Those of you that have been fans of Darren for a while will be aware that he has been very much involved with supporting the Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Medical Research Centre in Crumlin.
As many of you will know, back in October Darren faced the biggest physical challenge of his life to help the sick kids in Ireland. He joined up with TV Presenters Kathryn Thomas, Sile Seoige, Jenny Buckley, Comedians Alan Shortt and Karl Spain, 2FM DJ, Ruth Scott, Fitness Trainer Paul Byrne and friends of Crumlin children's hospital, to embark on the colossal climb up Mount Kilimanjaro.
Darren chose ‘5th High King’ little Adam O’Sullivan as his ‘hiking buddy’ to help and inspire him during the tough times on the climb.
Shortly after his return from Kilimanjaro, on the 29 October, Darren returned to the hospital to pull out the winning ticket in the Crumlin Annual Draw. We have just received these photos taken on the day.
Coming soon......
The climb for kids Kilimanjaro Challenge was all about raising money for the Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin. As the team faced the mental and physical challenges that were thrown at them, not least the altitude sickness, they were being followed every step of the way by a camera crew from RTE who were filming a documentary.
As Darren sat by the pool in Moshi Tanzaniq just before heading to the airport and home to his family he said that…..
"This has been the most gruelling, painful, physically and mentally torturous, and fulfilling week of my life"
His parting words were that his body felt like it had been hit by a train, but it had been worth it for the cause.
The documentary is due for screening soon, but as a taster a promo for the programme, with footage of the climb, has been added to YouTube.
You've all seen the videos of Darren the performer, now here's a chance to see Darren as you've never seen him before, as he prepares, climbs, and reaches the summit! Emotional times for all!
Just as soon as the details for the broadcasting of the full documentary are known, we will post them for you.
You can see all the videos and photos from the Kilimanjaro climb on Darren's official website.
As some of you may know, Darren is a huge fan of Richard Marx and considers him to be a genius as a songwriter and musician. Richard has just made the following offer on his YouTube profile.
"Hey fans & Youtube community! Which member of the Youtube community would you like to see me co-write a song with? Submit and vote up your favorite unsigned Youtube artist here and I will be choosing the next artist to work with by July 1st.
**Depending on schedules/locations, collaborations will happen either in person or virtually.
Hope to hear from you!"
Although Darren is a member of The High Kings, he is actually unsigned as a solo artist. Darren has worked with a number of songwriters over the years, Rodney Crowell and Tommy Byrnes to name but two. But to get the opportunity to write with Richard Marx would fulfil a dream and would be the ultimate song writing collaboration for him.
Darren has been nominated on Richard's page and now needs your votes to help him be in the running when Richard makes his decision.
If you have a YouTube account, please go to Richard Marx official YouTube channel and place your vote for Darren. If you don't have an account, please consider joining up, it only takes a couple of minutes and you don't need to upload videos. You could use it to save your favorites for Darren and the High Kings to make them easier to find in future.
You'll find Richards channel on the following link
If you scroll down past the featured video and playlists, you will come to the area where the nominations and voting takes place.
Over on the right, directly under the 'About' where Richard makes the appeal for nominations, you'll find a search box. Type in 'Darren Holden' and search him. His nominations will come up over to the left. Simply click the 'thumbs up' to register your vote.
If you want to give him another nomination, that is fine, But if you attach a video please use one of him performing one of his own songs and not perfoming with the signed The High Kings, or singing other cover songs. You will find his original music on Darren's Official YouTube in a playlist of his original songs.
We need to promote his songwriting skills to Richard Marx.
Darren will very much appreciate your votes to help put him in the running when Richard makes his choice for this dream prize.
What a great night! Brilliant hooking up with Josh Groban again and hearing his memories of "Movin' Out" from LA. Amazing singer and the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. What a performance!
Loved singing with Finbar Furey, class act and a true legend!!
HMV Grafton St tomorrow at 1pm. See ya there!
BTW, we had Adam, our 5th High King backstage with us tonight to calm the nerves. Lol
Darren
The High Kings with Finbar Furey and Declan O Rourke after The Late Late Show.
Don't forget the new High Kings 'Live In Ireland' album is now on sale in all good record stores in Ireland, and available on the Irish iTunes store for download.
You can order the CD direct from Celtic Collections for Ireland and International shipping.
"Hey everyone- The High Kings new album "Live in Ireland" will be released on Friday April 15th. Recorded at our November show at The Grand Canal Theatre.We are performing at EAST COAST FM's coffee morning this Friday in Roundwood Co Wicklow."
The High Kings are releasing a brand new Live album of 16 classic tracks.
The album includes some great new songs, as well as some old favorites!
