her life,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11she just had such a happy time there, and wonderful neighbours.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13She just loved it.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16You were young, but the house was crammed with people, wasn't it?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19It was, yes, because as people would move to London,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23as a lot did in those days, looking for work, then they'd all come.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27If my father found anyone at the railway station or whatever,
0:02:27 > 0:02:28he'd just bring them home.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30And your house always full of music,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33which is good, because we've got plenty of it tonight.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35- Yes.- Tell me about the first hymn.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Well, it's a hymn that I hope you'll all know
0:02:37 > 0:02:39and you'll all sing along with,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and it's called I Will Sing The Wondrous Story.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43- Let's hear it now. Thank you. - Thank you.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46APPLAUSE
0:05:46 > 0:05:49APPLAUSE
0:05:51 > 0:05:53- Come and have a seat.- Thank you.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58It's a wonderful hymn, that, and without being too sacrilegious,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02it's been a kind of wondrous life for you, too, hasn't it?
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Well, yes, it has. A lot of things happened in my life
0:06:04 > 0:06:06I really never dreamt would ever happen.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11That Eurovision Song Contest win in 1970, it changed everything, didn't it?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Totally. Totally changed my life.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I wouldn't be here today but for Eurovision.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21And yet it was such a long time ago, if you don't mind my saying so,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24it was a time when you were sort of young and fresh and innocent,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26it was a very sweet song.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29You've had to live with that image all your life since, haven't you?
0:06:29 > 0:06:34Well, I suppose so, except for the young. I'm not young any more!
0:06:34 > 0:06:36You don't mind? It's not been hard to shake off?
0:06:36 > 0:06:41I think part of the problem with people looking at someone,
0:06:41 > 0:06:46maybe they think that you think you're better than they are, for Christians.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51Maybe they think you're a holy Joe who feels they're better than they are.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54The opposite is true, I think you realise how much
0:06:54 > 0:06:59you've got to work on yourself and how much you rely on God to get you through life.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03And it's interesting, because your career hasn't been plain sailing,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06it's been gilded in all sorts of ways,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08but you had a period in your life
0:07:08 > 0:07:11where you thought you were going to lose that golden voice forever.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Well, I did lose it for quite some time.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17In fact, it was five years before I actually came back
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- to being able to sing normally again. - What happened?
0:07:20 > 0:07:24I had a growth with a root on one of the vocal cords,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26which is a very delicate muscle.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30And they thought it might be cancer, thank God it was not.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33But the operation to cut into the cord,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36of course, that's quite a devastation.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39And it took me five years to get back.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43How low did you get as a result of that?
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I think after I had my first relapse,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I continued downward till I hit rock bottom.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And that particular day I'd had to cancel another comeback,
0:07:53 > 0:07:58I was alone in my house and I remember sitting at my kitchen table
0:07:58 > 0:08:04and just saying, "If there's anybody up there, please help me."
0:08:04 > 0:08:09And I think looking back, that was one of the best prayers I ever prayed.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13I didn't think it was a prayer at the time, but I remember thinking,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16"Call the doctor and get the name of a teacher," which I did.
0:08:16 > 0:08:22- You saw that as answer to prayer? - Yes, looking back on it.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25At the time I just thought, "How could I be so stupid not to think
0:08:25 > 0:08:29"to ask my specialist for the name of a teacher?"
0:08:29 > 0:08:33And he said he had one sitting on his desk for the past couple of weeks,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37and I called her and then I began my walk back.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41And she taught you to sing from down here rather than up there.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43She did, she taught me how to protect my voice.
0:08:43 > 0:08:50She was just a wonderful lady, and I'll always be grateful to her.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55What effect did that experience have on you?
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Because it made you very vulnerable for a while, didn't it?
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I remember thinking, "I'll never be able to sing again."
0:09:02 > 0:09:06And suddenly realising, what we take for granted is actually very precious,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09whatever it is - being able to walk, being able to talk,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11being able to sing...
0:09:11 > 0:09:14It's very precious and we need to really remind ourselves
0:09:14 > 0:09:17how important it is to appreciate them.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Tell me about the next song.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Well, I wrote it some years ago and it's basically...
