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The Irish Sun
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Next thing a cop car comes' – Red-faced Irish music icon reveals mortifying brush with law on way to history-making gig
SUPERSTAR singer Mary Black feared that she would be arrested when stopped by gardai for leaving a petrol station without paying for fuel. The No Frontiers icon had been keeping her head down to hide from crowds in 6 Mary Black revealed an embarrassing brush with the law Credit: Paul Bergen/Redferns 6 The singer feared she'd be arrested for leaving a petrol station without paying for fuel Credit: Independent NewsBut instead of avoiding recognition, red-faced Black ended up with a police escort to Semple Stadium after paying the bill. She told The Irish Sun's 'You know the people were all over the streets, and I had to keep my head down because everyone was looking at me, and he was in an old banjaxed car. 'He filled up with petrol while he was there, and I got whatever I needed. Read more in Showbiz Listen to Fields Of Dreams on 'He got his cigarettes and got back in the car, and we're driving back up and going slow because people were everywhere. The next thing, a cop car comes. 'What the hell's going on? He stops us. In our haste to get back into the car and back to the gig, we forgot to pay for the petrol. Holy God!' Black was convinced she would be arrested and miss the gig, which also featured Van Morrison, in the first of five events in the Co Tipperary town which would go down in Irish Did the Most read in the Irish Sun She told our podcast, right: 'He knew me the minute they looked into the car. He knew who I was, and I said: 'Oh, my God, I can't believe it'. 'He said, 'Come on, Mary, I'll drive you up to the stadium'. GARDA ESCORT 'Pat paid for the petrol, and he brought us right in, so we didn't have to go through all the crowds. There was a kind of escort, and everyone had to move over.' Black was never one who seemed to enjoy the major star treatment, unlike Van — whose unwillingness to share his space with fellow artists opened him up to criticism. Tom Dunne was there with his band Something Happens, who weren't allowed near the Days Like This crooner at breakfast time. 'STAR QUALITY' Tom said: 'I think he got the backstage closed down when he went into it. We all had to stay in our dressing rooms. We were all staying in the same hotel. We saw him coming down for breakfast. 'I felt he wanted to emanate that star quality. He wanted everyone to know there's a star in the building.' But the Saw Doctors were having none of it. The Galway band became legends at the Tipperary event, and found time for some fun off-stage. 'COULDN'T HELP THEMSELVES' Tom said: 'Van Morrison was a guy you didn't walk up to. 'We had the backstage area, and then we had a tunnel going out to the pitch, and he insisted every time that the tunnel would be cleared, and that absolutely no one would be in the tunnel, and of course, the Saw Doctors couldn't help themselves. 'They decided to disturb it, so they jumped out in front of them, and that didn't go down too well.' 'What the hell's going on? He stops us. In our haste to get back into the car and back to the gig, we forgot to pay for the petrol. Holy God!' Mary Black Episode Six of Fields of Dreams tells the inside story of the Trip to Tipp, the event which made a summer festival a must-have event and changed the rules forever. MADE IT HAPPEN Local TD Michael Lowry was the man who made the event happen, in order to pay off stadium debt racked up for the 1984 centenary All-Ireland final. It was a chance for up to 90,000 mainly young people to get away and let loose for a weekend before it moved to Cork's Pairc Ui Chaoimh in 1995 and then eventually wound up. By 1993, though, it was being billed as bigger than Glastonbury — attracting the same headliners as the English event. Among them were Rage Against the Machine, and The Stunning's Steve Wall — who ended up headlining in 1992 when Bryan Adams asked to leave early — was blown away, especially by frontman Zack de la Rocha. 'KIDS WERE IN A FRENZY' He explained: 'I watched from the side of the stage and I never saw anything like Zack. 'He could have told the audience at any point, 'Tear up the place!' because these kids were in a frenzy. 'The energy was unbelievable. It was amazing, and it was so energetic that there was a cloud over the crowd, a cloud of condensation. 'You know at the end of the Grand National, and you see the steam rising off the horses? 'I don't know how many tens of thousands going crazy and moshing and jumping up and down. I'll never forget it. The sight of it. It was fantastic.' 'We had the backstage area, and then we had a tunnel going out to the pitch, and he insisted every time that the tunnel would be cleared, and that absolutely no one would be in the tunnel, and of course, the Saw Doctors couldn't help themselves." Tom Dunne Dunne insists the Feile gigs were the benchmark. He said: 'That whole idea was forming around Thurles and you can see the kind of development after that, from Witness to Oxygen to Electric Picnic. And you know this idea that that's the norm. You see the best bands of the day and food is great, and you can camp, and it's all safe and good. 