 but he's also a painter and a very fine painter at that. And he is having his first art exhibition in Donegal next week. It's officially being launched, I think, tonight. And he has teamed up with a well-known local artist, Marina Hamilton, for this exhibition. It's in Downings. It's a joint exhibition. And I'm delighted that both Rolly and Marina have joined me in the studio. Good afternoon to you both. Hiya, John. Rolly, I'll start with you, painting. Is this a new thing or have you been painting for some time? Well, I've always been interested in painting, but, you know, being on the road, it's always a hobby. I've never dreamt of it being as anything else. So I used to paint an odd time from time to time, but I was so busy on the road, so it didn't give me too much time. Is it true, on occasion, when you'd be sending autographs that you'd do a little doodle or a little drawing? Yeah, I do a little squiggle there. I might do a little cartoon and pretend. I'd ask them to pose for a minute, you know? And I'd scribble out a little cartoon. It would be of maybe a bulldog or something, you know? Yeah, I didn't. But it was just fun, you know? But during the pandemic, you found you had more time. The turning was off completely. Yeah, and you found you had more time, so you indulged in your passion. Yes, I got stuck into it. I got stuck into acrylic painting because I preferred it to oils because I didn't like the smell of oils, turpentine and linseed and all this. So it's just that's all I got into. But I practiced and it started to get better and better and better, but I painted a long time ago as well and I just stopped because I was so busy on the road. But now I'm back into the swing of things and a chance, lucky chance meeting. Yes, with Marina, Marina, just if you swing that microphone around a wee bit there. So Marina, how do you come into the picture here? Excuse the pun. I suppose, like, I have a fairly big connections with downings now and, you know, I would have been friendly with Terry Casey and him one in the Grand National and stuff like that. What's Terry got to do with all of this? Well, we're having a down and the pavilion in the golf club in Rossapenna and Rolly is married to Terry's sister. Oh, okay. So the whole thing is kind of called turf and surf because that's kind of the connection that we have would be like through the, we've very similar interests, like, you know, horse racing and art and painting and downings. So we just had a lot in common and I thought, you know what, wouldn't it be lovely to have an exhibition together. So was Terry the common denominator or did you bump in Nell Square to Rolly? I was a connection made. When did you first meet Rolly? Well, Rolly actually came down to Dublin to some of the shows that I was doing on the RDS. It might have been Arc Source or Gifted on the RDS and you knew that we were from Donegal and downings and the whole lot and then we got talking, you know, again. And well, I would have known the connection anyway, but I wouldn't have known Rolly, you know, known him to see, but I wouldn't have ever really spoke to him before. So we had a good chat and we just thought, you know, wouldn't it be a lovely idea maybe to just have an opportunity to put the work up and what a lovely place. You know, downings and the golf pavilion and all that. You couldn't get a better place. And another connection is that you're married into local royalty. Well, I didn't know that. Sarah Casey, yeah, she's her brother is the owner of the Roosevelt Hotel. But just to go back to that there, I always admired Marina's paintings from going to the hotel. She has quite a few of her paintings up on display in the hotel and I always marveled at them. Let's face it, she's fantastic. So I always wanted to meet her. And the first chance I got was at this exhibition at RDS and she had a stand over there and I made myself play into her and met her there first time ever. And that's how I met her. So do you also have an interest in horses? Oh, I used to, yeah. That's another story though, but like the very first horse I owned actually was a mare. And that was actually introduced, I was introduced to this horse by Terry Casey, the boy we were talking about. He was a trainer and he bought this horse. But the very first horse I owned, Hazy Dawn, she won for me at Chesnum at the festival. Whoa. And that was my very first horse. Wow. Without a stroke of luck it was just, you just knew exactly what you were doing. No, I didn't have a clue. Listen, I knew nothing about horses. My brother-in-law, Terry, Terry Casey, he was a guy. And the connection with the HD, your first husband? Oh yeah, and like, you know, being from India, I'd be a little bit superstitious about things, okay? But he had this horse, this mare, should I say, that he was raving about he thought I should buy one, buy this one. Of course, I didn't have any intention of buying a horse, but she had a name. The name was Hazy Dawn. That was a name. And me, as I said, being superstitious, my first big hit record was Hello, Darling, HD, HD. And I thought, yeah, this is an omen, you never know. So I went ahead and I bought it, it was very cheap. Let's face it. It worked out well. It worked out very, very well. All right. And, well, as with Omerina, you've a keen passion for all things equestrian and paint a lot of horses. And is there a connection with the Terry in painting a Grand National winner? Yeah, I would have painted, whenever