YOU CAN PRE-ORDER ON THE LINK BELOW (incl. international shipping)
1. Rocky Road To Dublin 2. Finnegan's Wake 3. The Black Velvet Band 4. The Fields Of Athenry 5. Star Of County Down 6. Rare Auld Times 7. Joe Hill 8. Holy Ground 9. The Town I Loved So Well 10. Go Lassie Go / Dutchman 11. The Rising Of The Moon 12. Green Fields Of France 13. Red Is The Rose 14. As I Roved Out 15. Dirty Old Town 16. Leaving Of Liverpool
The US Spring Tour is now at an end, and we thought we would wrap it up with the story of the tour in Darren's own words.
Despite a heavy tour schedule, with 25 shows as well as radio and TV appearances, in 31 days, Darren has been very actively involved in keeping the fans up to date with news direct from the tour. He has personally written 54 status updates and recorded 7 video blogs making a huge contribution to helping his admin team keep his websites up to date with the latest news.
Here's the summary of the tour in Darren's own words..…
"About to board the plane bound for Chicago to kick off the HK US tour.
Milwaukee is the kick off point tomorrow night.
Let's get folked America!!"
"So I forgot how much I missed jetlag! Wide awake since 5am!! Arghh
2 hours in the gym and a fantastic breakfast later, and things look better!"
Tour Bus Video Blog
"In Minneapolis getting ready for tonights concert. Great appearance on NBC this morning. More Chicago tv tomorrow."
"The High Kings interviewed for the Milwaukee Irish Festival where they will be appearing in the summer."
"Amazing night in Minneapolis! What a loud and rowdy audience who braved the cold weather and roasted us with their approval! Loved it.
On to Chicago tonight, where we will have another TV slot tomorrow morning on WGN TV. Tune in after 11.20am.
Tomorrow nights show in the heritage Center is anything like our August appearance there, we should be in for one great night!!"
Chicago Video Blog
"Great night in Chicago. What a city! love it here.
On to Cincinnati tonight for our concert at The Music Hall tomorrow night.
Wonder if I can tune in WKRP when we get there?!
Old school kids...old school. Lol"
"Rainy Cincinnati Morning. Just about to head into the venue to use my new travel Golds Gym! ha ha"
"Great show tonight in Cincinnati! Amazing crowd who were with us all the way. X-Box FIFA on the bus now. Then on to Columbus for tomorrow nights show."
"Good morning from Columbus Ohio. Sitting in Starbucks and chilling with Brian. Raining again. Looking forward to tonights show!"
"Amazing audience tonight in Columbus! Really fantastic vibe. Great to see Anna, Michaela and the gang from Cleveland!!
On to Cleveland soon!"
"Good morning everyone. Cold and snowy here in Columbus. Catching the footie before the 2 hour drive to Cleveland for tonight's show. It usually rocks there, but tonight...."Cleveland Folks""
"Cleveland brought a lump to my throat so many times tonight. The loudest, rowdiest crowd so far on this tour. I loved more than every minute of it! Thank you to all our mid west fans who drove so many miles to be in the front row!! You know who you are! Amazing night!
On the way to Pittsburgh to a hotel and day off!"
"Good morning from Pittsburgh. Just did a cool interview with Jim Reed at The Boston Globe, that will run on the 11th. Heading to gym soon, and then its a whole day of nothing in the city! Ahhhhhhh........."
"Memory Lane is finally released today here in the USA. Exciting stuff coming up!
We are live at 'The Hard Rock Cafe" here in Pittsburgh tonight."
"Pittsburgh! What a night! One to remember for sure. Thanks to everyone who came the folk out tonight to the Hard rock Cafe!"
"Memory Lane" is the #1 World Music album on iTunes in the US!"
"I will be live on WBNY FM Radio here in Buffalo New York at 4pm."
"Thanks Buffalo! We had a blast! On to Scranton PA tonight."
"Good afternoon from Scranton PA. Another rainy day, but lots done already and raring to go for 8pm!!"
"Great night and crowd in Scranton PA. Brilliant night. On to Syracuse NY tonight!!"
"Syracuse! What can I say! Unbelievable audience who rocked hard from start to finish. Loved it!!
Thanks also to Brian for putting me on the spot for an impromptu rendition of "New York State of Mind"!!
Fantastic night!"
"Gym done, hungry now.......hmmm."
"Absolutely brilliant crowd tonight in Watertown NY. Mad for it and raring to go! Great atmosphere. On to Albany tonight!"
"Good morning from Albany New York. We are sold out tonight and ready to rock the Empire State! Bring it on!"
"Albany NY! What can I say! THE concert of the tour so far! An absolutely insane audience who wanted it bad tonight! Nights like this could last forever. Thank you to everyone who helped make this one to remember.
New York City- Here we come!!!!"
Albany Video Blog
Manhatten Video Blog
"Just finished a busy morning of PR for the new album in New York. Recorded the John Murray show from Carnegie Hall for RTE Radio 1 which will air this Thursday morning at 9am. We went straight from there to FOX TV for Live from The Strategy Room, where we met Thio and Kim from my favourite show "Sons Of Anarchy".
Big news is.This Thurs...day morning we will be appearing on The Regis and Kelli Show!!! Check it out!"