'Well, you really say it all starts with Macroom. I think Macroom is the first modern festival in Ireland. 'But it really starts to get a form about it around Feile.' The first six episodes of Fields Of Dreams are available on 6 The Saw Doctors became legends at the Tipperary event Credit: Steve Gullick 6 Steve Wall ended up headlining in 1992 when Bryan Adams asked to leave early Credit: Dave Mitchell/Avalon/Getty Images 6 Tom Dunne said Van Morrison was a guy you didn't walk up to Credit:6 By 1993, Feile was attracting the likes of Rage Against The Machine Credit:


The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
People lose their minds when they meet my icon mum – going on tour was run of the mill & only my brother has normal job
RÓISÍN O has revealed how people still 'lose their sh*t' when they bump into her iconic mum Mary Black – including Vogue Williams who went weak at the knees for her hero. The singer-songwriter enjoyed a more unusual upbringing than most, under the watchful eye of the No Frontiers vocalist who has for decades been one of Ireland's 5 Róisín O lifted the lid on life as the daughter of a famous mum Credit: Gary Ashe 5 Singer Mary Black boasts a legendary decades-long career Credit: Getty 5 The Irish Sun's new podcast is available now Credit: The Irish Sun The sensational response to Mary's 'Backstage there was this massive long marquee tent for all the dressing rooms and across from us was My Therapist Ghosted Me's "I'm such a huge fan of the READ MORE IN SHOWBIZ Listen to Fields Of Dreams on from July 3 "And Vogue came over, she's so lovely. 'It was like my first time meeting her and she'd come in to say hello to the lads. "Like, she obviously saw the Coronas on the door. 'And then she saw my mam, she was like, 'Oh my God. Oh my God, holy sh*t. I'm sorry, I have to go get my sister'. Most read in The Irish Sun "Like, ran out of the room and brought her sister back and the two of them just absolutely fangirling over my mam. 'They didn't even say hello to the lads. It was the funniest thing ever. 'HUGE FANS' "They're actually huge fans. They really love my mam. "And Vogue and my mam and dad ended up hanging out the whole night, it was so funny.' She went on: 'And then obviously when mam came on stage that night at Electric Picnic the crowd just lost their minds. 'I've felt a lot of women and men, but particularly my age now, in their mid-to-late 30s, who grew up listening to Mary Black in the back of the car, on the CD player, whole albums that they know off by heart. "And when they were kids it was uncool. 'But now they're in their 30s and they're like, 'I love LIFE ON TOUR Róisín is the voice of the Irish Sun's new podcast, It is the ten-episode story of the musicians' astonishing successes and failures as the country opened up to become a live-entertainment powerhouse. Róisín is no stranger to being taken from festival to So much so that as a kid, it became run of the mill. 'CRAZY STUFF' Róisín said: 'Being on tour with my mum, a lot of the time we'd be on a tour bus. "And they'd all go in for soundcheck and I'd get to stay on the bus and watch all the VCR tapes. 'Like of old movies and all, that I just absolutely loved doing that. And I think coming from Ireland, seeing mam's reaction then. "She was doing crazy stuff like Five Nights At 'BEST THING EVER' 'She has the most crazy stories of being at festivals with Mary, 70, has opened up about the difficulties of touring while she had three young She had a three week rule, but it was long enough to put her youngest out. "And Vogue and my mam and dad ended up hanging out the whole night, it was so funny.' Róisín O Róisín explained: 'I was on the "So she came "But then she had to go again for another two weeks. 'And I was so devastated at the end of the week like, 'You're going back? I thought you were home?' 'Those parts were hard. But then she took me everywhere with her, like when she was on that MAGICAL CHILDHOOD "It had a pool and we went to 'I was all over the world as a kid with her, which was really magical. "But yeah, the pros and cons to it, we definitely missed her.' As the siblings grew older, their mother's fame was a bit mortifying. Róisín said: 'When I was really young, say if we were on 'And that stopped abruptly, I'd say about ten or 11 to the point where I would lie. (If I was asked) what does your mum do, I'd reply 'Nothing. Just a stay-at-home mum'. "And then I got into my 20s and I sort of became a mix of the two.' SOLO CAREER Róisín has her own solo career as well as performing with the Coronas, and has mixed emotions about being in Mary Black's shadow. She said: 'Sometimes it's hard. Obviously, Danny is the same. 'We want people to come to hear our music and it's hard when people are like, 'I'm not going to listen to that, that's Mary Black's daughter'. So they just judge it before they hear it. 