0:09:23 > 0:09:27I think I almost get really frustrated sometimes,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29because we all know people who feel alone,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33they feel quite isolated,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and how frustrating it must be for God who's there with us all the time,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40but actually, those people see him in us.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44So, if we're not his hands and his eyes and, you know,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46if we don't love,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49then those people may never encounter him.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- It's called I Am The Light. - Let's hear it now. Ladies and gentlemen, Dana.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57APPLAUSE
0:10:10 > 0:10:15# Oh, I know why you are crying
0:10:15 > 0:10:20# I can feel the pain you feel
0:10:20 > 0:10:24# I am walking here beside you
0:10:24 > 0:10:31# And my love for you is real
0:10:31 > 0:10:35# Yet it seems that you don't know me
0:10:35 > 0:10:40# You can't hear the words I say
0:10:40 > 0:10:44# Are the eyes of those around you
0:10:44 > 0:10:50# Cold and empty as your day?
0:10:50 > 0:10:53# I am the light
0:10:53 > 0:10:55# The light of the world
0:10:55 > 0:10:57# I am the light
0:10:57 > 0:10:59# And the light will burn
0:10:59 > 0:11:04# Within the hearts of those who love me
0:11:04 > 0:11:08# It lights the way for those who yearn
0:11:08 > 0:11:10# To see the light
0:11:10 > 0:11:13# The light of the world
0:11:13 > 0:11:15# I am the light
0:11:15 > 0:11:17# And the light will burn
0:11:17 > 0:11:22# And like a moth drawn to the flame
0:11:22 > 0:11:24# Consumed in my love
0:11:24 > 0:11:29# You are born again
0:11:29 > 0:11:34# Who will speak my word of comforts?
0:11:34 > 0:11:38# Who will love for love of me?
0:11:38 > 0:11:43# Who will shine out in the darkness?
0:11:43 > 0:11:49# So that all the world can see
0:11:49 > 0:11:54# When the flame of love is growing
0:11:54 > 0:11:59# Like a tide that never turns
0:11:59 > 0:12:03# Like the sun that's never setting
0:12:03 > 0:12:09# So the flame of love will burn
0:12:09 > 0:12:11# I am the light
0:12:11 > 0:12:14# The light of the world
0:12:14 > 0:12:16# I am the light
0:12:16 > 0:12:18# And the light will burn
0:12:18 > 0:12:23# Within the hearts of those who love me
0:12:23 > 0:12:27# It lights the way for those who yearn
0:12:27 > 0:12:30# To see the light
0:12:30 > 0:12:32# The light of the world
0:12:32 > 0:12:34# I am the light
0:12:34 > 0:12:36# And the light will burn
0:12:36 > 0:12:41# And like a moth drawn to the flame
0:12:41 > 0:12:43# Consumed in my love
0:12:43 > 0:12:47# You are born again
0:12:47 > 0:12:53# And like a moth drawn to the flame
0:12:53 > 0:12:55# Consumed in my love
0:12:55 > 0:13:03# You are born again. #
0:13:12 > 0:13:15APPLAUSE
0:13:24 > 0:13:29Dana is going back to her roots. Back to Derry, where she grew up.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33On the outskirts of the city,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35is a collection of abandoned buildings -
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Dana's old school, Thornhill College.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45Whoa, it's so strange to see this place boarded up, you know.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I suppose in my mind, it's kind of,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52as I always remember it and bustling with girls.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57I remember my first day.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02My school bag was so heavy, I couldn't lift it off the ground.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04BELL RINGS
0:14:04 > 0:14:06I suppose I just see little snippets of time
0:14:06 > 0:14:10and I have memories of the people I went to school with.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14It is sad to see it
0:14:14 > 0:14:18but just across the road is the new Thornhill,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20so it goes on.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23In the brand new building, Dana wants to see
0:14:23 > 0:14:27if its strong tradition of music teaching still survives.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34CHOIR SINGS
0:14:38 > 0:14:44# Our motto to the end. #
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Well done. Girls, that brought back an awful lot of memories to me.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55We always had a huge emphasis on the choir in Thornhill
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and I'm glad to see that's carrying on because I think it brings,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01you know, the whole year together.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03When did you come here?
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I came here in the early '60s,
0:15:07 > 0:15:12and I left in 1970 when I won Eurovision.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15So, I was wearing the same uniform you're wearing.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19I took part in the musical and I got the lead role
0:15:19 > 0:15:21in my junior year,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24only because the girl who had the role got sick.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25LAUGHTER
0:15:25 > 0:15:28So, I got the lead role in Love From Judy,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32which was a great experience. Do you still do the school musicals?
