Ray Coleman with George Donaldson
George Donaldson may have been a Scot, but the Celtic Thunder lead singer, who died yesterday at the age of 46 of a massive heart attack, held a special place in the hearts of Philadelphia’s Irish community.
“He was a great man, down-to-earth, a good friend, great musician, was great craic to hang with,” said Raymond Coleman, a Tyrone-born musician now living in Philadelphia who often performed with Donaldson at the Plough and the Stars on Second Street.
Coleman recalled going out one night with Donaldson after their show. “And the great fella he was, we were out and didn’t get home till 4 in the morning. Jaclyn [Coleman’s wife] was pregnant and ready to pop, and we landed at my house and I didn’t have my key, so we banged on the door and Jaclyn came down and I was like, ‘George, you’re going through the door first, it’s your fault, you gotta take the blame and fair enough he did!”
It was also Donaldson who “got me in with those crazy Thunder Heads,” said Coleman, referring to Donaldson’s many fans, most of them female.
Like Maggie Costello of Philadelphia, who was part of the George Donaldson Street Team—a group that promotes concerts and events on a grassroots level—which now numbers about 1,200.
“George was a big bear of a man, his hugs were wonderful and given out to his fans and friends alike,” said Costello. “ He called his guy friends and costars in Celtic Thunder, “brother, , was loved by everyone who knew him. He was an extraordinary folksinger, song writer and history teacher to his fans. We learned more about Scottish history than if we took a college course, through his songs and stories. . .He wasn’t just a folksinger, he was our friend.”
One of his favorite books, she said, was “The Alchemist,” a novel about finding one’s own destiny. “He said it taught him it was never too late to follow your dream,” she said.
George Donaldson was one of nine children who grew up in Glasgow where he started his singing career in local pubs and clubs while working as a bus builder. In 2008, at the age of 39, he joined Celtic Thunder, a group introduced to Americans through many concert specials on PBS and which went on to gain international fame. But when he was home in Glasgow, in between tours, Donaldson still gigged at his local, Jinty’s, on Sunday night.
Margaret King met Donaldson in 2008 at WHYY in Philadelphia when he and his Celtic Thunder “brothers” were doing the first of many PBS specials and she was manning the phones along with others from the Cara School of Irish Dance in Delaware County. “They all got on the phones to talk to the people calling in and they were so nice to the dancers,” King recalled. She spent a little time talking to Donaldson during the breaks. “He was such a nice guy. He told me about his wife and daughter and how exciting it was to be starting this tour, which was their first.”
She even remembered some of the lyrics of the song he sang, called The Voyager. “Life is an ocean, love is a boat, In troubled waters, it keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you. Now, gathered ’round us, we have our own crew.”
“You could tell it that he meant it when he sang that song, that he was thinking of his wife and daughter who were at home.”
Donaldson leaves a wife, Carolyn, and a 13-year-old daughter, Sarah.
The Plough and the Stars, where many Philadelphians and others came to hear the big Scot sing and play, issued this statement on its Facebook page:
“George was a longtime friend of the Plough and was loved by his loyal and devoted fans who traveled here from all over the USA and even as far as Australia, his concerts at the Plough were always sold out. He was a gentleman. Good humored, kind and thoughtful, when we had to reconfigure the whole restaurant for his concert he was always amused and very patient. His concerts were a lot of fun, we will remember the good times during and after. I was talking to him this past Tuesday he was looking forward to playing at the Plough on 17th July it is shocking and tragic. May he rest in peace.”
View more photos of George Donaldson in Philadelphia, courtesy of Maggie Costello, Raymond Coleman, and Margaret King.
