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The Sri Lankan love affair with country music and Irish singers manifested itself in recent days with the visit of Daniel O’Donnell to Colombo.
The red carpet was rolled out at a rooftop reception in his honour on a skyscraper 30 floors up and a government minister was among the fans greeting the Irish crooner who is now among the top attractions on this island country (formerly Ceylon) of over 20 million people.
Members of the Sri Lankan mounted police were pictured on the front page of the country’s national newspaper, The Daily News, welcoming Daniel in advance of his sold-out concert in the BMICH Arena in Colombo.
“The amazing thing about all this is that hardly any of those supporters are Irish or English but almost 100% of them are natives of Sri Lanka or India,” says Daniel. “The welcome was tremendous and they have a huge love for the kind of music we do. The warmth of the people is truly amazing and all our team had an exceptional time in Sri Lanka,” says Daniel.
This was his third time to perform in concert in Sri Lanka. Before he took to the stage in Colombo he was feted at the plush poolside restaurant Il Ponte by the Consul General for Ireland in Sri Lanka, Manik Pereira and his wife Louise, who are both fans of the Irish singer.
Galway journalist and radio host, Tom Gilmore, who attended the show in Colombo, said it was an amazing experience to see how Daniel connected with an audience all those thousands of miles from home.
“In the days leading up to the concert, fans had flown in from India, Bangladesh and Singapore as well as travelling from all over Sri Lanka to the capital for his concert.
I spoke to two of his female fans, one who had flown for over three hours from Goa in India and the other who flew over 10 hours from Brisbane
“In the streets of the capital and in the foyer of The Hilton Hotel where he and his band were staying, the fans were following Daniel for autographs and photographs and it was plain to see why he is now one of the most popular international singers in Sri Lanka.
“I spoke to two of his female fans, one who had flown for over three hours from Goa in India and the other who flew over 10 hours from Brisbane in Australia where she now lives to see him in Sri Lanka.
“Another fan who attended the rooftop red carpet reception for Daniel was the Sri Lankan minister of power, energy and business development, Ravi Karunanayake.”
Prior to making the journey to Sri Lanka for his big concert, Daniel and the band played 11 concert shows in Australia with the concluding one in Perth. While in Perth, Daniel was the guest of honour at the Australian launch of the book, Big Tom – The King of Irish Country – with the author Tom Gilmore also in attendance.
“It was a wonderful occasion and we were joined by so many who were delighted to share their memories of Big Tom with us during our visit,” says Tom. “Daniel also shared some memories and spoke about the cherished place Big Tom has in the hearts of Irish country followers at home and abroad.”
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