Eileen Reid (born January 1943) is an Irish singer of the

showband The Irish showband () was a dance band format popular in Ireland from the 1950s to the 1980s, with its peak in the 1960s. These bands typically had seven to ten members, including a rhythm section and a brass section with various combinations o ...

era. She had an Irish number 1 on 29 May 1964 with " Fallen Star", the first official Irish number one single by an Irish woman, and was also known for her song "I Gave My Wedding Dress Away".

Career

Eileen Reid began singing as a teenager with the Melody Makers, later fronting the Cadets showband. She and the Cadets reached No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart dated 6 May 1965 with "

Jealous Heart "Jealous Heart" is a classic C&W song written by American country music singer-songwriter Jenny Lou Carson. In the mid 1940s it spent nearly six months on the Country & Western charts. It was subsequently recorded by several pop singers. ...

". She tried out for the 1980 Eurovision with "The Saddest Show On Earth". In 1982, she appeared on '' The Brendan Grace Show''. She appeared on a 1995 episode of '' Lifelines''. Later she turned to acting, appearing in the

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the broth ...

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

. In 2008, she appeared on ''

The Podge and Rodge Show ''The Podge and Rodge Show'' is a talk show, broadcast and produced by RTÉ. For the first three seasons Podge and Rodge were joined by Lucy Kennedy as a co-host but for the first half of the fourth season they were joined by guest hosts includ ...

''.

Personal life

Eileen Reid was the daughter of footballer Charlie Reid. Eileen Reid married Jimmy Day, another showband singer. Her daughter Claudine Day is also a singer. In 2015, she admitted to multiple infidelities and a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

Discography

Irish chart singles * 1964 " Fallen Star" (number 1)

Bibliography

* ''Eileen (with Jimmy Day)'', Town House Dublin, 1995,

Filmography

* Misses Quirke in '' The Commitments'' * Mrs. Rock in '' A Man of No Importance'' * Woman with smallpox in ''

Moll Flanders ''Moll Flanders'' is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, wit ...

'' (1996 film) * '' The Late Late Show'', 14 May 2004 * ''Inside 252'', 14 May 2004 * ''The Journey Home'',

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic programming. It is the largest Catholic television network in America, and is purported to be "the world's larges ...

, 17 July 2006 * ''

'', 26 February 2008

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Eileen 1943 births Living people Irish women singers