Olivia Newton-John 'an absolute lady': Irish community remembers her visit in 1996
Olivia Newton John — in the middle at the back — on her vist to Donegal, surrounded by three generations of the Arnold family. Aisling Arnold, left, and Chloe Lattanzi, right, are at the front. Chloe was the only child of the late singer/actress. Picture: Aisling Arnold of Arnolds Hotel
Olivia Newton-John is known to millions as "Sandy from " but in the small coastal town of Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal, she is remembered as a warm and kind soul who fully immersed herself in the community when she went on holiday there in the 1990s.
Newton-John, who passed away on Monday at the age of 73, stayed at Arnold's Hotel in the heart of the village with her daughter Chloe, recording for the BBC show in 1996.
Aisling Arnold, who is the fourth generation of her family to own the 100-year-old hotel, told the she fondly recalls the week-long visit of Newton-John.
"I was only 10 when Olivia was here. Her daughter Chloe was around the same age as myself when she was here, so her and I became great pals during the visit. I was lucky enough to be able to go out horseback riding with them.
"Olivia herself was an absolute lady. She was very easy to look after. We have very fond memories of her. And I have very fond memories as a child. I was 10 and Chloe was 11 months younger than me. Chloe was a really nice girl and we used to write to each other. We were pen pals which was very exciting.
"Olivia Newton-John coming to the small village of Dunfanaghy — well there was just huge excitement. She was filming with the programme with [the late] Jill Dando.
"The camera crew and everything. It felt like Las Vegas with the flashing lights! It was absolutely fantastic."
Ms Arnold said the down-to-earth Newton-John immersed herself in the local community and was game for anything during her stay.
As part of the travel programme, Newton-John is shown riding on the beach with her daughter on a sunny day. She said she found the scenery to be breathtaking and had never imagined that Irish beaches could be so pretty.
In 2019, Newton-John visited Kildare as part of an exhibition at the Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons.
The collection included the iconic leather jacket and pants she wore in her role as Sandy from in 1978.
Martin Nolan, who is executive director and Co Owner of Julien's auctions, arranged her trip to Newbridge for the style icons exhibition in 2019.
He told RTÉ's that she was an "incredible, amazing, unselfish kind and thoughtful person."
"I can't emphasise that enough. She contacted us back in 2019 because she wanted to raise money for her cancer research wellness centre in Melbourne. She always said she was a 'thriver' during cancer and not a 'survivor.'
"We brought Olivia to Ireland with her husband John in July of 2019 to the Museum in Newbridge. She had the best time. She loved horses so she was right there on the Curragh."
Newton-John passed away on Monday, with her widower John Easterling confirming her death on social media.
“Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.
“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”
She is survived by her husband as well as her daughter Chloe Lattanzi.
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