Today is the 26th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley and his diehard fans in Ireland do not intend to let the occasion pass unnoticed. "This is going to be a special one," says Mark Leen, otherwise known as Emerald Elvis. Mark, who says he has more than €60,000 worth of Elvis costumes, will be spending this evening performing to a crowd of between 200-300 at the Mallow Park Hotel in Cork.
Mark, who says he has more than €60,000 worth of Elvis costumes, will be spending this evening performing to a crowd of between 200-300 at the Mallow Park Hotel in Cork. He also played a two-hour show on Radio Kerry yesterday.
Mr John Herlihy, the station's programme director, says he is continually amazed at the demand for Elvis in the region.
"I think Elvis may be a largely rural thing. Whatever he was to people in urban areas, in rural areas he was something completely different, completely out of the ordinary. It just doesn't seem to dissolve at all, all year round."
Kevin Doyle is Elvis in The Elvis Presley Story at Dublin's Ambassador theatre every Friday and Saturday for the month of August. The anniversary will not be a spiritual event for him. "I would expect the tickets to sell out because of the night that's in it," he says. "There are guys, particularly in the US, who think they are Elvis - the second coming. I'd be a bit more tongue-in-cheek.
"In terms of age ranges, some younger people come to have a night out for a laugh at a fella in a suit. You also get older people who would have lived through it. What is great is that everyone comes away having had a good night."
Elvis's name is frequently used to raise money for worthwhile causes. One of the biggest of these, the mind-boggling 18-hour marathon that is the Elvis Presley charity Golf Classic, is taking place at the CityWest Complex in Saggart, Co Dublin, six days after the anniversary of his death. The aim is to raise €100,000 for charity.
Each of the holes on the golf course has been named after one of Elvis's 18 British No 1s, according to the event's organiser, Mr George Twamley of the Irish Elvis Presley Fan Club.
"The reason we picked the 22nd was because we couldn't get the 16th itself," he says. "A lot of our people come up from the country, so we often celebrate the anniversary at the weekend too.
"Usually, on the day itself I would maybe stay home, watch a few tapes and reminisce with friends," says Twamley, who helped set up the fan club nearly 20 years ago.
This year, however, will be different. The daughter of one of the founding members of the fan club, Ms Janet Mahony, is getting married. It is no coincidence that the dates coincide.
"They actually met on Elvis's anniversary about five years ago," said Mr Tom Mahony, father of the bride and life-long Elvis fan. "This is the big one for me - my daughter's wedding on Elvis's anniversary."