An Emmy Award winning singer and TV producer from Cookstown who knew Dolly Parton has told Tyrone I he was “shocked” when he learned that the country music legend had died.
Eamonn McCrystal, who now lives and works in Los Angeles, said he first heard the news when his dad called him from Tyrone.
Speaking about the phone-call, Eamonn says he felt it physically, “that dread feeling like a weight in your stomach”.
“We all knew Dolly had been facing some health problems”, he explains, “but I don’t think anyone imagined it was going to be so sudden”.
Eamonn, who performs regularly on the world-famous Grand Ole Opry country music show, first met Dolly in 2010 when she invited him to her offices in Nashville after hearing some of his music.
“We met in her rehearsal space”, he recalls, “we talked for what felt like a lifetime. She was genuinely interested in everything and completely present”.
Eamonn says that spending time with Dolly was a unique experience.
“She had that X factor thing you can’t really describe”, he explains, “it was an energy, almost like a bright light you could see”.
Having written more than 3,000 songs in her life, Dolly was one of the most prolific and influential songwriters ever.
Eamonn believes she got inspiration for her songs from speaking to other people.
“She listened so intently”, he explains, “I used to think that even when you were talking to her, part of her songwriter brain was listening to the rhythm and pattern of your speech, always looking for a song. I don’t think that part of her ever switched off”.
Dolly grew up in Appalachia, a region of the United States whose music was heavily influenced by the Irish and Scottish immigrants who had moved there.
Eamonn recalls that the singer, whose father was Scotch-Irish, was particularly interested in his own background.
“We talked about Ireland and the musical connections between Ireland and Tennessee, songs, hopes, dreams, everything”, he says.
Eamonn remembers Dolly as incredibly kind and generous, something she demonstrated when, hearing that he was returning to Cookstown for a concert, she recorded a voice message for his fans.
“I remember saying to her, ‘Dolly, you really don’t need to do that,’ Eamonn recalls.
She responded by saying, “I love helping young artists. It’s hard out there and it doesn’t do me any harm either”.
In the recording Dolly says she’s “so excited” to be speaking to people in Cookstown.
Describing Eamonn as her “good buddy”, she comments that, “it’s always good to be a hero in your own hometown”.
“That was her”, Eamonn says, “she was just incredibly generous with her time and with her encouragement. That has always stayed with me”.
Eamonn says one of the most surprising things about Dolly was that speaking to her was never difficult or intimidating.
“I think that’s what was so extraordinary about her”, he remarks, “you were sitting with this global icon, Dolly Parton, and within minutes you almost forgot that because she made everything feel so normal”.
While Eamonn was inspired by Dolly’s music and her achievements, it was the time that she had for others that really resonated with him.
“Dolly built an enormous career and an empire”, he says, “but she never seemed to lose sight of how you treat people along the way”.
Eamonn believes that Dolly’s greatest skill was her ability to unify people, no matter their background or beliefs.
“I think Dolly’s life was a masterclass in bringing people together”, he says, “she understood how to respect people who were different from her”.
Dolly’s ability to bridge divides has motivated Eamonn to try and achieve something similar with his own work.
“If through music, or indeed through the television projects I’m producing now, I could bring people together in a meaningful way, even a tiny fraction of the way Dolly did, I really would feel I had achieved something”, he says.
While Dolly was most famous for her music, it was perhaps her philanthropic work which made the biggest impact.
Whether it was sending more than 300million books to children around the world or helping fund coronavirus vaccines, Dolly worked tirelessly to make the world a better place.
“She gave so much to charity, often without making a big deal about it”, Eamonn says, “she built this extraordinary empire, but she was the perfect example of bringing people up with her”.
Reflecting on the time he spent with Dolly, Eamonn explains that it was a privilege to have gotten to know somebody so “funny, charismatic, incredibly sharp and full of joy”.
“She was truly unique”, he says, “there will not be another Dolly Parton”.