'But at the same time, I definitely have fans who heard I was Mary Black's daughter and were like, 'I'm going to go listen to her'. LABOUR OF LOVE MUM-to-be Róisín O is going up against Robbie Williams in a bid to put on one last performance before her baby is due. The Heart and Bones singer goes head to head with the former Take That man when he plays Croke Park on August 23, while she's on stage at Whelan's on the same day. But with her baby on the way in October, she said: 'I wouldn't usually do a gig in the summer. 'But I'm pregnant so I need to get this gig in before this baby arrives, before I can't move around on stage anymore. "So Whelan's will be the only gig you'll see me at with 'Bump' on stage. 'So it will definitely be a night to remember. I'm really looking forward to it. "I was thinking about not gigging and that was driving me crazy. I really want to get some shows in before baby arrives.' But there won't be any major break for the star who plans to be back in action for the Christmas period. She said: 'December is the busiest for musicians. I have a load of shows that I could miss but I don't want to. It's the best time of year for gigging. 'I'll probably take about ten weeks off before I get back to work.' "So for me, it doesn't really matter why people have started to listen as long as they like it then I've won them over in my own merit. "I don't really don't care. I'm so proud of her as well. She does have this unbelievable career.' And as for working with her brother's band? 'I LOVE IT' Róisín said: 'I love it. I'm there as a session musician. I do backing vocals and I play keys. 'I know all the boys. I've grown up with them. We have the best craic on tour. It's really not work. 'It's dangerous how much I love it because in a way it stops me from sometimes doing my own gigs but it's worth it.' The first two episodes of Fields Of Dreams are available wherever you get your podcasts from July 3 5 Mary's kids Danny and Roisin have followed in her musical footsteps Credit: Journalist Collects 5 Roisin said podcaster Vogue Williams is a huge fan of her mum Mary Credit: Journalist Collects

CBC
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
'Today feels so empowering': Ceremony at The Forks celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day
Social Sharing Lori Bateman has woven her path to healing one bead at a time after the death of her son three years ago. But with every beadwork piece she has created since, there has also been an opportunity for her to reconnect with her First Nations identity. "This is a whole learning curve for me," said Bateman, who is from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, in Treaty 1 territory on the west side of Lake Manitoba. "It all has to do with my culture." Bateman joined others at The Forks in Winnipeg on Saturday to celebrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit culture during National Indigenous Peoples Day. "It means a lot to our people," Bateman said. "It's a great day for us." She set up a stand with her beadwork at The Forks — a national historic site where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet that was an Indigenous meeting place for thousands of years before colonization, and which was among the many locations that hosted Indigenous Peoples Day events Saturday. Standing in front of a glowing fire, Mary Black held her drum up to the sky and began playing and singing in front of a group of people who came to celebrate at The Forks. "Today feels so empowering," said Black, from Wanipigow (also known as Hollow Water First Nation), on Treaty 5 territory in eastern Manitoba. "The thrill, the ecstasy of drumming is something that will never leave you," Black said. "It's almost like connecting with that heartbeat of Mother Earth." The annual celebration is a testament to the strength First Nations, Métis and Inuit have shown throughout generations to keep their traditions alive, Black said, even when institutions like Canada's residential school system tried to strip their language and identity from them. "The fact that we even have the opportunity to do this today is miraculous," she said. National Indigenous Peoples Day has been officially observed every June 21 in Canada since 1996, coinciding with the summer solstice — a significant time in many Indigenous cultures. Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike joined in the celebration at The Forks Saturday, a display of unity Black said she was happy to see. "Seeing our relatives that live on treaty land but may not be Indigenous … feeling welcome enough to come into the circle and make their offerings is absolutely beautiful," she said. Premier Wab Kinew acknowledged the strength and resilience of Indigenous people in a statement on Saturday, thanking First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders who have come together to help during an "unprecedented wildfire season" that has forced thousands of people, many from First Nations communities, out of their homes.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Millikin University pens partnership with Heartland Community College
