Dana Rosemary Scallon
Encyclopedia
Dana Rosemary Scallon known in her singing career simply as Dana, is an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 singer and former Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...

 (MEP).

She achieved fame when she won Eurovision Song Contest 1970
Eurovision Song Contest 1970
The Eurovision Song Contest 1970 was the 15th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 21 March 1970 at the RAI Congrescentrum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Amsterdam contest is regarded as one of the most significant in Eurovision history for a number of reasons....

 with "All Kinds of Everything
All Kinds Of Everything
"All Kinds of Everything" is a song written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith which as performed by Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest 1970. "All Kinds of Everything" represented a return to the ballad form from the more energetic performances which had dominated Eurovision the previous years...

", a subsequent worldwide million-seller. She has released over thirty singles and thirty albums as a songwriter and performer of Christian music.

She entered politics in 1997, running in the Irish presidential election
Irish presidential election, 1997
-References:...

 and subsequently being elected as the MEP for Connacht–Ulster. Scallon was an independent candidate in the Irish 2011 presidential election but was eliminated on the first count having received 51,220 votes (2.9%) which placed her sixth, above the other female candidate Mary Davis.

Background

Scallon was born in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...

, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...

. Her father, who worked as a porter at nearby King's Cross station, was a native of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

; he had been forced to relocate his family due to the high unemployment there after the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Scallon was five when her parents were again forced to move, this time because of the London smog and the harmful effect it had on some of their children; their doctor recommended they return to the cleaner air of Derry, ironically when London passed the Clean Air Act 1956
Clean Air Act 1956
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in response to London's Great Smog of 1952. It was in effect until 1964, and sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in England and the Department of Health for Scotland.The Act introduced a number of...

. She grew up in Derry's Creggan housing estate
Creggan, Derry
Creggan is a large housing estate in Derry in Northern Ireland. It was the first housing estate built in Derry specifically to provide housing for the Catholic majority. It is situated on the outskirts of the city and is built on a hill. The name Creggan is derived from the Gaelic word creagán...

. In 1967, the family moved to an area known as the Bogside
Bogside
The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The area has been a focus point for many of the events of The Troubles, from the Battle of the Bogside and Bloody Sunday in the 1960s and 1970s...

, overlooked by the historic city walls. Although much admired at the time, these nine-storey apartment blocks were demolished after twenty years.

Her parents were musical – her father played the trumpet in his own dance band, The Imperial All Stars, and her mother was their guest pianist. They had seven children in all: four daughters, including their third-born child Grace who died at eight months
from a penicillin allergy
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is defined as "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". It typically results in a number of symptoms including throat swelling, an itchy rash, and low blood pressure...

, and three sons. Fifth-born and youngest daughter Rosemary won the first talent contest she entered: an all-aged event at St Columb's Hall at the age of six. During her childhood, she was taught to play the piano and violin, taught herself to play the acoustic guitar, sang in the school choir, and at one point considered becoming a ballet teacher. She took part in many more contests and feiseanna (festivals). In the early 1960s she began performing with her sisters, Eileen and Susan in charity concerts organised by their father. Eileen left the trio to become a hairdresser, leaving the others as a duo who managed to secure a summer season at the Portrush
Portrush
Portrush is a small seaside resort town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the County Londonderry border. The main part of the old town, including the railway station as well as most hotels, restaurants and bars, is built on a mile–long peninsula, Ramore Head, pointing north-northwest....

 Palladium. During this, Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

 offered them a recording contract (helped by their Aunt Rosaleen and her friend in the music industry), although Susan declined the offer to get married and emigrated to America with her husband. In 1965, the now solo Rosemary Brown took part in a folk music competition at the Embassy Ballroom where she won first prize - a chance to record a demo tape
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

. Tony Johnston, a headmaster and part-time promoter who sponsored the competition, took her under his wing while she undertook her GCE O-levels
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...

.

