Derry Eurovision winner Dana speaks of ‘the love and the warmth of the Creeslough people’

Dana Rosemary Scanlon, or Dana, was the guest singer at the third Novena Mass in St Michael’s Church in Creeslough on Thursday.

She sang a number of songs, including the much-loved “All Kinds of Everything” which saw her win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970. 

Speaking after the event, Dana said one of her fondest memories of Creeslough was from during the presidential election.

“During the first Presidential election, I remember we arrived in Creeslough, it must have been 11 or 12 at night and we thought there would be nobody here,” she said.

“We drove down into the main street and there was a really big group of people, I don’t know how many but it looked like hundreds and Edmund McFadden was one of the main organisers of it.”

Thursday’s event inspired Derry's Eurovision Song Contest winner Dana and she felt ‘the love and the warmth of the Creeslough people’.

“We went upstairs into the Corncutters and I spoke to them and just the minute you met them - you knew that they were decent, good people,” she said.

The event ignited a close friendship between Dana and Edmund which lasted many years: “He was somebody you’d love to see, you’d love to meet and we got to know Sarah.”

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Edmund has since passed away and Dana was delighted to meet many of Edmund’s family on Thursday night to recall old times: “You always just feel very much a part of the community because we have never forgotten Creeslough. That night we found family in Creeslough.”

Dana spent many summers in Donegal and said she has a deep appreciation for the county. 

The singer said she and her husband, Damian, felt honoured to be invited to come to Creeslough on Thursday night.

“It was just very moving, very touching to be there and again the warmth and they were beautiful singers too actually,” she said. “We laughed, there were some tears and we remembered and I was so glad to be here.” 

She spoke highly of Fr John Joe Duffy whom she said touched the hearts of a nation: “He has taken the heart of this community to his heart. He has really touched hearts all over Ireland.” 

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Her final song was “Our Lady of Knock,” a song she said most people forget  she and her husband, Damian, wrote together. She told those gathered about being approached, many years ago, and asked to write the song while visiting Knock. 

She wasn’t sure about it at first, she said, but before she and her husband reached home the song was written. 

Dana was accompanied beautifully on keyboard by her friend, musician Pat Campbell. Dana sang during the Mass and was invited to come to the top of the Church when Mass ended. 

The Mass was celebrated by Parish Priest Martin Doohan, who spoke about the meaning of loss and how Jesus comforted the disciples as they became frightened of losing him. Fr Doohan said “Jesus assured them they would meet again in a very wonderful place.”