Country music legend Dolly Parton made a surprise appearance on RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline programme this afternoon, speaking to stand-in presenter Katie Hannon about a variety of topics, including her famous appearance in Páidí Ó Sé's pub in 1990 and "feeling connected" to the late Sinéad O'Connor.
Hannon opened the show saying, "We have a very special show for you today - a real treat. You have to prepare for everything - you never know who you're going to hear on the Liveline but to be honest with you, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd ever get to say: good afternoon, Dolly Parton!"
The singer, who spoke to the programme via video call, responded, "Good afternoon to you. I've got a lot of things to talk about, and I guess we can just catch up on several things and people we know."
Hannon opened the conversation by asking Parton if she had heard about "Dollyday", the biggest gathering of people dressed up as Parton, which was a Guinness World Record attempt. The event happened in Kerry this summer and Hannon's cousin helped to organise it, with Parton saying she had heard about it and "even saw some of the pictures."
Parton said, "May I take a moment to say thank you to all the gals who dressed up as me, I'm proud of all of you - you made me proud."
The singing legend was speaking to Katie Hannon as part of promotion for her new book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, an illustrated celebration of Parton's sense of style through personal stories and 450 full-color photographs, as well as her upcoming rock album, Rockstar.
Hannon asked Parton for her recollections of the famous recording of her singing her hit song Coat of Many Colours in Paidí Ó Sé's pub in Ventry, Co Kerry, while on holiday in Ireland in 1990.
In the pub, she sang an impromptu version of the song with musicians Steve Cooney and the late Séamus Begley accompanying her.
Parton recalled, "I remember that very well. I was with my friend Walter Hagan, who was Irish. We had gone over on a trip and every corner had a pub and I said, 'Well I'm going to go into this one.'
"We just had a ball that night and they asked me if I would sing, and of course I did!"
Hannon then asked her about the Kerry GAA jersey that Páidí Ó Sé had given her and if she still has it. She said, "I have that jersey in a frame hanging in my basement, which is my recreation room where I have my games and all that, and everybody asks about that white and green jersey, so I'm very, very proud of that - I kept it. And when I brought it home I put it on the wall and it's been there ever since."
Hannon then told her that he said that he never washed it after the match, with Dolly joking, "I thought I smelt something in that basement!"
Parton also spoke about Sinéad O'Connor, saying, "I always felt connected to her. She was very, very sweet. And I hated to hear she was gone.
"And I know she had a hard life but in her music you could tell all she went through, and sometimes that's what makes the best singers - people that lived what they're singing about. Nothing Compares 2 U is one of my favourite songs... I just loved that version of it."
Hannon referred to O'Connor's cover version of Parton's version of Dagger Through My Heart, with Parton saying, "I was surprised she did that. I wrote that song back in my teenage years and when I heard she had recorded it, I was really impressed and delighted."
Parton also spoke about her long-running initiative The Imagination Library, a literacy programme where children receive a book a month until the time they start school, which was inspired by her father, who was not able to read.
The programme has given over 215 million books away, including over 200,000 to children in Ireland, and has earned Parton the nickname of "The Book Lady".
She told Hannon, "I'm as proud of that as anything I've ever done. I'm sure that'll be one of those things I hope to be remembered for."
Hannon then brought on listener Sandra, whose daughter has benefitted from the programme and received books through the post from birth. She told Dolly, "I don't think I could express how thankful I am for receiving that gift... there are no words to describe how thankful we are for what you've done."
Later in the show, Dublin singer CMAT also paid tribute to Dolly, saying she is regularly compared to her, and feels like she copies what she does but with a Dublin twist.
She explained that she first heard Dolly at the age of 12 and it changed the direction of her life. She added that Parton is a woman who doesn't care what people think of her, but that she was the butt of many jokes in the 1990s and early 2000s and some of those jokes were "unkind".
She added that the Jolene singer is one of the greatest songwriters in the world.
Parton also spoke about her upcoming rock album, Rockstar, which features icons from the music world, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Sting, Pink, Stevie Nicks, and Parton's godchild, pop star Miley Cyrus.
Parton and Cyrus perform a version of Cyrus' hit track Wrecking Ball, which Parton says she's "so proud of".
Other fans also paid tributes and shared memories of their time listening to Dolly Parton during the programme.
Liveline airs every weekday on RTÉ Radio 1 from 1.45pm to 3pm.
Reporting by Cathy Lee and Audrey Donohue
