My interest and love of Ireland began in the mid sixties. I was playing one of the lead characters in the UK’s first and highly successful soap opera “Cross Roads” which in those days was on five nights a week and claimed a viewing figure of over 47 million people. It was during this period that I met my future husband, Deke Arlon, a well known 60’s pop star at that time, who also joined the series. Because of the TV show’s success and popularity, as ‘stars’ we were frequently asked to do public appearances to promote the show. Cross Roads was huge in Northern Ireland which led to Deke being invited to sing there. These concerts were a major success so much so that it was suggested he should form a showband over there.
It was the era of that Irish phenomenon, the showbands, playing exactly the type of music he loved. Music was always his first love and swing and big band, his passion. He left the series and moved to Belfast where he formed ‘The Tara.’ Deke became immersed in the showband life, and the charismatic characters that travelled the country North and South, Brendan Bowyer and the Royals, Big Tom, Larry Cunningham, Dickie Rock, Roly Daniels, and the Freshmen to name but a few. I was at many a gig and through Deke met up with many of them. I was totally fascinated by their stories of being ‘on the road’, and the venues - the marquis set up in muddy fields in the deepest of rural Ireland, and of a new man on the scene who was setting up wonderful ballrooms with warm dressing rooms and real food! The 'new man's' name - Albert Reynolds!
Most of all I was intrigued at the ‘green room’ arguments coming from the different beliefs over religion, discrimination and social backgrounds that made up this exciting community – At the time I thought it was bar talk not a premonition of the future.
Time passed, Deke and I married and the Troubles began. We followed events keenly, they were all mates! The Miami showband tragedy was devastating.
We left performing, to run D&J Arlon, a management company that represented artists as diverse as Sheena Easton, Ned Sherrin, The Kinks, David Cassidy and Elaine Paige, Michael Flatley, Dennis Waterman and Marti Pellow to name but a few. We produced television and theatre both here and in America and were the original producers of the Brit Awards.
We were in LA for the Grammy’s, when I suddenly read an article in the LA Times. It was about a Northern Irish mother’s acceptance of the atrocity committed on her son. “I don’t mind him being shot once or twice’ she said ‘but six times is a bit much”. I was the mother of two sons myself and I was deeply affected that life for that woman had sunk to such a level of weary acceptance of this violation.
I decided to write a novel and returned to Ireland and met people from both sides of the divide, determined to write about their harrowing lives. “Circles of Deceit’ took me in my intensive research to live with families, North and South, collating people’s fears and hopes, treading dangerous paths to gain the truth. I found myself even more committed to the people of Ireland whatever their persuasion.
“Circles of Deceit’ became a successful film for television, starring Derek Jacobi, Dennis Waterman, and Clare Higgins.
I continued writing film and television ideas and books and D&J Arlon continued to garner success all over the world winning Emmys for its TV productions and its music division sold over 200 million CDs for its artists and song writers.
Jamie, my eldest son, as well as running his own company, Arlon Music, has worked in the family business for many years and is now head of our music publishing division and in fact is now married to a girl from Killarney, Penny’s family, the Hilliards, being very successful entrepreneurs in that county, indeed her grandfather Philip Hilliard was very instrumental in putting together the Irish mental health service.
One day, on a normal business day for Jamie Arlon, he met Jamie Petrie, a successful song writer, they got on immediately, their Irish wives being a common link. Andrea Reynolds, wife of Jamie Petrie, was intrigued that Deke had met her father, Albert, in the early sixties and had played several of his venues. As the friendship between the young people developed and after several family meetings, Andrea suggested to Jamie Arlon that she believed that I could be the right one to help tell her father’s story.
It has been a fascinating journey. Albert is a wonderful human being and rightly has earned the praise of many of the great men of this generation, a man who fearlessly and selflessly risked everything to silence the guns and bring peace and economic stability to his country. It is a privilege to know him and to have been a small part of his story.
To purchase Albert Reynolds My Autobiography on Amazon click HERE
For the Albert Reynolds Autobiography synopsis click HERE
For further information on Jill Arlon click HERE
For a review of Albert Reynolds Autobiography in The Irish Times click HERE