CLIFF RICHARD was given a civic reception by Killarney Town Council last night to say “congratulations” for 50 years of No 1 hits as the veteran singer and his band the Shadows selected Killarney’s events centre attached to the Gleneagle hotel as the launch of what is expected to be the last ever Shadows world tour.
It is 20 years since the band last performed together and 68-year-old Cliff Richard bounced in the door of the press reception in striped denim jacket and jeans, looking fit and tanned.
The tour ends in South Africa in March and band members Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Brian Bennetthad gathered in Killarney to practice ahead of their Saturday night global tour kick-off.
Cliff Richard, the first pop star to receive the OBE, signed the visitors’ book. He was also presented with the Killarney crest.
Cliff Richard told the reception at the Brehon Hotel that it was great for the Shadows to be in Killarney. They had chosen the town as an ideal place to start the tour after hearing about the INEC, which seats 2,000 people. He had never visited the town before, although he had been to Ireland a number of times.
“I think I have seen every place in the world. It is such a surprise to arrive here and discover a place as beautiful as this,” he said. He complemented the town on its cleanliness and also on the way it gave way to country lanes so quickly.
Cliff Richard had narrowly lost out in the Eurovision with his hit song Congratulations, acting town mayor Michael Courtney remarked.
"We'd like to congratulate you here today. It's a great honour to have you here," Cllr Courtney said. In reply Cliff Richard said he understood, although he could never prove it, that a Franco plot (he called him Castro) had deprived him of the title in 1968. First aired last year in a documentary, the allegation is that the dictator swung a number of votes which saw the Spanish entrant win the competition with the track La La La. Cliff had been favourite to win.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Cliff Richard and the Shadows dominated the British pop music scene,establishing their place in pop history.
They notched up 19 No 1 hits, including Living Doll, Travellin' Light, Please Don't Tease, Bachelor Boy, Wonderful Landand Apache, and starred together in the films Summer Holidayand The Young Ones.
- Cliff Richard and The Shadows play the INEC, Killarney this Saturday, September 19th, the O2, Dublin, on September 21st, and the Odyssey Arena, Belfast, on September 23rd.