0:15:32 > 0:15:33ALL: Yes.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35What was your latest one?
0:15:35 > 0:15:37ALL: Hairspray.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42Hairspray? That's a fantastic... Any of you in lead roles in that?
0:15:42 > 0:15:44I was the lead in it, so I was.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- So, will you sing us a few bars of it, then?- Aye.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51# Good morning, Baltimore
0:15:51 > 0:15:55# Every day's like an open door. #
0:15:55 > 0:15:56That's a short song.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58LAUGHTER
0:15:58 > 0:15:59'They're a great bunch of girls.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04'They just love their music, love their singing and performing.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06'I was thinking, you know, how...'
0:16:06 > 0:16:10How much things change and yet how little things change
0:16:10 > 0:16:15because you know, I could see myself in their position.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19'Coming back here was, for me, a kind of,'
0:16:19 > 0:16:23a process of uniting the memories with the present day.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Seeing these young girls today and meeting their teachers,
0:16:28 > 0:16:34that's lovely to see that ongoing circle of life.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23We come to Strasbourg once every month
0:19:23 > 0:19:25and we're here from Monday to Thursday
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and during that time, we vote on the bulk of the reports.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33It's a chance to find out what's going on and for that reason,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36it's excellent and of course, it's also a beautiful city.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42It was quite a shock to everyone and possibly quite a shock to yourself
0:19:42 > 0:19:44when you went into politics.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Oh, yes. I call myself an accidental politician.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49And the question rises to my lips - why?
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Well, I ran for the presidency in Ireland.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55If you're going to start, you might as well start at the top
0:19:55 > 0:19:57and work your way down.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58But, basically...
0:19:58 > 0:20:02But you've been singing successfully, you've got a great career,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04you're living in Alabama with your children
0:20:04 > 0:20:08and you think, "Ah, I think I'll stand for the Irish presidency."
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Well, I was actually asked if I would.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15I knew I wouldn't win it, but I knew I had an opportunity to speak
0:20:15 > 0:20:17because I was a personality
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and therefore I would get exposure for what I had to say.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24But what was it you felt so strongly about that you decided to go there?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Well, the Irish constitution is a very special constitution.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32It recognises a higher power, it recognises God.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33It protects the family,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37it protects parents as the first children of their teachers
0:20:37 > 0:20:39and it protects life.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41So, it's a very special constitution.
0:20:41 > 0:20:47Also, because only the Irish people have the last say on any changes.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49And there was obviously a...
0:20:49 > 0:20:52People felt that they were being forced into change
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and that the people were not being listened to.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58So, I spoke on behalf of the people who felt
0:20:58 > 0:21:00that no-one was listening to them and they were right,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02and I spoke on their behalf.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Dana actually means "bold", doesn't it?
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Yes, yes, to be bold, to be daring.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Is that, then, a part of your character that was there
0:21:11 > 0:21:14all along or did you discover it?
0:21:14 > 0:21:18I suppose that we don't know what's within us until we're tested.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20We really don't.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25And I never dreamt that I would be in the hurly-burly of politics.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Neither did I want to be there.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30But there are certain values, I think, that, more and more,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32you have to be willing to stand up,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34"Well, this is what I believe, this is what I think,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36"and I have the right to say it."
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Now, you lost the race for the presidency
0:21:38 > 0:21:42but you clearly had a taste for it because you stood, then, for Europe
0:21:42 > 0:21:44and you got into the European Parliament.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Yes, I was there for five years.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Did you enjoy it, you who hated politics?