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Two Central Illinois colleges are partnering up to allow an automatic pathway to get a bachelor's degree. Millikin University and Heartland Community College announced a partnership Wednesday. With the partnership, most graduates from Heartland will be able to enroll full time to complete a bachelor's degree at Millikin University. Decatur lawmaker urges Trump to relocate USDA from D.C. to the Midwest 'This partnership with Heartland Community College reflects Millikin's continued commitment to providing accessible, high-quality education for students across Illinois,' said Millikin Acting President Mary Black. 'By offering Heartland graduates a clear path to a Millikin degree and a seamless transfer experience, we're empowering students to reach their academic and professional goals with greater ease and confidence. We look forward to welcoming these talented students into our campus community.' Students need at least a 2.0 culmulative GPA in order to qualify. All University Studies requirements will be completed with the program. Millikin officials said around 40 programs can be completed by students in two years after the completion of an AA, AS or other relevant coursework from Heartland. 'This partnership minimizes credit loss, smooths out the transfer process, and helps keep college affordable for students seeking to continue their education at a premier university,' said Dr. Keith Cornille, President of Heartland Community College. 'We are continually looking to build upon the relationships we have to improve the transfer process for our students. We are fortunate to have university partners like Millikin who share our goal of moving students toward their academic and career goals.' Forsyth Park hosting inaugural Officer Chris Oberheim Baseball Memorial Tournament Additionally, any graduate of the Heartland Honors Program will get accepted into the James Millikin Honors Program. Graduates from Heartland Community College will also be able to receive financial aid with the Millikin Tuition Promise and Big Blue Pledge: Illinois Free Tuition Programs to partially and fully cover the cost of tuition. More information on program and course articulation can be found on Millikin's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Millikin University, Illinois Central College streamline transfer process
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Millikin University and Illinois Central College (ICC) are teaming up to provide a seamless transfer experience, making it easier for students to complete their four-year degree. The two institutions have a new partnership in which ICC graduates will automatically be accepted into Millikin, allowing them to complete their bachelor's degree in two years. The agreement will begin in the 2025-2026 school year. Three displaced by apartment fire in Decatur Millikin said that to qualify for the automatic transfer, ICC students must have completed an Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), Associate in Fine Arts (AFA), Associate in Engineering Science (AES) or Associate in Applied Science (AAS) with a 2.0 cumulative GPA. 'This partnership with Illinois Central College creates a straightforward and accessible route for students to continue their education at Millikin University,' Millikin University Provost Mary Black said. 'By streamlining the often-complicated transfer process, ICC students can transition smoothly while also taking advantage of Millikin's distinctive opportunities, such as Performance Learning and exceptional graduate programs.' ICC transfer students can complete the following programs in two years at Millikin: Millikin University welcomes 17th President Accounting Agribusiness Applied Statistics Chemistry Computer Science Digital Marketing History Nursing (requires three semesters at ICC and five semesters at Millikin) Political Science A full list of programs can be found on Millikin's website. 'Illinois Central College is committed to providing students with clear and seamless pathways to further their education and achieve their goals. This partnership with Millikin University creates valuable opportunities for our students to continue their academic journey with confidence,' ICC President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey said. 'We appreciate Millikin's commitment to supporting transfer students and look forward to seeing our graduates thrive as they take their next steps.' Students who have met the requirements of the ICC Honors Program will also receive automatic acceptance into the James Millikin Honors Scholars Program. ICC transfer students will also qualify for scholarships like Millikin Tuition Promise and Big Blue Pledge: Illinois Free Tuition Program. For more information on the programs available for ICC transfer students, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.