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'Fair City' stars shine
in Buncrana
30.10.07
A CHARITY art
exhibition in Buncrana got a special boost when two
stars from popular soap 'Fair City' dropped in for a
look.
Mick Nolan and Carol Anne Lowe, aka Ray O'Connell
and Francesca de Silva, joined the crowds at the
Plaza on Friday evening for the art sale in aid of
the RNLI Lough Swilly Lifeboats. Regular visitors to
Inishowen, they said they haven't ruled out buying a
holiday home here, as a bolt-hole from the hectic
pace of life in Carrigstown. |
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The couple play on-off
lovers in the RTE show but are very much on, in real
life.
They told InishowenNews.com they met several years
ago when Carol Anne joined the cast as beautiful
Brazilian housekeeper Francesca.
"What we didn't realise, was that Mick and I grew up
just around the corner from each other in Dublin but
we didn't |
meet until 'Fair
City'," explained Carol Anne, who is also a
celebrated opera singer.
She revealed that fans of the soap can look forward
to "an amazing" new Christmas story line when
Francesca comes back into Ray's life after a long
stint in Brazil.
The actors are regular visitors to Inishowen due to
their friendship with acclaimed portrait artist
Dennis Colverson. London-based Colverson, held his
first landscape exhibition in Dunree recently and
regularly visits Carndonagh where his daughter has a
home. He was among the exhibitors at the RNLI show.
"I met Dennis many years ago as an opera singer when
he painted my portrait. I've been friends with him
and his wife Patricia ever since," said Carol Anne.
Ray said the pair had visited Inishowen more than
five times already this year and had a good look in
the estate agents' windows. Finding a hideaway here
remains a "work in progress" for the self-confessed
art lovers.
The four-day exhibition was officially opened by
former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
Seamus Mallon who spent some time mingling and
chatting with the locals and assembled guests before
declaring the exhibition open for business.
The 72-year old praised the work of the RNLI and how
its volunteers regularly risked their lives for
others. He urged the gathered art lovers to consider
what the buying a painting meant. "Having bought a
painting, you can say 'I have contributed to
something worthwhile...and maybe that few pounds
I've spent will save someone's life'," he said.
More than 200 paintings by 80 artists featured in
the show which concluded yesterday on Bank Holiday
Monday.
The artists donated 25% of the price of each
painting to the RNLI to help their life-saving work
at sea.
For more photos,
click
here . |
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