After gaining seven good grades in her exams, Rex Records (Decca) in Dublin received her demo and manager Michael Geoghegan signed her up. Her debut single was "Sixteen", written by Tony Johnston, while the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

, "Little Girl Blue", was her own composition. It came out on 17 November 1967, but failed to take off, though local TV and radio began to show an interest in her. It was at this time that she adopted the professional name of "Dana", which had been her school nickname. Now studying A-level music and English, she became popular in Dublin's cabaret and folk clubs. Rex Records' Phil Mitton suggested she audition for the Irish National Song Contest, due to take place in February 1969 – a victory would see her compete in the Eurovision Song Contest in Spain
Eurovision Song Contest 1969
The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 was the 14th in the series. It was the first time that the contest resulted in a tie for first place, with four countries each gaining 18 votes. Since there was at the time no rule to cover such an eventuality, all four countries were declared joint winners...

 on 29 March. With mixed feelings she made it through to the final in Dublin where she sang "Look Around" by Michael Reade (released as her fourth single). Shown live on Irish television, Dana came second.

1970s - Eurovision victory and pop career

In December 1969 Tom McGrath, head of Light Entertainment
Light entertainment
Light entertainment is a term used to describe a broad range of usually televisual performances. These include comedies, variety shows, quiz/game shows, sketch shows and people/surprise shows.-Light entertainment in Britain:...

 at RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

 and producer of the Irish National Song Contest, invited Scallon to try again in next year's event feeling one of the entered songs: the ballad "All Kinds of Everything
All Kinds Of Everything
"All Kinds of Everything" is a song written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith which as performed by Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest 1970. "All Kinds of Everything" represented a return to the ballad form from the more energetic performances which had dominated Eurovision the previous years...

", would suit her. "All Kinds of Everything" became Ireland's 1970 Eurovision entrant and on Saturday 21 March 1970 she performed the song at the Eurovision finals held in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, with an estimated viewing audience of two hundred million. She was the last of twelve contestants to perform that night, perched on a stool while wearing an embroidered white mini-dress. The UK's Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....

 (already famous for "Those Were The Days
Those Were the Days (song)
"Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to the Russian song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" , written by Boris Fomin with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevskii. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism...

") and the Spanish newcomer Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...

 had been the odds-on favourites to win, but it was Dana who took the victory. This came as a particular surprise for Dana herself, who was planning to concentrate on her A-Level exams once the contest was over and had intended this performance to be her last as a singer. This was Ireland's first victory in the Eurovision Song Contest.

"All Kinds of Everything" - composed by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith - had been issued as a single on 14 March 1970 following its winning the Irish National Song Contest. Phil Coulter
Phil Coulter
Phil Coulter is an artist with an international reputation as a successful songwriter, pianist, music producer, arranger and director. His success has spanned four decades and he is one of the biggest record sellers in Ireland...

 provided the musical arrangement for the Ray Horricks production. The track had reached #1 on the Irish charts dated 20 March 1970 - the day before its Eurovision victory - and would remain at #1 for nine weeks. Subsequent to the Eurovision contest, "All Kinds of Everything" spent two weeks at #1 in the UK and achieved success in Australia, Austria, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa and Yugoslavia. The song went on to sell more than two million units.

Dana's debut album: All Kinds of Everything, recorded with an orchestra in two days was released in June 1970; it featured four songs written by the singer herself. Dana was now represented by Dick Katz, a jazz pianist featured on The Goon Show
The Goon Show
The Goon Show was a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme...

 who'd represented such luminaries as Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

, Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...

 and Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...

. The follow-up single to "All Kinds of Everything", the Jerry Lordan
Jerry Lordan
Jerry Lordan , born Jeremiah Patrick Lordan in Paddington, west London, was an English songwriter, composer and singer.-Career:...

 composition "I Will Follow You", failed to chart however. After hearing the song "Who Put the Lights Out" on an album by Barry Ryan
Barry Ryan (singer)
Barry Ryan was an English pop singer. He is currently a photographer.The son of pop singer Marion Ryan, Ryan and his twin brother Paul began to perform at the age of 16...

