We thank Presenter, John Greene, for the following advance information relating to this evening’s radio interview. (S.R.)
Born in Scotland but known throughout the world as ‘Emerald Isla’ because of her close connection with this country, and possibly also because her Great, Great, Great Grandmother came from Glengarriff, there is no doubting that Isla Grant is now firmly established as an International Country Music Star.
From a dairy-farming background on the Scottish border, Isla Grant worked her way up the entertainment ladder to become a prolific singer-songwriter, now filling concert halls in faraway places such as Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. In fact in Australis, one of her songs is credited with ending a lengthy drought which was causing farmers to take their own lives.
On this week’s edition of ‘Where The Road Takes Me, John Greene invites you to hear her story, listen to her songs, and spend an hour in her company.
But her rise to stardom wasn’t trouble free. In June of 1992, a few months before she married, Isla and Al were involved in a horrific road crash, when a male driver on his incorrect side of the road hit them head-on. The serious injuries that she suffered paled into insignificance compared to dealing with the anxiety disorder Agrophobia, which re-surfaced as a result of the accident.
Faith in the Lord and the love and support of her husband enabled her to return to the stage after a five year absence, when it was initially feared that she would never sing again. The song ‘It’s a dream come true’, was written in thanksgiving.
The Isla Grant Story on this week’s edition of ‘Where the road takes me’ – Sunday evening next at 7pm on C103.
