0:00:02 > 0:00:04We all love childhood holidays, don't we?
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Fun in the sun, sandcastles, swimming in the sea -
0:00:07 > 0:00:09can't beat them.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14So, in this series, I'm going to be reliving those wonderful times
0:00:14 > 0:00:16with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Everyone a winner!
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Come on, hook a duck!
0:00:20 > 0:00:22And some of the most surprising guests
0:00:22 > 0:00:25have the most fascinating holidays.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- You could do a night here. - You could!- Yeah.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30However, I think that's long enough for me.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32THEY LAUGH
0:00:32 > 0:00:35We'll relive the fun... TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Oh, oh, oh!
0:00:37 > 0:00:38..the games... Oh!
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..and the food of years gone by...
0:00:41 > 0:00:45That is a little taste of childhood right there.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48..to find out how those holidays around the UK
0:00:48 > 0:00:52helped shape the people we know so well today.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54I'm giving you a standing ovation.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58So, buckle up for a Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59Can you come on all my holidays?
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Irish eyes are smiling today,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13as my holiday guest is a worldwide megastar,
0:01:13 > 0:01:14who has been wowing audiences
0:01:14 > 0:01:18with his velvety voice for over 30 years.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22# When Irish eyes are... # You know the rest.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29He was born in Donegal in 1961.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Oh, look at him in them shorts.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36He's got stardom written over both his kneecaps. Oh, yes!
0:01:37 > 0:01:40He released his first single in the early 1980s
0:01:40 > 0:01:44when you could wear a pullover like that! Do you know what? I like it!
0:01:44 > 0:01:47I think it would suit me.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51In 1992, he just wanted to "dance with you". Well, I tell you,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54if he wants to dance with ME, I'm going to lead.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Oh, yes, I'm the oldest!
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Have you got it yet? Of course you have.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Today's guest is the Irish superstar Daniel O'Donnell.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Oh, Danny boy!
0:02:07 > 0:02:10# Oh, Danny boy, the pipes... #
0:02:10 > 0:02:12I'm on my way to pick him up
0:02:12 > 0:02:16for a Holiday Of My Lifetime of a different kind.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Because today, we're headed to a beautiful, but remote, spot
0:02:20 > 0:02:23that no-one's actually lived in since the late '70s.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Full steam ahead, captain.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27BOAT ENGINE REVS
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Daniel O'Donnell grew up
0:02:35 > 0:02:38in the small seaside village of Kincasslagh,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42with a population of around 40 people.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Among them were his four brothers and sisters,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48his dad, Francis, who passed away when Daniel was six,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53and his mum, Julia, who had to raise her five children on her own.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Now, believe it or not, Daniel released his first single,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00My Donegal Shore, back in 1983,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03which he paid for and even sold himself.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08Since then, he's not only gone on to sell more than 10 million albums,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12he's also had an impressive 16 Top 40 singles
0:03:12 > 0:03:14and become the first singer
0:03:14 > 0:03:19to have an album in the British charts 25 years in a row.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22All that, and the ladies absolutely love him!
0:03:22 > 0:03:25But sorry, girls, today, he's all mine,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and thanks to Captain Dan and Darcy here,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32I'm collecting Mr O'Donnell from the shores of his childhood home.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36- Daniel.- Hi, there. Welcome, welcome to Kincasslagh.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38- How are you doing, sir?- I'm great.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42- How good of you to come and visit us here.- No. Watch out.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- Look I'm being helped out of a boat by one of my heroes.- Why not?
0:03:46 > 0:03:51- Thank you.- Really good to see you. - I'm starstruck, honestly.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- Well, how do you think- I- am? - No! No, it's all one way!
0:03:55 > 0:03:57So, we've got the boat. Where are we off to?
0:03:57 > 0:04:01We're going to visit two islands - Owey Island
0:04:01 > 0:04:04and Arranmore Island, just off the coast.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09- Yes, take us back a bit in time. - Are they buzzy, plenty going on?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Well, Owey Island has nobody living on it permanently.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15That's where my mother came from, my grandparents.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19But Arranmore Island is quite a happening island,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21a lot of people living there.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- Well, you know I am a sort of happening sort of guy.- Well..
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I live in the fast lane.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Well, we'll have to make it as fast as we can today.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- What's the year that we're going back to?- We're going back to 1968.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38That's when the film Yellow Submarine came out. Oh, yes!
