Catch him if you can: Brendan Shine is still entertaining after 50 years

With 50 years of performing behind him and a glowing endorsement from a celebrity fan, Brendan Shine is still loving life as an entertainer, writes Ed Power

BRENDAN Shine nearly fell off his tractor when he discovered he had a fan in Dermot O’Leary, once and future host of The X Factor. In his 2014 memoir, the second generation Irishman cited Shine’s lilting ‘Catch Me If You Can’ as the song that had influenced him most profoundly in his life. As an eight-year old O’Leary was taken by his father to a performance by Shine in Essex only for the youngster to fall asleep before the singer got around to ‘Catch Me’.

In the book, he recounts missing the moment with the gravity of someone sharing a profound childhood trauma.