"Just back from seeing the legendary actor Steve Martin showcase his new Bluegrass album at the Highline Ballroom. What an incredible display of musicianship and comedy, and insane virtuosity from The Steep Canyon Band who were with him! Plus I got to hang with my dear friend Greg and catch up!
Only in NYC."
"Good morning New York. Its off to work we go. Sirius Radio at 9am, then WMUV FM Radio uptown."
"Getting geared up to perform at the 250th St Patricks Gala Ball at Chelsea Piers tonight. We are sharing the bill with none other than the bould Michael Flatley!"
"Just back from the gym and ready for another NYC day!
Just found out we are number 5 on Billboard World Music Chart!!!"
"Tune in tomorrow morning folks! America's biggest morning TV show....Here we come!!"
"Heading to Sullivan Hall for tonight's concert! NYC are you ready?
Looking forward to a coast to coast live performance with "Regis and Kelli" tomorrow morning on ABC!!"
"Wow! Thats the only way to describe the loudest audience so far on this tour. New York brought the party in style! Loved it. Great to see so many old friends there too. Sad to leave tomorrow, but we will go out with a bang on the Regis and Kelli Show!"
"Happy St Paddys Day everyone!!
We are on the way to ABC TV to appear on the Regis and Kelli Show!
Have a great day wherever you are."
"We rocked it out on Regis and Kelli!! They were way cool.
What a time we had. Amazing reaction from everyone!
On the bus to boston now! Exhausted.com"
Regis & Kelly Video Blog
"Boston!!! Holy Moly! What a crazy, out of this world audience that was. Brilliant night yet again! Hanging out with Boston's Finest after the show was a blast too! This week has been off the scale!"
Yale Video Blog
"Another amazing night at the legendary Toads Place in New Haven! Brilliant crowd who came to party! So many heroes adorned the walls of the venue tonight, from Billy Joel, to the Rolling Stones and The Stray Cats and James Taylor. Very cool night!
On to Providence, Rhode Island tonight!"
"Great crowd again tonight in Providence. Really enjoyed the show and seeing so many new fans/friends return to see us again on this tour!
On our way to Baltimore at the minute for tomorrow nights show, then a much needed day off!!"
"Good morning from sunny Baltimore MD. Ready to do it all over again tonight.
Baltimore rocked it last night! Great crowd and vibe. Enjoying a much needed day off at the King of Prussia Mall. Yikes!!!"
"I don't think I've ever eaten as much, or enjoyed a dining experience as much in years! Very cool night. Happy Birthday Brian!! Lol"
"Busy day, started off with another NBC performance here in Philadelphia, and tonight at 8pm we are live at The World Cafe!"
"Philly! You never let us down. Brilliant crowd yet again in the city of brotherly love. Good times! Brilliant night.
So great to see my good friend and publicist extraordinaire Amy Katz, hubby Jeremy and little Simon there! Brought back so many great "Movin' Out" memories.
We are rolling in to Alexandria Virginia tonight!"
Birchmere Video Blog
"Loved last nights show. Great crowd, great venue, good vibes all round.
But more importantly, my little hero Joshy rang me earlier to tell me he cycled his bike in the park without stableizer wheels!! Love it!!"
"Its almost midnight and we are rolling out of Mclean VA, bound for Roanoke, with a Walmart stop along the way!!! Yikes!! Only in America!"
"Another great night in Roanoke, Virginia. Very loud crowd who were more than part of the show! 5 shows to go, it's on to Norfolk now!"
"Thanks to the great crowd that turned out to see us in Norfolk tonight! It was a blast! On now to Clayton NC.
Tune in to 2FM tomorrow after 3pm, and depending on phone service you may just hear me on with Ruth and Paddy for a sec!"
"One of the best nights on this tour so far! A fantastic and warm audience, who made tonight a lot of fun. Great time! On to Charlotte!!"
"Thanks Charlotte! Beautiful Venue! Great to see our Ruth too!!"
"Beautiful day in Knoxville Tennessee. Just what we needed! 8pm show tonight and then on to Atlanta for the last day off!"
"Thank you Knoxville! Great crowd and great night! Can't believe there is only 1 show left on this tour! On to Atlanta for a day off tomorrow!"
"Got into Atlanta this morning. An hour and a half done in gym! Day off! Wahoo!!!"
"Just spent 2 lovely day's in the company of the amazing Brock's from TX. Very cool.
Well, the last show of the tour after almost 5 weeks on the road. Atlanta...are you ready!!"
"What can I say!! The end of an amazing US tour. I can't use the word "fans" anymore as we have made so many friends over the last 5 weeks! To think that this music can still connect with an American audience is fantastic, but to see it on the level that we have witnessed it, is just unreal!
26 show's in 30 day's! Yes, we are wiped, but thankful for the love and respect that the USA has shown yet again!!"
If you missed any of the tour updates, don't worry!
You can find all the photos from the tour in the US Tour album.
All the videos of the TV performances, as well as many fan videos of the live show, are available on a designated US Tour video page on Darren's official website