, Dana solicited the permission of composer Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan (singer)
Paul Ryan was an English singer, songwriter and record producer.Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Paul and his twin brother Barry were the sons of singer Marion Ryan, and had some success as a singing duo during the 1960s, known simply as "Paul & Barry Ryan"...

 to record the song: her version - cut with Barry Ryan's producer Bill Landis - proved a strong comeback vehicle reaching #5 in Ireland and #14 UK in March 1971. Following this, Dana - continuing to work with Bill Landis - endured three years of unsuccessful singles broken only by the Irish chart showing of "Sunday Monday Tuesday" (#4) in 1973. This lack of success caused her agent Dick Katz to recommend Dana join Dick Leahy (former head of Bell Records UK
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 by Arthur Shimkin in New York, the owner of children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A...

) on his new GTO record
GTO Records
GTO Records is a British Record label which released many hits during the 1970s. It ran from 1974 to 1981 and mainly concentrated on pop music and disco.-Background:...

 label formed in 1974.

Dana debuted on GTO with "Please Tell Him That I Said Hello" a song written by Mike Shepstone and Peter Dibbens. Released in October 1974, the song reached the Irish charts that November rising to a #7 peak. In the UK, the track spent ten weeks registering below the UK Top 50 before making its chart debut on 25 January 1975. Boosted by Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...

performances on 6 February and 13 March 1975, "Please Tell Him That I Said Hello" rose to a #8 peak on the UK chart. This UK success gave the track a resurgence of popularity in Ireland where a chart re-entry saw the track again peak at #7 in February 1975. Dana also recorded a German version of the song; "Spiel nicht mit mir und meinem Glück", which reached #27 in Germany over a fourteen week chart run in the spring and summer of 1975.

Dana's next single was "Are You Still Mad at Me" failed to chart but Dana returned to the Top Ten with a Stephens/Greenaway composition: "It's Gonna be a Cold Cold Christmas". Released four weeks prior to Christmas 1975 the single gave her her second highest chart peak, reaching #4. In Ireland, the track reached #3 and went on to re-enter the charts the following year, peaking at #12. At the end of 1975, Dana collected two awards – Best Female Singer in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 from the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

 and Best Female Singer from the TV Times
TV Times
TVTimes is a television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom by IPC Media, a subsidiary of Time Warner. It is known for its access to television actors and their programmes. In 2006 it was refreshed for a more modern look, increasing its emphasis on big star interviews and soaps...

. The success continued into 1976 with "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" entering the UK Top 40. In September however, while promoting her next single, "Fairytale", she lost her voice. Her left vocal cord, which had been cauterized the year before, required urgent surgery to remove a growth (non-malignant) as well as a small part of the cord itself. This caused many tabloid
Tabloid journalism
Tabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...

 reports on the possibility that she may never sing again. Despite her inability to fully promote "Fairytale" - an upbeat pop song produced by Barry Blue
Barry Blue
Barry Blue is a singer / producer / songwriter from the United Kingdom. He is best known for his hit songs, "Dancin' " , which he co-wrote with Lynsey de Paul, and "Do You Wanna Dance" .At 14 he signed to record producer Norrie Paramor whose erstwhile assistant was one Tim Rice - the producer of...

 - the single reached #13 in the UK and was also Dana's biggest international success since "All Kinds of Everything".

1979 saw the release of Dana's fifth album The Girl is Back. The Barry Blue production gave her a contemporary sound and a Top 50 single – "Something's Cookin' in the Kitchen", which peaked at #44 in the UK. A new phase in her career began after Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 came to Ireland in September 1979, inspiring her to write with her husband the Irish chart-topper "Totus Tuus".

Outside of her chart career, Dana had remained a popular personality since her 1970 Eurovision win. She had played the part of a tinker
Irish Traveller
Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...

 girl in Flight of the Doves (1971), a children's adventure film starring Ron Moody
Ron Moody
Ron Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...

 and Jack Wild
Jack Wild
Jack Wild was a British actor who is best remembered for his performances in both stage and screen productions of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! with Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, and Oliver Reed. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16 for the role of the...

 and directed by Ralph Nelson
Ralph Nelson
Ralph Nelson was an American movie and television director, producer, writer, and actor.-Life and career:...

. She was also an in-demand headliner for summer seasons at resorts and seasonal pantomimes as well as performing at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

, the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...

 and a week of sell-out shows at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...

