Doonican started performing in his home town and featured in the first ever television broadcast from Waterford. He then joined a band which toured Ireland playing the drums. In 1951 he moved to England to join another group, The Four Ramblers who toured and performed on BBC Radio shows broadcast from factories.
He eventually went solo and had a radio show as well as performing concerts and cabaret. In 1963 he was booked to appear on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. As a result of this performance, he was offered his own show on BBC television, lasting for over twenty years and moving to Saturday as its popularity grew. It featured his relaxed crooner style performance sitting in a rocking chair, as well as a number of comic Irish songs, notably "Paddy McGinty's Goat", "Delaney's Donkey", and "Rafferty's Motor Car", on which he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. He often wore a cardigan which became a trade mark, and was sometimes compared to American singer Perry Como though Doonican has claimed his main influence was Bing Crosby. As a variety show, there were a number of other acts featured and performers such as Dave Allen had early exposure on the show.
The Palladium performance also kick-started his recording career. Between 1964 and 1973 he was rarely out of the UK Singles Chart, his greatest successes including the singles "Walk Tall", "The Special Years", "What Would I Be", "If The Whole World Stopped Loving", and "Morning"; and the albums 13 Lucky Shades of Val Doonican, and Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently. He also sang the theme song to the film, Ring of Bright Water.
He stopped performing in 2009 and spent a lot of his free time in Spain (where he had a second home).
Doonican's daughter wrote two books entitled Wired to the Moon and Fear of Custard under the name Sarah Kavanagh. Both stories are related to the performance entertainment world.
Delaney
Val Doonican Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Temporarily lazy and permanently tired
A leg at every corner balancing his head
And a tail to let you know which end he wanted to be fed
Riley slyly said we've underrated it
Why not train it, then they took a rag?
They rubbed it, scrubbed it, they oiled and embrocated it
There was Riley pushin' it, shovin' it, shushin' it
Hogan, Logan and everyone in town
Lined up, attackin' it and shovin' it and smackin' it
They might as well have tried to push the town hall down
The donkey was eyein' them, openly defyin' them
Winkin', blinkin' and twistin' out of place
Riley reversin' it, everybody cursin' it
The day Delaney's donkey ran the half mile race
The muscles of the mighty never known to flinch
They couldn't move the donkey a quarter of an inch
Delaney lay exhausted, hangin' round his throat
With a grip just like a Scotsman on the five pound note
Starter, Carter, he lined up with the rest of them
When it saw them, it was willin' then
It raced up, braced up, ready for the best of them
They started off to cheer it but it changed its mind again
And there was Riley pushin' it, shovin' it, shushin' it
Hogan, Logan and Mary Ann Macgraw
She started pokin' it an' grabbin' it an' chokin' it
It kicked her in the bustle and it laughed hee-hah
The whigs and conservatives, the radical superlatives
Liberals and tories, they hurried to the place
Stood there in unity, helpin' the community
The day Delaney's donkey ran the halfmile race
The crowd began to cheer it, then Rafferty, the judge
He came up to assist them, but still it wouldn't bud
And the jockey who was riding, little John MacGee
Was so thoroughly disgusted that he went to have his tea
Hagan, Fagan was students of psychology
Swore they'd shift it with some dynamite
They bought it, brought it, then without apology
The donkey gave a sneeze and blew the darn stuff out of sight
There was Riley pushing it, shoving it and shushing it
Hogan, Logan and all the bally crew
Police, and auxiliary
The Garrison Artillery
The Second Enniskillen's and the life guards too
They seized it and harried it
They picked it up and carried it
Cheered it, steered it to the winning place
Then the Bookies drew aside,
They all commited suicide
The day Delaney's donkey won the half mile race
The song "Delaney's Donkey" by Val Doonican is a humorous story about Delaney and his donkey, which is renowned for being temporarily lazy and permanently tired. The song describes the residents of Delaney's town trying to train the donkey to run a half-mile race, but the donkey simply refuses to comply. The lyrics paint a comical picture of the townspeople pushing, shoving, and trying to coax the stubborn animal into racing.
Despite everyone's efforts, the donkey refuses to budge and remains stationary, frustrating the townspeople and amusing the crowd of spectators. The song ends with the townspeople picking up the donkey and carrying it to the finish line, resulting in the ultimate shock of the day – Delaney's donkey winning the race. The bookies were so astonished that they ended up committing suicide.
Overall, "Delaney's Donkey" is a charming and humorous song that portrays the absurdity of trying to tame an animal that refuses to cooperate. It is a lighthearted reminder that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, things just won't go our way.
Line by Line Meaning
Now Delaney had a donkey that everyone admired
Delaney had a donkey that was widely appreciated
Temporarily lazy and permanently tired
The donkey was often inactive and also always seemed lethargic
A leg at every corner balancing his head
The donkey was well-balanced with a leg at each corner to bear its weight and keep its head steady
And a tail to let you know which end he wanted to be fed
The donkey's tail would indicate which end it preferred to be fed from
Riley slyly said we've underrated it
Riley deceptively stated that they had undervalued the donkey
Why not train it, then they took a rag?