0:04:38 > 0:04:42And while that also would have been the perfect transport for us,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46back in the day, the family would have rowed the three miles
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- to Owey island on this wee thing. Blimey!- It's called a curragh.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53So, what do you do? Just sit on the floor?
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Yeah, but sit up the front and they have the paddle
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and they do it this way.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03'Well, much as I like to recreate the original holiday experience,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06'you'd have to be Steve Redgrave to get across the water in that.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10'So, instead, I've done what every other tourist has to do -
0:05:10 > 0:05:13'hire a professional.' We've got this gorgeous launch.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- I'm going to call it a launch. - We're going to travel in style.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- Travel in style, indeed. - Nothing but the best.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22'Oh, yes, indeedy!'
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Casting off from Kincasslagh in the northwest of Donegal,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29we're heading to Owey and Arranmore,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31two of the county's eight main islands,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33which about three centuries back,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37used to be under the control of a certain O'Donnell clan.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42So, fittingly, Daniel and I are going to relive
0:05:42 > 0:05:45some of his earliest memories of those places.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Every holiday begins with a journey and, apparently, even in 1968,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00getting to Owey Island was an absolute Daniel O'Doddle!
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Every house on the island had a special spot on the mainland,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08so we would go and stand in my uncle's spot
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and they would know that there was somebody coming to visit them,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15- so they would get into their curragh and come out and pick us up.- Right.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18And every house was the same and they all knew...
0:06:18 > 0:06:22You know, if somebody saw a person on my uncle's "mark",
0:06:22 > 0:06:25as they called it, they would go to the house and say,
0:06:25 > 0:06:26"There's somebody coming to visit you.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- "You need to go and pick them up." - Right.- Isn't that amazing?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32It's amazing, yeah. That would be the only way,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35cos there's no telephone or no other way of communicating.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38No, that was the only way to get the point across.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40And we would go out there then
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- and you would just be...as free as a bird.- Yeah.- It was fantastic.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47And having your grandmother there too.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52My grandmother lived to be 93 and in the end, she came to live with us.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56But on her 90th birthday, she donned her wellington boots and walked down
0:06:56 > 0:07:00and got into the curragh and went to the island on her 90th birthday.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- Oh, fantastic!- Yeah.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03But island life, for Daniel,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07wasn't just about the freedom or visiting his dear old granny.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10It was also about the music.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14I can remember sitting on the steps of the school,
0:07:14 > 0:07:19listening to people singing, which was... It's a memory I have...
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I remember one guy singing Peggy Gordon,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- if you know Peggy Gordon. - I'm not sure I do.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26# Oh, Peggy Gordon
0:07:26 > 0:07:30# You are my darling
0:07:30 > 0:07:35# Come sit ye down upon my knee... #
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- It's a lovely old ballad.- I love...
0:07:37 > 0:07:41- I love Percy French. - Oh, yes, great songs.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- All those Percy French songs were... - # Oh, Mary...
0:07:45 > 0:07:49# This London's a wonderful sight
0:07:49 > 0:07:52# With the people here working
0:07:52 > 0:07:55# By day and by night
0:07:55 > 0:07:58# They don't sow potatoes
0:07:58 > 0:08:01# Nor barley nor wheat
0:08:01 > 0:08:04# But there's gangs of them digging
0:08:04 > 0:08:08# For gold in the street. #
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Thank you! Yes, I'm here all week.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Now, while Daniel was being inspired by the locals on Owey,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17here's what else was going on in the world, back in 1968.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24It was the year we saw the arrival of the MK1 Ford Escort,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29an absolute classic, which sold in record numbers - two million plus!
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Also making their first appearance in Britain, decimal coins,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37confusing many a shopper
0:08:37 > 0:08:42and even requiring some retail giants to retrain their staff.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Meanwhile, the notorious Kray twins were finally arrested for murder,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49after what had been a successful run
0:08:49 > 0:08:52of assaults, arson and armed robbery.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Debuting on the box, the fabulous Dad's Army,
0:08:55 > 0:09:01which gave its 18 million fans the unforgettable catchphrases,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04"You stupid boy" and "They don't like it up 'em!"
0:09:06 > 0:09:10As for music, well, does this ring a bell?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14# Jesus loves you more than you will know
0:09:15 > 0:09:17# Whoa, whoa, whoa
0:09:17 > 0:09:21# God bless you Please, Mrs Robinson... #
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Oh, yes, Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs Robinson,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28which topped the American chart, reached number four on ours
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and went on to win two Grammys.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Of course, 1968 was also the first time
0:09:33 > 0:09:37a young Daniel O'Donnell got to spend a summer
0:09:37 > 0:09:40on the rugged beautiful Owey Island.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- This is exciting, Daniel. - Absolutely.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44Can you manage?
0:09:44 > 0:09:47I tell you, what a place!
0:09:47 > 0:09:50# As the raindrops are falling
0:09:50 > 0:09:53# I can hear your voice calling... #
0:09:55 > 0:09:58So, there you are. You're a wee nipper,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01six or seven or whatever, over you come.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03It must have been so exciting
0:10:03 > 0:10:07- cos you had the free run of the whole island.- Absolutely.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11And then your grandparents are just... You can do no wrong.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14So, I was just a wee lad coming
0:10:14 > 0:10:18and she would have the arms open wide to greet you
0:10:18 > 0:10:23and you were just free, as you say, to do whatever.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26And there was another few more young children my age,
0:10:26 > 0:10:32so we just ran wild and we went a way out that road out there
0:10:32 > 0:10:34and you'd maybe be looking after cows
0:10:34 > 0:10:39- or playing, you know, cowboys and Indians...- Yeah.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44It was ideal, really, I suppose, when you look back.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Yeah, it was quite a place.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51- I suppose, as a child, everyone knew everyone.- Oh, everybody.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55And as a kid, you could run into anyone's house..
0:10:55 > 0:10:57In fact, you were related to most of them.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59I think there was only two families on the island
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- that we weren't related to. - So, this was your island!
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Everybody was related here.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Back then, Owey had a small tightknit community,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09though, by the mid-'70s,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12the last of the islanders had moved to the mainland.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15You know, coming here,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19I can't imagine anyone who was brought up here wanting to move.
0:11:19 > 0:11:25I know. You know, it broke their heart and when the last people left,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28they left their houses with everything intact -
0:11:28 > 0:11:33the dressers with...the tea sets, their cookers, their beds,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37everything was left. In their head, they were always coming back.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40And it was really a necessity for them to move
0:11:40 > 0:11:44cos the younger people emigrated, saw an easier life on the mainland,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48or wherever they might have gone to, and seen the difficulty
0:11:48 > 0:11:51of living on an island with no electricity, no running water.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- Yeah.- It was just...
0:11:53 > 0:11:57It was no harder than it was 50 years before,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- but the mainland had got easier. - Yeah.- And that's what happened.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03The older people then couldn't survive
0:12:03 > 0:12:07and this, my grandmother's house and my uncle's,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09they left about, probably, '73.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14And the last people left for good about 1977.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17While the island remained uninhabited, these days,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21many of the cottages have been restored and used as holiday homes -
0:12:21 > 0:12:25among them, the one that used to belong to Daniel's gran,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27which is still in the family.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Look at what they were looking out at here. Isn't it just lovely?
0:12:30 > 0:12:35- It's just... Well, everywhere you go, you see fantastic views.- Yeah.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41- So, here we are, Len. - Oh, this is lovely.- Isn't it lovely?
0:12:41 > 0:12:44It's better than that. It's beautiful. And the open fire.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48The big fire, yeah. That fire... When we were children,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52there was a big crook on it and the pot and the kettle would hang
0:12:52 > 0:12:56and then, when the kettle would boil, they'd pull it out a bit
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- and it would be always warm, ready for the tea.- Yeah.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03These days, you'd probably call this a one-bedroom plus study,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07but back in the summer of '68, Daniel's gran was making space
0:13:07 > 0:13:11for up to three adults and five kiddywinkles! Blimey!
0:13:11 > 0:13:14This was the bedroom here, these two beds,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and that's recreated as it was.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Of course, it's not the original beds,
0:13:20 > 0:13:21but that's what they were like.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23I remember I used to sleep in this bed
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and all the boys must have slept there.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31- Usually, the two boys and two girls and I would be in here, too.- Yeah.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36- And your grandmother would...- Granny was in the bed beside the kitchen
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and Uncle James and Peggy were in the bottom room.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41But this was a big house.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Some of the houses were a lot smaller than this.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Daniel, I've got to ask something. It's a bit of a concern to me.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- Where's the toilet?- There was no...
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Well, there's a toilet outside but at night-time,
0:13:55 > 0:14:00there was a chamber pot or a "shoveunder", they called it here.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- Shoveunder, yeah. - Did you call it that?
0:14:02 > 0:14:05No, we called it a "gazunder". "Gaz under" the bed.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08And you'd pull that out and it's funny, I can remember one night,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12as a wee boy, in the middle of the floor, but my aim wasn't the best...
0:14:12 > 0:14:15You peed on the floor.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18That wasn't the only hardship back in them days.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22No bathroom, no electricity, no telly - hey, no thanks!
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- What was the entertainment? - The entertainment was...
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Well, you'd go from house to house.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Some houses there was cards played,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33- other houses they'd tell ghost stories.- Oh, no.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38And there'd be singsongs too. But card playing was a big part of it.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- Yeah.- And then listening to the older people
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- talk about years ago.- Yeah.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Food is a big part of any holiday.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52In Daniel's case, all the hard work was done by his gran
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and the favourite dish was crab toes and dulse -
0:14:55 > 0:14:57something I know as seaweed.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00This is just to die for.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03What we used to do is just put it in on the fire...
0:15:05 > 0:15:08..and get them to roast up.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15We used to do this with crumpets as a child, but never with a crab toe!
0:15:15 > 0:15:19'Still, nothing quite beats a local delicacy.'
0:15:19 > 0:15:22May I have mine medium rare?
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Yes, you could have it medium rare and you could have it well done.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30It just will be sort of the luck of the draw.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- Can you smell it, Len? - Can I smell it?!
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- Look at that coming out of there now.- Yep.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Oh, look. Shall we go in the garden? - I think we will.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- We'll let them cool down a wee bit before we have them.- Yeah.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46'And just like that, we've got crab toe and dulse for two
0:15:46 > 0:15:50'and we're going alfresco.' Oh, this is heaven!
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Wonderful island, marvellous views, out in the sunshine,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57eating crab toes.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I hope there's no seaweed lurking about... Ssh...
0:16:02 > 0:16:06'Mind you, when in Rome...or even Owey!' Is this dulse?
0:16:06 > 0:16:09That's the dulse, but you said you didn't really like dulse.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Well, I wasn't a fan, but I'm prepared...
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- I think it's an acquired taste. - Well...
0:16:17 > 0:16:18Mmm.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23- It just tastes of salt.- Mmm. - Very salty.- Lots of salt.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28'And while that's an acquired taste I'm not really acquiring,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- 'I can't wait for the main event.' - Have a go with that, Len.- I will.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- How are they tasting? - They taste fantastic!
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- Isn't that gorgeous? - It's better than gorgeous.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43If this was in Gordon Ramsay's kitchen or Jamie Oliver,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- there'd be a price tag on it that you could nearly not afford.- Yeah.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51And here we are, sitting out in the wide, open space,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- overlooking the bay. - Oh, this is heaven.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- Doesn't it taste lovely?- Oh!
0:16:58 > 0:17:01And would this be, like, on a special occasion,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05- this sort of thing?- No, these would be just at the drop of a hat.- Yeah.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10You'd nearly take this for granted years ago.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12What was it like growing up in Ireland...
0:17:14 > 0:17:16..in, really, a small village?
0:17:18 > 0:17:22I suppose the nicest thing about it was the interaction with everybody.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- Mmm.- Everybody knew everybody, everybody's door was open...
0:17:28 > 0:17:29..so you were never on your own.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34And especially when there was some kind of tragedy -
0:17:34 > 0:17:38or in our case, it was when my father died -
0:17:38 > 0:17:41to see people rally around
0:17:41 > 0:17:47and almost lift those in need up, it was quite incredible.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52# There's a moon over Ireland
0:17:52 > 0:17:56# Comes in from the sea... #
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Let me say, your voice is a bit like here.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04- It's got a gentleness about it and a warmth.- Ah, thank you.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And I think that's like the community that you came from.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Well, I always loved singing. It was always there.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13When did you first find out that you...?
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- I can't remember not singing... - Really?- ..as the smallest child.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Yeah, but nor can I, but I didn't turn out like you.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23I sang from when I was little.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I used to stand in - not when the fire was on -
0:18:26 > 0:18:29but I'd stand in the fireplace
0:18:29 > 0:18:33and I'd do one of the Beverley Sisters' numbers
0:18:33 > 0:18:38or Frankie Laine, I Believe, one of those, and I'd...