. Dana also performed extensively in cabaret venues and was voted Top Female Vocalist at the National Club Acts Awards in 1979. BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...

 gave her two shows of her own: a series of A Day With Dana in 1974 and four series of Wake Up Sunday in 1979. For BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...

 she presented a series of I Believe in Music in 1977.

1980s

After she scored an Irish number one with the Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 tribute, "Totus Tuus" in January 1980, the much larger American Christian market became a possible outlet for her music. During a visit to the National Religious Broadcasters' conference in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, opened by US President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

, she signed a recording contract with Word Records
Word Records
Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a division of Word Entertainment , which, itself is co-owned by Warner Music Group and Curb Records...

. Meanwhile, Warwick Records
Warwick Records
Warwick Records is a British record label from the 1970s and early 1980s, which specialised in producing and compiling songs for compilations that have sometimes been given away as 'promos' with other products, such as magazines etc....

 issued Everything is Beautiful in late 1980. Subtitled 20 Inspirational Songs, the album contained covers of songs like "Let it Be
Let It Be (song)
"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band...

", "Morning Has Broken
Morning Has Broken
"Morning Has Broken" is a popular and well-known Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and is set to a traditional Gaelic tune known as "Bunessan" . It is often sung in children's services...

" and "My Sweet Lord
My Sweet Lord
"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna...

" and became her biggest-selling album in the UK. It was followed by "Totally Yours" in 1981, her first Christian album for Word.

She was soon back in the studios again to make Magic in 1982, a pop album for Lite Records. It included four songs by her younger brothers, John and Gerald Brown as well as "I Feel Love Comin' On", which was to be Dana's final UK chart entry. Dana released the official World Cup song for the Northern Ireland football team, "Yer Man", which was recorded with the full squad heading to Spain for the finals. Following this, she recorded her second album for Word, Let There Be Love, containing a variety of tracks from up-tempo to an old Irish hymn sung in Gaelic.

A tour of America took place in 1984 to promote the Word albums: Dana appeared in concert halls, churches and colleges, as well as TV and radio. After fifteen years in show business, Hodder and Stoughton published her first book, Dana – An Autobiography, in 1985, which told of her family life, pop career and growing devotion to God. Dana finally saw the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 in 1987 at the Superdome in New Orleans. She was invited to perform "Totus Tuus" before a gathering of 80,000 or more.

1990s – politics

In 1991, Scallon and her family relocated to Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

. Scallon hosted EWTN programs on TV and radio, entitled Say Yes and We Are One Body. She became a popular Catholic music singer and released many albums with HeartBeat Records, the leading US Catholic music label. She appeared at conferences and public gatherings across the US. One such occasion was in Cherry Creek State Park
Cherry Creek State Park
Cherry Creek State Park is a state park located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The park is in the city of Aurora. The park consists of a natural prairie environment with an reservoir at its center which is shared by powerboats, sailboats, and paddle craft. The Cherry Creek Marina...

, Denver, Colorado, in 1993: to help celebrate the sixth World Youth Day
World Youth Day
World Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions....

, she was invited to sing her song "We Are One Body", the theme song for the event, live to the Pope. She also sang at the World Youth Day celebrations held in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 (1997), in Toronto (2002), and in Sydney (2008).

Prior to returning to Ireland in 1997, Scallon applied for US citizenship, requiring her to swear an oath renouncing allegiance to any other state. Later in 1997, she became a candidate for the office of President of Ireland
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...

 standing as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 under the name Dana Rosemary Scallon, the name she has utilized for all of her political endeavours. She came third with 13.8% of the first-preference vote, ahead of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...

 candidate, but well behind Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

 and the victorious Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

 nominee, Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...

. Scallon was the first presidential candidate to secure a nomination solely from County and City Councils rather than from members of the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...

. She said afterwards: "I may not be a President. But I AM a precedent."

In 1999, having secured US citizenship and standing again as an independent, Scallon won a seat in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

, representing the Connacht–Ulster European Parliament constituency. She campaigned on family values
Family values
Family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. Familialism is the ideology that promotes the family and its values as an institution....

 and her opposition to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

, contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...

 and divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...

 along with a Eurosceptic
Euroscepticism
Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...

 line on the EU. Scallon refused to associate with any political party despite Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

 making several approaches for her to join them.

2000s to present

In 2001, Scallon opposed a proposed amendment to the Irish constitution that would legalise the 'morning after pill'
Emergency contraception
Emergency contraception , or emergency postcoital contraception, refers to birth control measures that, if taken after sexual intercourse, may prevent pregnancy.Forms of EC include:...

 and IUD
Intrauterine device
A copper IUD is a type of intrauterine device. Most IUDs have a plastic T- or U-shaped frame which is wrapped in copper wire, with the exception of Gynefix, which is a plastic string with several copper beads, affixed to the fundus of the uterus...

. The amendment was defeated in a referendum in 2002, although it was supported by the mainstream political parties. Scallon also had public disagreements at the time with the Catholic hierarchy (notably with Cardinal Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell is a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He is a former Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin....

), the latter wishing instead to negotiate a consensus solution.

In 2002, Scallon contested a seat in Galway West in the Irish general election, again as an independent. She lost, scoring a mere 3.5% of the first preference vote in a general election where Independent candidates performed well. In June 2004, Scallon lost her European Parliament seat, taking 13.5% of the vote. Later that year, she failed to secure a nomination to the office of President of Ireland against the uncontested incumbent.

In February 2005, Scallon returned to the world of entertainment when she spent time on the RTÉ television series The Afternoon Show In 2006, she and dancer Ronan McCormack were paired together in the RTÉ celebrity dance series Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels
Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels
Celebrity Jigs n' Reels is an Irish reality entertainment television show broadcast on RTÉ One. It is produced by Mind The Gap Films.-Format:The series started out with seven celebrities paired with professional Irish dancers...

. They made it to the final show and came second. Also in 2006, Scallon and her husband launched their own music label, DS Music Productions. One of the first albums released was "Totus Tuus", a compilation of songs dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II and issued on the anniversary of his death. A children's album was released in 2007, entitled Good Morning Jesus: Prayers & Songs for Children of All Ages, which featured in a special series on EWTN. Early in 2007, Scallon, her husband Damien Scallon, and their company DS Music Productions were sued by Heartbeat Records for copyright violations for several of the albums they released under their new label.

In 2009, Scallon became a judge on The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show was an RTÉ television series billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, completing on 15 March 2009. Modelled on Britain's Got Talent, it is produced by Tyrone...

. In the summer of 2010, she participated in the Best of British Variety tour. She participated in Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir is a prime-time reality programme produced for Radio Telefís Éireann, which was produced by Animo Television/Kite Entertainment...

in 2011 but was forced to withdraw by RTÉ when she announced she would run for the Irish presidency again.

2011 presidential campaign

On 19 September 2011, at the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen's Green, Scallon announced she would be seeking a nomination to enter the following month's Irish presidential election. Carlow County Council was the first to nominate her. She was then nominated by other County Councils thus becoming a candidate.

In the first debate, held on RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...

's News at One
RTÉ News at One
RTÉ News at One is a news and current affairs programme broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1. It airs Monday to Friday for 45 minutes at 13:00.The programme is presented by Sean O'Rourke. Dr Gavin Jennings presents on an intermittent basis....

, Scallon explained she had delayed her entry into the race due to numerous family bereavements. Appearing on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...

alongside the other candidates, Scallon displayed a copy of the EU Constitution, telling her audience: “This is what this election is about. I have the knowledge and experience to be able to protect our sovereignty and that's the only question I think that's really urgent at this time.” When asked by Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy , affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters"...

 if she would refuse to sign any bill threatening Bunreacht na hÉireann she responded by saying “You bet your boots I would”. The President does not have such a veto power, being able only to refer a Bill to the Council of State for its consideration.

Speaking on Newstalk's The Right Hook
The Right Hook
The Right Hook is a late afternoon to early evening talk programme broadcast on the Dublin, Ireland-based national Newstalk commercial radio station, and hosted by George Hook....

programme on 5 October 2011, Scallon said she was not anti-Europe. "I am not anti Europe. I have always said that Europe, the concept of Europe is good. We want to be in Europe."

On 7 October, it was revealed that Scallon had dual US and Irish citizenship, but she denied hiding this from the public, saying that said her US citizenship, which involved her taking an oath renouncing allegiance to Ireland, wasn't an issue then or now and she had no reason to hide it.

During a debate on Prime Time
Prime Time
Prime Time is an Irish news analysis, current affairs and politics programme. It is broadcast on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights between 21:30 and 22:10. It is currently presented by Miriam O'Callaghan, who has presented the programme since its commencement in 1996...

(RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

) on 12 October, Scallon read out a prepared statement towards the end of the debate, announcing that a "malicious" and "false" accusation had been made against her and her family in the United States and, while refusing to divulge any details, she said she would leave "no stone unturned" in her mission to track down the person or organisation responsible. The incident was described as "bizarre" by some media. It later transpired that the allegation related to her brother, John Brown, who had been accused in 2008, in the course of litigation in the US among family members, of having sexually abused his niece. He denied the allegation.

Personal life

On 5 October 1978, she married hotelier Damien Scallon at St Eugene's Cathedral in Derry. After a three-week honeymoon in Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...

, the Scallons set up home in Rostrevor
Rostrevor
Rostrevor is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the Newry and Mourne District Council area. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough. The Kilbroney River flows through the village....

, Co. Down. Dana gave birth to four children; daughters Grace (18 January 1981) and Susanna Ruth (18 August 1983) and sons John-James (5 November 1984) and Robert (25 August 1989).

They currently live in Claregalway
Claregalway
Claregalway is a village situated about 10 km from the city of Galway in County Galway, Ireland. Claregalway was founded on the banks of the River Clare, hence the derivation of its name: Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe meaning "town on the Clare, in Galway"...

, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

.

Discography

SinglesAlbums

  • 1967 "Sixteen"
  • 1968 "Come Along Murphy"
  • 1968 "Heidschi Bumbeidschi"
  • 1969 "Look Around"
  • 1970 "All Kinds of Everything
    All Kinds Of Everything
    "All Kinds of Everything" is a song written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith which as performed by Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest 1970. "All Kinds of Everything" represented a return to the ballad form from the more energetic performances which had dominated Eurovision the previous years...

    " (Ireland #1, UK #1, Austria #7, Germany #4, Netherlands #2, New Zealand #19, South Africa #7, Switzerland #7)
  • 1970 "I Will Follow You"
  • 1971 "Who Put the Lights Out" (Ireland #5, UK #14)
  • 1971 "Today"
  • 1971 "Isn't It a Pity
    Isn't It a Pity
    "Isn't It a Pity" is a song by George Harrison from his 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass. It was written in 1966 but was rejected by John Lennon. It was released as the B-side of "My Sweet Lord" in the United States on November 23, 1970....

    "
  • 1972 "New Days...New Ways"
  • 1972 "Crossword Puzzle"
  • 1973 "Do I Still Figure in Your Life"
  • 1973 "Sunday Monday Tuesday" (Ireland #4)
  • 1975 "Please Tell Him That I Said Hello" (Germany #271, Ireland #7, UK #8
    1as "Spiel nicht mit mir und meinem Glück")
  • 1975 "Are You Still Mad at Me"
  • 1975 "It's Gonna Be a Cold Cold Christmas" (Ireland #3 [1976 reissue #12], UK #4)
  • 1976 "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again
    Never Gonna Fall in Love Again
    "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American pop rock artist Eric Carmen. It was released as the second single from Carmen's self-titled debut solo album, the song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1976, remaining in the Top 40...

    " (UK #31)
  • 1976 "Rivers Are for Boats"
  • 1976 "Fairytale" (Mexico #1, Germany #21, Austria #19, Belgium/Flemish Region #4, Netherlands #3, UK #13)
  • 1976 "I Love How You Love Me
    I Love How You Love Me
    "I Love How You Love Me" was an American 1961 Top Ten hit for the Paris Sisters which inaugurated a string of elaborately produced classic hits by Phil Spector...