Riley proposed training the donkey, and they took a cloth or rag to use on it
They rubbed it, scrubbed it, they oiled and embrocated it
The group cleaned and massaged the donkey with oil and a stimulating liniment
Got it at the post and when the starter dropped the flag
They brought the donkey to the starting post, and when the race started, they were ready
There was Riley pushin' it, shovin' it, shushin' it
Riley was pushing and shoving the donkey, trying to prompt it to go faster, and shushing it to get it to be quiet
Hogan, Logan and everyone in town
Everyone in town, including Hogan and Logan, were also trying to push and hit the donkey
Lined up, attackin' it and shovin' it and smackin' it
Everyone in town lined up and was trying to assault and strike the donkey
They might as well have tried to push the town hall down
The force used to push and hit the donkey was as futile as trying to move a large building
The donkey was eyein' them, openly defyin' them
The donkey was observing and rebelliously challenging them
Winkin', blinkin' and twistin' out of place
The donkey was winking, blinking, and moving erratically
Riley reversin' it, everybody cursin' it
When the donkey didn't move forward, Riley attempted to reverse it, causing everyone to curse in aggravation
The day Delaney's donkey ran the half mile race
The day finally came that Delaney's donkey participated in a half-mile race
The muscles of the mighty never known to flinch
The strong and powerful people attempting to move the donkey were never seen to falter
They couldn't move the donkey a quarter of an inch
Despite their efforts, the group could not move the donkey even a quarter of an inch
Delaney lay exhausted, hangin' round his throat
Delaney was exhausted and had his arms around his neck due to the stress of the situation
With a grip just like a Scotsman on the five pound note
Delaney had a strong grip, similar to a Scottish person holding onto a five-pound note
Starter, Carter, he lined up with the rest of them
Starter Carter lined up with the other racers
When it saw them, it was willin' then
When the donkey saw the other racers, it became willing to run
It raced up, braced up, ready for the best of them
The donkey raced forward, braced itself, and was prepared for the competition
They started off to cheer it but it changed its mind again
The group attempted to cheer the donkey on, but it soon changed its mind and stopped running
She started pokin' it an' grabbin' it an' chokin' it
Mary Ann Macgraw began to prick, grab and strangle the donkey
It kicked her in the bustle and it laughed hee-hah
The donkey kicked Mary Ann's behind and laughed hee-hah
The whigs and conservatives, the radical superlatives
People of various political leanings and ideologies, both radical and conservative
Liberals and tories, they hurried to the place
Liberals and tories alike rushed to watch the race
Stood there in unity, helpin' the community
The people in attendance stood together in support of the community
The crowd began to cheer it, then Rafferty, the judge
The crowd began to cheer the donkey on, and the judge, Rafferty, also got involved
He came up to assist them, but still it wouldn't bud
Rafferty attempted to assist in getting the donkey to move but it still did not budge
And the jockey who was riding, little John MacGee
The jockey riding the donkey was little John MacGee
Was so thoroughly disgusted that he went to have his tea
John MacGee was so fed up with the situation that he left to have a cup of tea
Hagan, Fagan was students of psychology
Hagan and Fagan were students of psychology
Swore they'd shift it with some dynamite
They pledged to move the donkey using dynamite
They bought it, brought it, then without apology
They got the dynamite and brought it to the site without any apology or remorse
The donkey gave a sneeze and blew the darn stuff out of sight
The donkey sneezed and blew the dynamite out of sight
They seized it and harried it
They grabbed and hurried the donkey
They picked it up and carried it
They lifted and carried the donkey
Cheered it, steered it to the winning place
They cheered the donkey on and steered it to the finish line, where it won the race
Then the Bookies drew aside
The bookmakers moved out of the way
They all commited suicide
The bookmakers committed suicide, as they lost due to the donkey winning the race
The day Delaney's donkey won the half mile race
The day ended with Delaney's donkey being the winner of the half-mile race
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Robert Hargreaves
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rosebrown9265
Can't believe it's 2023 and love this music
@stephenphillip5656
Delaney's Donkey, Rafferty's Motorcar, Paddy McGintey's Goat.... memories of our childhood. Val Doonican was the fella with the cardigan, rocking chair & a gentle Irish brogue. Oh, and a catalogue of songs both funny & thoughtful (Walk Tall, What Would I Be.....) which led us gently along into his world.
Artists and entertainers such as Val Doonican are from a simpler, less frenetic world. Still missed.
@miketravis6149
You know your getting old when people you grew up with as a child start to pass away. These stars were our parents favourites, so you sat on a Saturday night you would sit there and enjoy. Oh to be a kid again. RIP.
@ivadenuff
So, so true...
@amandapryar4675
Memories like these are always happy 💕 ones. Not like today. But the children of today will probably say the same 😁😁
@Ardoyne10
well said m8
@brendanquinlan5936
Aye
@karylhogan5758
You read my mind, .. it’s kinda scary too, it’s don’t seem that long ago, yet in years it is of course.. he was kinda comforting then, no loudness, kids drifted off to sleep..
@ac5795
Played this at my mother in laws funeral at the city of London crematorium. Very touching and amusing. Brings back fond memories of mum(Kay). Rest in peace mum. X 🙏👍
@rosebrown9265
Absolutely fabulous 😀 xx