Mayo man’s special memory of meeting Dolly Parton in Chicago
Tom Nallon from Knockmore (R) with his cousin Mickey Maxwell (L) pictured with Dolly Parton in Chicago in 1991.
Following the death of country music legend Dolly Parton on Tuesday, people around the world have been paying tribute to the singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist and reflecting on her lasting impact on generations of music fans.
Among those with a personal memory of the star is Tom Nallon from Knockmore, who met Dolly during a family holiday to Chicago in 1991.
Tom was visiting relatives in the city when his cousin Mickey Maxwell, who was working as a chauffeur in Chicago at the time, told him that they were going to meet Dolly Parton the following morning.
Tom thought he was joking.
But the following morning, Tom and his family walked through the city to a hotel where they met Mickey and waited in a lobby.
"Then here Dolly comes down the stairs, they were long stairs, and we watched her as she came down to where Mickey was waiting for her,” Tom recalled.
It was August 1991, and Mickey was looking after Dolly while she was in Chicago filming , the romantic comedy in which she starred alongside James Woods.
“It was early in the morning around 10 o’clock, and she was as jolly as anything,” Tom said. “I will never forget it."
He and his family got the chance to speak with Dolly and have a couple of photographs taken with her.
He remembers her arriving with her hair and makeup done, looking every bit the star, but it was her warmth and friendliness that stayed with Tom.
“She was a lady. She spoke to us all, stood for pictures, and sang a couple of lines of ," he said. “I couldn’t believe it. I could not believe it.”
It was a special moment for Tom and his family to have, and a memory they will never forget.
The Nallon family's connection to Chicago goes back 100 years.
In 1926, Mickey’s grandmother, Winnie Nallon, left Lissaniska West with her parents and 11 siblings and travelled to America.
The family settled in Chicago, and the connection between the Nallon family in Mayo and their relatives in the US has continued over the generations.
Tom has visited his relatives in Chicago a couple of times, while members of the Chicago branch of the family have also travelled to Mayo to learn more about their roots.
“There must have been 10 or 11 of them, maybe more, who visited last year,” Tom said.
It was during one of those family visits to Chicago that Tom found himself sitting in a hotel lobby waiting to meet Dolly Parton, an encounter he had initially thought was nothing more than his cousin having a laugh at his expense.
Dolly Parton leaves behind a legacy that stretches far beyond country music.
Her career spanned across six decades, during which she sold over 100 million records, wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 10 Grammy Awards.
The singer, born in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, became one of the most recognisable figures in music, known for her distinctive voice, songwriting talent, quick wit and Southern charm.
While she largely avoided partisan politics, Dolly was outspoken at times on issues close to her heart, including on equality and acceptance.
She expressed her support for the LGBTQ+ community, championed women's rights and opportunities, and spoke out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Her philanthropic work is a major part of her legacy, notably through the Dollywood Foundation.