    " (Netherlands #27)
  • 1977 "Put Some Words Together"
  • 1979 "Something's Cookin' in the Kitchen" (UK #44, Ireland #22)
  • 1979 "The Girl is Back"
  • 1979 "I Can't Get Over Getting Over You"
  • 1979 "Totus Tuus" (Ireland #1)
  • 1980 "When a Child is Born
    When a Child Is Born
    "When a Child is Born" is a popular Christmas song. The original melody was "Soleado", a tune from 1972 by Ciro Dammicco , composer for the Italian group Daniel Santecruz Ensemble. The English language lyrics were written later by Fred Jay....

    "
  • 1981 "Lady of Knock
    Lady of Knock
    Lady of Knock is Marian hymn to Our Lady of Knock, written by Irish singer Dana Rosemary Scallon. The hymn is very popular with Irish Catholics, especially at funeral services. The song tells of the story of Knock in County Mayo, Ireland when the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist...

    " (Ireland #23)
  • 1981 "Dream Lover
    Dream Lover
    "Dream Lover" is a song written and recorded by Bobby Darin on March 5, 1959. It was produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler and engineered by Tom Dowd. It is considered a soulful rock song. The song became a multi-million seller, reaching #2 in US charts and was #1 in UK for three weeks during...

    " (Ireland #26)
  • 1982 "I Feel Love Comin' On
    Felice Taylor
    Felice Taylor is an African American singer best known for her recordings in the late 1960s.-Life and career:...

    " (UK #66)
  • 1982 "Yer Man"
  • 1982 "You Never Gave Me Your Love" / "Marathon"
  • 1982 "If You Really Love Me"
  • 1985 "Little Things Mean a Lot
    Little Things Mean a Lot
    "Little Things Mean a Lot" is a popular song written by Edith Lindeman and Carl Stutz , published in 1953. Lindeman was the leisure editor of the Richmond Times-Despatch and Stutz a disc jockey from Richmond, Virginia....

    " (Ireland #27)
  • 1985 "If I Give My Heart to You
    If I Give My Heart to You
    "If I Give My Heart to You" is a popular song written by Jimmy Brewster, Jimmie Crane, and Al Jacobs.The most popular versions of the song were recorded by Doris Day and Denise Lor; both charted in 1954. Anne Shelton recorded a version for the UK market, but it lost out to the Day version, as well...

    " (Ireland #27)
  • 1987 "Lipstick on Your Collar
    Lipstick on Your Collar (song)
    "Lipstick on Your Collar" is a song written by Edna Lewis and George Goehring which was a 1959 hit single for Connie Francis.Francis recorded the song 15 April 1959 in a session at Metropolitan Studio produced and conducted by Ray Ellis...

    "
  • 1988 "Summer Romeo"
  • 1989 "Harmony"
  • 2005 "Children of the World"
  • 1970 All Kinds of Everything
  • 1974 The World of Dana
  • 1975 Have a Nice Day
  • 1976 Love Songs and Fairytales
  • 1979 The Girl is Back
  • 1980 Everything is Beautiful (UK #43)
  • 1981 Totally Yours
  • 1982 Magic
  • 1983 Let There Be Love
  • 1984 Please Tell Him That I Said Hello
  • 1985 If I Give My Heart to You
  • 1987 In the Palm Of His Hand
  • 1987 No Greater Love
  • 1989 The Gift of Love
  • 1990 All Kinds of Everything (compilation)
  • 1991 Dana's Ireland
  • 1991 The Rosary
  • 1992 Lady of Knock
  • 1993 Hail Holy Queen
  • 1993 Say Yes!
  • 1995 The Healing Rosary
  • 1996 Dana The Collection
  • 1997 Humble Myself
  • 1997 Forever Christmas
  • 1997 Heavenly Portrait
  • 1998 The Best of Dana
  • 1998 Stations of The Cross
  • 2004 Perfect Gift
  • 2005 In Memory of Me
  • 2006 Totus Tuus
  • 2007 Good Morning Jesus!

  • External links


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