0:21:49 > 0:21:54I'm not sure "enjoy" is the right word. It was a battle every day.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58And politics is like that, you know, you do have to stand your ground.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02You're going to lead us now in the hymn, Be Thou My Vision.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The wonderful hymn, it's my favourite.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08And very much the right hymn for a politician with a cause.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12For anyone facing everyday life, I think we all can benefit from this.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14- Let's hear it now.- Thank you.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16APPLAUSE
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Londonderry is divided by the River Foyle.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21One bank is predominantly Protestant, the other, Catholic.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Last month, something rather remarkable opened,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27designed to unite both sides.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38After months of construction, the Peace Bridge, as it's known,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40is proving extremely popular.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Well, I'm going to try out the bridge
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and I'm going to meet someone who says her life
0:24:53 > 0:24:56has been transformed by an organisation
0:24:56 > 0:24:59that I've supported for a very long time.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And what they do is what this bridge is all about.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- Hi.- Hi, nice to see you.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Marguerite Bradley grew up on a Catholic estate in Derry.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15She knew nothing about her Protestant neighbours.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I went to Catholic schools and my friends were all Catholic.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25I had no interaction for any reason with Protestants.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27It's just the way I was brought up.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Then, aged 10, Marguerite was selected by a charity
0:25:32 > 0:25:36called Project Children to spend the summer in America.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39It's a simple but effective idea.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40They stay with a host family,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44mixing with people of a different Christian tradition.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47The journey there is also part of the process.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50It was just unbelievable.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53900 kids in a plane from both denominations
0:25:53 > 0:25:56and it didn't matter if you were Catholic or Protestant.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59We were all going to America to have a great summer
0:25:59 > 0:26:02and that just changed my life, that one summer.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Do you think that your life would have gone the way it did,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09getting your degree, had it not been for Project Children?
0:26:09 > 0:26:10Definitely not.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Project Children, when my host family came into my life,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15they just inspired me so much.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22My dad was great but my host family just were so educational-wise
0:26:22 > 0:26:26and kept saying, "Get your degree, it'll teach you loads."
0:26:26 > 0:26:28- Did it give you confidence? - Definitely.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30They believed in me, that I could do it
0:26:30 > 0:26:34and then I ended up doing it and I needed that in life.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Do you think the work of Project Children helped the peace process?
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Definitely. It changes your whole outlook.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I went to college with friends that said,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44"Don't talk to them, they're Protestant."
0:26:44 > 0:26:46But they're just the same as us.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Like, go talk to them and see how they are.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53My whole opinion completely changed and we're just all the same, we're equal.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57- And you've kept those friendships from...? - I have friends from 20 years ago
0:26:57 > 0:27:00that I first went out with from Project Children.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02They're lifelong friends. I wouldn't part from them.
0:27:17 > 0:27:23# Christ be beside me
0:27:23 > 0:27:28# Christ be before me
0:27:28 > 0:27:33# Christ be behind me
0:27:33 > 0:27:38# King of my heart
0:27:40 > 0:27:45# Christ be within me
0:27:45 > 0:27:50# Christ be below me
0:27:50 > 0:27:55# Christ be above me
0:27:55 > 0:27:59# Never to part
0:28:08 > 0:28:14# Christ on my right hand
0:28:14 > 0:28:19# Christ on my left hand
0:28:19 > 0:28:24# Christ all around me
0:28:24 > 0:28:29# Shield in the strife
0:28:31 > 0:28:36# Christ in my sleeping
0:28:36 > 0:28:41# Christ in my sitting
0:28:41 > 0:28:46# Christ in my rising
0:28:46 > 0:28:50# Light of my life
0:28:57 > 0:29:02# Christ be in all hearts
0:29:02 > 0:29:07# Thinking about me
0:29:07 > 0:29:12# Christ be in all tongues
0:29:12 > 0:29:18# Telling of me
0:29:18 > 0:29:24# Christ be the vision
0:29:24 > 0:29:29# In eyes that see me
0:29:29 > 0:29:34# In ears that hear me
0:29:34 > 0:29:41# Christ ever be. #
0:29:47 > 0:29:50APPLAUSE
0:29:56 > 0:30:02Dana, I was wondering as I was sitting listening to that, whether that lovely Celtic prayer,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04through all the ups and downs of your life,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07actually remains, for you, your prayer for life?
0:30:07 > 0:30:12Well, it does, because I have a great affection for that prayer
0:30:12 > 0:30:15and for the melody, I love it and I find that really,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18it's the only way I can get through life, so yes, I love it.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Well, thank you for joining us tonight.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26And we finish with a hymn with which any singer can identify,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28O For A Thousand Tongues.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32Next week, Pam is in Salisbury where she encounters flower power
0:33:32 > 0:33:35on a spectacular scale and discovers the remarkable story
0:33:35 > 0:33:37of the church on the battlefield.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40There's glorious music from Hayley Westenra
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and favourite hymns from beautiful Salisbury Cathedral.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:34:01 > 0:34:04E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk