Ireland's top country stars thrilled to gather for President Higgins' last garden party

Sunday World

2 days ago

It was the final summer garden party of his 14-year presidency.
In the final summer garden party of his 14-year presidency, Michael D Higgins chose this week's event in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin a tribute to the stars of the Irish country music scene.
And Sabina Higgins was determined to make it an unforgettable evening of entertainment, springing from her seat and encouraging the crowd to join her as she danced the night away like a teenager to the music of singers such as Claudia Buckley.
'I never thought a young country girl from Athenry in Co Galway would ever be up at the Áras to sing for the president,' Claudia tells Magazine+ .
Claudia Buckley with President Higgins and Sabina
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'It was an honour beyond all honours and something that I'll remember for the rest of my life. And the fact that Sabina got up and waved to the audience, 'C'mon, let's have some fun!'… that was so cool.
'I hadn't met President Higgins and Sabina before, so I didn't know what they were going to be like. I didn't know if they would just sit there and be stoical.
'But Sabina is some craic. She jumped up and soon had the floor packed with dancers, with herself in the middle of them. And she gave me the thumbs up. You could see that she was ready to party and she was having a ball.'
Among the new young stars of Irish country music, Claudia is a daughter of one of the genre's biggest entertainers Jimmy Buckley, who was watching from the audience with his wife, Clarice.
President Higgins and Sabina greets guests
'It was a very proud moment for Clarice and myself watching Claudia singing for President Higgins and Sabina. As a parent it doesn't get any better than that,' Jimmy says.
'This is my second visit to the Áras because he has hosted country music artists before and he has been so good to the Arts in general.
'For Michael D, as the president, to honour our sector of the music business is a wonderful honour. Not every president or head of state of a country would do that.
'He's a man of the people and he appreciates and understands our genre, and he pointed out the contribution our music has made to Ireland in general. He acknowledged that and it was a lovely thing to do.
'We will miss Michael D when he's gone. There is nothing you couldn't admire about the man. He's definitely our most popular president ever. I hope people will take the time to elect somebody of the same calibre.
Class is very hard to find if you compare him with statesmen from other places.'
The attendance included the Queen of Country Philomena Begley, known affectionately as Philly, who is an idol to the young generation of entertainers.
'Me and Philly sat for a while after the event and she threw her arms around me and said, 'I've never been so proud of someone,'' Claudia reveals.
President Higgins and Sabina with a guest
'And the biggest compliment she could have paid me was when she said, 'I see my younger self in you and I really think you are going to go far.' That just meant the world to me.
'Philly is from the same generation as President Higgins and you could see how much he admired her when they shared a big hug at the event.
'You could also see that he's a big fan of Brendan Shine as well and he was singing along when Brendan was performing. He knew all the words to Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down.'
Brendan Shine says that 'long before he became president, Michael D was a great supporter of our music. Maybe the higher echelons of music in Ireland might look down on the kind of thing we do, but not Michael D.
'He is someone who can see the value in what we do and I think that's a wonderful thing. He has the common touch and he understands and appreciates the culture that country music has brought to Ireland.
'I was very touched by his attitude. It's great that no matter what genre you're in, someone like the President of Ireland would give you a little bit of encouragement.'
Brendan performed at the country concert with his daughter, Emily. 'It was a great honour to sing for the president and to be on that stage and in those beautiful surroundings is something we'll carry to the grave with us,' he says.
'It was a great boost for all the artists — the younger ones and those that have gone before them.'
The attendance, which included Ben Dolan, the McDonald family, Foster & Allen, Trudi Lalor, Johnny Carroll, Mike Denver and Michael English, also featured live performances from Derek Ryan, Cliona Hagan, Patrick Feeney, Sean Keane and Sandy Kelly.
'To hear the President of Ireland mention your name and to know your name, even before you go on stage was a big thing in my head,' says Sandy, who has recorded with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson in her glittering career.
'Like I said on stage, he is my favourite president. He is so clued in to what we're doing and he values and respects us and that's huge for us coming from a president.
'Everyone, young and old, loves Michael D. My grandson Frank was with me and was so delighted when the president stopped for a photo with him. I absolutely adore Michael D, and the same with Sabina, and I will miss them terribly.'
President Higgins told how he got to know many of the bands as a student in Galway when he used to book them for gigs.
'I was president of the students' union in Galway back in 1965,' he recalled.
'One of the things the president could do was hire the band to play for the students in Seapoint in Salthill, so I got to know all of them.
'And meeting all those musicians was great and they said that time if you played Seapoint you were 'on the road'.
'Thankfully the music lasted longer than Seapoint.'