0:18:38 > 0:18:43- Give it all.- ..give it my all, but I never turned out...- Yeah.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46You've got the most lyrical voice.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50I really have been blessed, I suppose, to have whatever talent
0:18:50 > 0:18:53that I was given and been able to...
0:18:53 > 0:18:57to be able to use it in the way that I did.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01I never thought, when I was growing up,
0:19:01 > 0:19:06that I would travel to so many places and get to do so many things.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'Mind you, I'm betting none of that quite compares
0:19:10 > 0:19:12'to the pleasure of sitting here,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15'crab toe in hand and eyeballing the view.'
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Shouldn't we have a glass of chilled white wine?
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Yeah, didn't we leave that? But we were going back to '68
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- and there was no chilled white wine then.- No, you're right.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- And if there was wine, it certainly wouldn't be chilled.- No.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Back in the day, the residents of Arranmore paid rent
0:19:35 > 0:19:39in the form of potatoes. But in the mid-1800s,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42two events greatly affected the island's fortunes.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45The first was the potato famine,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48and the second was the arrival of landowner Charles Beck
0:19:48 > 0:19:50in the mid-1800s.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55He wanted the land, so he could put more sheep grazing on it.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00He decided to evict 168 people from the island in one day.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03They named it emigration subsistence
0:20:03 > 0:20:07but it was actually just a fancy word for eviction.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Many of his former tenants ended up emigrating
0:20:10 > 0:20:13to a place called Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15There is still a connection today,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18as Beaver Island is twinned with Arranmore.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22The only condition was that you cleared the land of all the trees,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25so the fishing was good and they were logging
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and they sent word back to their families
0:20:27 > 0:20:29and they sent money back home to Arranmore
0:20:29 > 0:20:33and, eventually, up to 200 families settled on Beaver Island.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37# As I sit here sadly thinking how... #
0:20:37 > 0:20:42But nearly a century and a half later, this story came full circle.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48In the year 2000, Arranmore Island twinned with Beaver Island,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52so a lot of their ancestors came back that were evicted here in 1853,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54came back to the island for the first time.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Not only were they greeted by hundreds of people,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00all singing and cheering,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03the locals also built this memorial to mark the occasion.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06As for me and Daniel, we're off to see
0:21:06 > 0:21:08another of the island's landmarks.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11It was here, in Early's Bar, to be precise,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15that Daniel had his big break when his sister, Margo,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18a hugely successful country singer in her own right,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20brought her little brother to the pub.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- Hey, hey.- Well, this is memories.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28And the man we all have to thank is the owner, Andrew Early.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Margo was a very popular girl all over Ireland and Britain as well.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- Yeah.- And she happened to come into the bar that night
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and there was music on.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40So I said, when she came in the door,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I said, "Margo, I'd love you to sing a few songs."
0:21:42 > 0:21:44- "No problem."- Right.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And when the two songs were finished,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49"I have a wee brother here," she said,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52"I think he's a good singer as well. He would like to sing you a song."
0:21:52 > 0:21:54He sang two songs.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I can't remember if he went to the third,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00but I tell you one thing, I know he got a standing ovation.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- Yeah, I was a forward wee ten-year-old, there you are.- Yeah.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06And he's no stranger to the island.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09He's come into this bar for 28 years after.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Looking back, from when he was ten tears old,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15did you think then he was destined to be a star?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Oh, without a doubt. Without a doubt.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22- Ha-ha.- He says all the right things, doesn't he?
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Let me ask you one more thing.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29- Be honest with me.- I will.- Is he as nice as he seems?- Nicer again.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Oh!
0:22:31 > 0:22:37It seems to me that it would be amiss that you're back here,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42the place is set, there's a stage... Could you do a song?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- We'll pretend we're ten years old again.- Come on, then.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48We'll get no standing ovation today - there's nobody here!
0:22:48 > 0:22:53'And what better song to sing than one about Donegal?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'Though first, we need to get one thing straight.'