he won a rough quest, won the Grand National, did a painting for him. And I went over, he was living over in Horsham. I went over and rode out for him and all that, you know, and stayed like for a few days and whatever. It was just, it was really nice hacking out around the roads and stuff like that. But I do paint a lot of horses and I do a lot of kind of awards and stuff like for horse racing Ireland and different awards. And like I do all those with Brian's horses, I paint all them for him as well. So I'm still quite, even though I'm not physically working with the race horses that much, I would be still kind of painting them and involved in art in that way. So this is all about passion, really. A passion for arts and a passion for horses. And, you know, I suppose, you know, you can paint all you like, but it's about then getting the artwork out in front of the general public hence this exhibition, which is being launched this evening. Is that correct? Yeah, this evening at a half seven down in the Pavilion in the Rossapanna, yeah. Brilliant. And Roland, what about music? Well, I've done... Have you had pause? I've had pause, yes, for sure. And I don't know, you know, it's to get back to it. And I ain't getting any younger, you know, so... Well, could you tell from your face? The skin, well, what's the secret to... There's not a wrinkled cane, don't you? It's all that good living, you know. OK, right, yeah. No, as I said, this is a real experience that I really have to thank this young lady here, you know, because I had no intention of having an exhibition ever, but people don't know that I paint. So this was such an opportunity when she asked me, you know, to join her. And plus, they're lining up for, like, the corridors up at the house and the whole lot, so here's a great opportunity. I've just been trying my hand at everything, you know. OK, so to get that artwork from the hallway and from... Yes, yeah. Out of my wife's storage. And what sort of, I mean, obviously it's not just horses, what's the landscapes, and it's... I've tried my hand at everything, you know. I've done quite a few commissions in the past, again, with personal friends and things, you know. Like, I've done everything, like from horses to dogs, a lot of landscapes, seascapes, everything that escapes from me, you know. He's really good at most things, actually. Right. Yeah, he's doing a nice job. Music and art, obviously. Well, I thought now, I must get this in in case I do forget, the... It's about time now. You've heard of Mané, haven't you? Yes, the artist. And you've heard of Mané. Yes. And it's time to hear a role, eh? Very good. Yeah, there we are. I don't know, I just thought, you know. The whole cycle, yeah. If you had, you know, an hour free tomorrow, where's your... Where's your go-to place, locally, to... Up here in Donegal? Yeah. Oh, listen. Where do you live? Well, I have a place here in Downings. I have a holiday home there, you know. Which we come every year around this time. Okay. And my two daughters have mobile homes on the beach. So it gives us a chance to get together. I have a daughter that's in Belgium. Another daughter, not too far from me in Dublin. She's in Malahide. And we get together here, around this time. But I love going and looking at the other art galleries and things, all the way up, you know, to Dunfana He and Falcara and everything. But that's where I would go. I love picking up scenes. I'll take a camera along or an iPad. Maybe take a photograph. So that'll make a nice picture, you know. So capture the scene. Yeah. And then back. And I go back home and I'll have a go, you know. Brilliant, brilliant. Okay, so plenty of really Daniel's artwork on display and this evening and yours, Marina. Some of mine, yeah. Of some paintings up as well, a small bit of sculpture. But I just wanted to say as well, like this is not like a private, like open. It's open to anybody. So anybody who wants to go down for a nosy even tonight to whatever, come on ahead. There'll be more than welcome. And if they do ask you for an autograph, they might get a wee doodle with there. Yeah, you might do a little cartoon or something. Well, I never know. Okay, so what time did you say? Sorry. Half past seven. Half past seven down in the Berlin. The Golf of Berlin in Rossipena. Well, continue success to you both in the art and rollie. We might be seeing you on stage. You're really nothing out. You haven't officially retired from the show. No, I don't think entertainers or whatever singers ever officially retire, you know. You just say put it on the long finger and you never know. I mean, I just might get the notion, you know. But I've had a few health problems which have kept me away from everything. And not, I don't want to delve into anything like that, but it was something that prevented me, you know. Okay. I didn't have the heart to. And the COVID and the pandemic. Everything, the COVID, the health problems and things like that, but it's all been worked out. And I'm on the men, really good. Great, glad to hear it. Okay, well, continue good health and success. And everybody wants to see the art from either of you tonight then go along to the pavilion in Jennings. And it says, when is rollie coming back on the dance floor? When is he gonna sing again? And please play one of the songs. Please play, Hey, Darling. Well, it just so happens. Thank you both. Thanks very much. John, thank you. Hello, Hey, Darling. Nice to see you.