Michael Valentine "Val" Doonican, known professionally as Val Doonican, was born
on 3 February 1927 in Waterford, Ireland. He was a singer from a musical family
who began performing at the age of six and had his first taste of the spotlight
as a duo with Bruce Clarke in 1947. In 1951, he moved to England and joined The
Four Ramblers, appearing on BBC radio serials such as The Riders of the Range.
He left the group in 1960 to pursue a solo career, which began with appearances
on shows like Variety Bandbox and his own radio show, Your Date With Val, in
1961. His breakthrough came i...