0:22:56 > 0:22:59You can do the voice and I'll be the good-looking backing singer.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Absolutely. Everybody needs a good-looking backing singer.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03That's me.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08# The lights of London
0:23:08 > 0:23:12# Are far behind
0:23:12 > 0:23:17# The thoughts of homeland
0:23:17 > 0:23:21# Are crowding my mind
0:23:21 > 0:23:26# Familiar places
0:23:26 > 0:23:30# Come into view
0:23:30 > 0:23:35# I see my home now
0:23:35 > 0:23:40# Soon I'll see you
0:23:40 > 0:23:45# This is my homeland
0:23:45 > 0:23:50# The place I was born in
0:23:50 > 0:23:55# No matter where I go
0:23:55 > 0:24:00# It's in my soul
0:24:00 > 0:24:05# My feet may wander
0:24:05 > 0:24:11# A thousand places
0:24:11 > 0:24:17# But my heart will lead me back home
0:24:17 > 0:24:23# To my Donegal. #
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I'm giving you a standing ovation.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27Without a doubt,
0:24:27 > 0:24:32Arranmore and Owey are two of the loveliest places I've ever seen,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34making it pretty clear why Daniel,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37after travelling and performing all over the world,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39always comes back to Donegal.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42There's always a part of me that never leaves
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and there's a completeness when I return.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I think the area, as we can see, the scenery,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- but I think, most of all, it's the people.- Yeah.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I think it's the people that bring me back.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56- Of course, you got honoured by the Queen.- That's right.- How was that?
0:24:56 > 0:25:00When I got the call, I realised that it was something
0:25:00 > 0:25:05that was requested by fans who have enjoyed the music through the years,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08writing to the Palace or to the government
0:25:08 > 0:25:10to see if I could be honoured.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14And I was so thrilled and it's such a great honour.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19We don't start out in life doing what you're doing
0:25:19 > 0:25:23or, in my case, singing, to get the honours.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26The singing is the joy.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31To get the opportunity to go out and perform and sing
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and have an audience that enjoys it - that's the real reward.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38# Oh, I know it's not right
0:25:38 > 0:25:42# Reminiscing tonight... #
0:25:42 > 0:25:43For more than 30 years now,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Daniel's been entertaining fans across the globe.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49But the nicest thing about his success
0:25:49 > 0:25:51is that he's never forgotten where he's from.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54# For the girl I dream of... #
0:25:54 > 0:25:59Being able to show you this area that I know,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- that's like a hidden gem...- Yes!
0:26:02 > 0:26:06How unspoilt it is, how close to what it was years ago.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09We have all the modern things that you could ever want,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13but yet, we've still held on to the past as well
0:26:13 > 0:26:16- and that's fantastic.- Yeah.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20'Daniel, sir, the pleasure's been all mine.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22'On this holiday, I think we've discovered
0:26:22 > 0:26:25'the real reason why Irish eyes are smiling.'
0:26:25 > 0:26:29I've had such a wonderful, wonderful time.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33I hope that you will remember my one day spent with you here.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36I'm certainly delighted you came.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I feel so privileged that you would take the time to come and see
0:26:39 > 0:26:44where we're from and see what I did when I was growing up here.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46It's fantastic.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Well, as we all get older, our memories fade
0:26:49 > 0:26:51and I don't want this day to fade, so...
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- ..here is a scrapbook... - Oh, for goodness' sake!
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- ..of our holiday together here. - Oh, thank you very much.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Like I always say,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08there's nothing like a few holiday snaps to put a smile on your face.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Though, naturally, that's not all I've picked up at the gift shop.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16I know we didn't come over on one of those little boats.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- What are they called? - The curraghs.- The curraghs.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And in a way, I would have wished we could have both squatted down and...
0:27:24 > 0:27:28- I don't know who would have done that.- No, not me! Ha-ha!
0:27:28 > 0:27:32But we didn't come across on one, so I've done the next best thing.
0:27:32 > 0:27:38- And my name on it.- The Daniel O'Donnell.- Oh, that's fantastic!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Look at that!
0:27:40 > 0:27:44- Perfectly formed.- Perfectly formed. - Oh, that's gorgeous!
0:27:44 > 0:27:48And let me just say, the hospitality you have shown
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and the people on both of the islands -
0:27:50 > 0:27:55the warmth and the welcome - has just been fantastic.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59- I've had such a great time. - We're just so glad you came
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and just delighted you were able to experience
0:28:01 > 0:28:04a little bit of what I remember as a child
0:28:04 > 0:28:07and what we have here today. Thank you so much.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- No, it's been my pleasure. - Oh, the pleasure's been mine.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- It's been lovely having you here. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18'And so, as we sail off into the sunset, it's tatty-bye to Donegal.'