Jacko's plan to live in Ireland

The King of Pop was considering moving to Ireland to find some normality from his crazy world.

One of the world’s most famous performers since he was just four years old, Michael Jackson took refuge here with his three children for over a month staying in two luxurious hideaways.

The singer fled to the Middle East after he was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005 and arrived in Ireland to escape the frenzy that surrounded him. During that time he viewed several properties in the Cork area with a view to living here, and also spent time in a recording studio in Mullingar.

The 50-year-old who died tragically yesterday from a suspected heart attack, spent time in Kinsale’s Ballinacurra House as he searched for a home here.

Owner Des McGahan today recalled seeing the superstar “moonwalking in the moonlight” as he practiced his famous moves in the estate after dark.

Describing him as a “perfect gentleman,” Mr McMahan's daughter now owns a painting given to her by the pop star's daughter Paris.

Another hideaway used by the superstar was the luxury Blackwater Castle in Castletownroche.

Patrick Nordstrom, owner of Blackwater Castle, described today how he offered Jackson and his three children “some normality from their crazy world.”

Mr Nordstrom said: “Having them in the house was a very normal experience in many ways, but it was also very weird.

“The children could play in the gardens because of the high walls. They really enjoyed it and you could tell they adored their father. Paris even proudly showed me a t-shirt with her dad’s picture on it, saying ‘that’s my dad’.

The world of showbusiness was in shock today after news that the man dubbed ‘Wacko Jacko’ had died began to sink in.

The biggest superstar in music played two concerts at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 1988.

The man who brought the superstar to Cork in 1988, promoter Oliver Barry said it was the most spectacular show Ireland had ever seen.

post-mortem examination was expected to take place today on the body of pop star who was pronounced dead at 2.26pm (10.26pm Irish time) after arriving at a Los Angeles hospital in full cardiac arrest.

This story courtesy of the Evening Echo