When Dolly Parton gave a rousing impromptu performance in an Irish pub
9 March 2021, 16:51 | Updated: 10 March 2021, 15:06
Dolly Parton was on holiday in Ireland in 1990 when the country superstar stunned locals by agreeing to perform her hit song 'Coat Of Many Colours' in a crowded pub.
Dolly Parton has once again proved why she'd got the reputation of being one of the most generous women in showbusiness.
The country singer – who in 2020 donated donated $1 million (£760,000) towards COVID-19 research – features in a resurfaced home video showing her making a fan's day when she was on holiday in Ireland in 1990.
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Dolly can be seen taking the microphone and introducing herself, while turning to speak a guitarist called Steve who had asked her to sing with him.
"Hello and welcome to Ireland!" the star says, laughing. "My name is Dolly and i'm here on vacation. I had not planned to sing tonight, I was going to be entertained, but he says [turning to guitarist] he knows my song 'Coat of Many Colours' and he asked if I would sing it, and I thank all of you for having me and for all the fans."
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"We don't know how this is going to sound because this is a first for both of us," she continues, "but this is a song I wrote and it's a true story from my own life and i'm sure a lot of you folks can relate to it.
"So I hope we do ok. You're Steve right?" she says to the guitarist, "and you're...?" she asks another musician off camera.
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"Seamus," he replies. A baffled Dolly then struggles to repeat his name as the crowd laugh.
The star then launches into a beautiful rendition of her 1971 hit 'Coat of Many Colours', a story inspired by Dolly's childhood.
Watch the video Dolly Parton singing in an Irish pub from 5:30 minutes below:
Dolly Parton in Paídi Ó Sé's Pub
As the star performs the heartfelt song, she turns and sings a few lines with the guitarist Steve, who is overwhelmed by the moment and places a hand on his heart and looks up to the sky in thanks.
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The song tells the tale of how Parton's mother stitched a coat for her Dolly out of rags, and as she made the garment she told her daughter the bible story of Joseph and his technicolour coat.
An excited Dolly, "with patches on my britches and holes in both my shoes", rushed excitedly to school, "just to find the others laughing and making fun of me" for wearing a coat made of old rags.
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Commentators on YouTube took to the video to sing Dolly's praises and were stunned at her generosity of agreeing to sing while she was on holiday.
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"Imagine a person being on vacation and being asked, 'Hey, can you come in and do some work today?', and for that person to be smiling and happy and enjoys to do their work! What a fantastic moment to see captured on film!" one wrote.
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"She is a true rags to riches story and a American treasure," another said.
"I can't think of too many artists that would do that. She's something else. The girl from Pigeon Forge, is one of the nicest people in the world," another wrote.
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And one commentator summed up the whole video by adding: "No editing. No auto tune. Just old fashioned talent."
Dolly Parton Sings Jolene Live On TV In 1973
