The dream lives on for Joe Dolan fans

The famous phrase "There"s No Show Like a Joe Show" was reinvented in Killarney, Co. Kerry at the weekend as over 10,000 Joe Dolan fans experienced a once-in-a-lifetime "performance" from the late Mullingar maestro.Seven months after his shock sudden death, Joe returned to the stage for a state-of-the-art stage show at the giant INEC venue in the town. The show was the centrepiece of a weekend-long celebration of Joe"s life and work at the vast Gleneagle/INEC complex and in the town of Killarney itself. Fans travelled from all over the world to reunite for the celebrations, with some making the journey from as far afield as Canada and Australia to be there. Thousands from all over Ireland, the UK and Europe also flocked to the Kingdom for the celebrations.All left united in their praise and amazement at the three breathtaking and incredibly moving shows Joe "performed" at the INEC, which was the only venue in the country big enough to meet the demand from fans and the technical specifications of the spectacular show.Joe was projected onto giant video screens which flanked the large stage as his former band, The Drifters (as always led by Joe"s brother Ben) performed underneath. The stunning sound and vision concert experience utilised recent concert footage of Joe singing his greatest hits, all meticulously edited and projected "as live". At intervals throughout the two-hour spectacular, Joe"s brother Ben narrated Joe"s life story, which was illustrated with many moving images and never-before-seen video footage of the singer at work and at play.Any nerves those involved with the show had about it were swiftly evaporated as fans rose to their feet almost from the instant the band took to the stage. The beaming delight on the faces of Ben and The Drifters to be back on stage was all too apparent as they settled into the Dolan groove. The build-up to the opening of the show featured a film of Joe leaving Mullingar and arriving to a concert venue where he changed into his trademark white suit before bounding onto the stage to the strains of 'Good Looking Woman'. Tears and cheers greeted his "arrival" onto the stage and for the next two hours fans danced in the aisles as Joe held court as if he was there with them in the concert arena.There were many highlights throughout the show, with a poignant duet between Joe and his niece Sandra Dolan on 'Teresa' a real stand-out moment. Sandra also lent her vocal prowess to some of Joe"s early hits such as 'Tar and Cement' and 'Pretty Brown Eyes' during the storytelling segments of the show, which featured prominent images of Mullingar and Westmeath.Indeed, hundreds made the trip from Westmeath for the weekend, including former band members, friends and of course, members of Joe"s extended family.Many in attendance reached for their hankies as the late singer gave his all on emotional songs such as 'If I Could Put My Life on Paper', 'Ave Maria', 'Sometimes When We Touch' and 'Hush Hush Maria', whilst the venue erupted in song as they sang along to hits such as 'Make Me an Island', 'More and More', 'Sweet Little Rock "n" Roller' and 'The Answer to Everything'. There wasn"t a dry eye in the house as the show reached its finale with 'Goodbye Venice Goodbye' which also featured a segment of 'The Universal'. Fans swarmed around the stage and waved scarves and banners as the band brought the show to its conclusion as a heart-breaking movie of Joe waving goodbye played above their heads.The three sold-out concerts, which were produced by Joe"s nephew Adrian Dolan and presented by the Dolan family and Showtours, were just a part of the weekend long celebration. Several other shows featuring a variety of other stars, from the American Drifters to Keith McDonald and the Showband Show, and from country megastar Jimmy Buckley to Mullingar star Greg Traynor, also took place. A special Memorial Mass celebrated by Fr. Brian D"Arcy and Kinnegad native Fr. Michael Kilmartin in Killarney"s landmark St. Mary"s Cathedral attracted over 2,000 people. Fr. Brian said the celebration was 'unique in the history of Irish show business'.Joe"s family, his lifelong manager Seamus Casey, concert promoter James Cafferty of Showtours and longest serving band member Frankie McDonald were also afforded a special Address of Recognition by Killarney Town Council, with Killarney Mayor Patrick O"Donoghue saying Joe was as much a part of the fabric of Kerry life as he was that of his native Westmeath. Joe was a regular visitor to the Kingdom, and performed there more than any other place in Ireland, logging in close to 500 concert appearances in 25 years.Mayor O"Donoghue said both the town and county were 'hugely honoured' to host the weekend-long celebrations and he conferred Joe"s brother Ben and nephews Adrian and Ray with the freedom of the town as a mark of the Council"s gratitude for their contribution.Ben said he was very proud to accept the award, and he said Joe always spoke in admiration of his 'home from home' and was always delighted to play there.Taoiseach Brian Cowen could not attend the celebrations but he passed on his best wishes to the Dolan family ahead of the event. The Westmeath Examiner was well-represented at the event as over 12,000 specially printed posters were handed out free to fans over the three days. The photographic excellence of Examiner photographers Colin Watters, John Mulvihill and John McAuley as well as that of Sean Magee was also a big part of the show with some of their work projected onto the big screens.The weekend celebration marked the start of a flurry of activity to honour the late singer. On October 16th next, Westmeath County Council are to unveil a life-size statue of the singer at the Market Square right in the centre of Mullingar. Thousands of fans are expected to attend the unveiling. That same month, Penguin are publishing Joe"s life story in the form of a hotly anticipated biography by former Westmeath Examiner writer Ronan Casey. Joe is also expected to be back on top of the music charts as his last record label, EMI, release what is being billed as the "definitive" Joe Dolan album, the three-disc "Platinum Collection". Meanwhile, this weekend, RTE will broadcast a special documentary made by Paddy O"Gorman in which the veteran broadcaster speaks to Joe"s family, friends and fans about a life without Joe.