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Famous clan Mary Kennedy follows nephew Dermot's footsteps and releases a single

TV present Mary Kennedy and her sister Deirdre Expand

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TV present Mary Kennedy and her sister Deirdre

TV present Mary Kennedy and her sister Deirdre

TV present Mary Kennedy and her sister Deirdre

Eddie Rowley

TV celebrity Mary Kennedy is following in the footsteps of her chart-topping nephew Dermot by releasing her first single.

The former Nationwide presenter and Dancing with the Stars contestant has teamed up with her sister Deirdre on a charity song called Life Is A Beautiful Dance.

Penned by her friend, Irish songwriter Don Mescall, all funds will go to Family Carers.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday World, Mary (66) also reveals that she still needs to work, as she retired from RTÉ with "a small pension."

She says: "I didn't want to retire, but it wasn't just because I loved the work with Nationwide, it was because I only have a small pension. I was only a staff member in RTÉ for 15 years, so it was a question of needing to earn money as well.

Singer

"I'm not a big spender, but I just want to be able to have a nice life and not have to worry about money. And I know there are people who have to worry a lot more about money, and that is very, very hard and heartbreaking."

As for her latest role as a singer following a trail blazed by her hugely successful nephew Dermot Kennedy, Mary laughs: "Whatever about my sister Deirdre giving Dermot a run for his money, it certainly won't be me. Deirdre is certainly taking the lead as a singer on this song."

A patron of Family Carers with Marty Whelan, Mary said she was delighted to get the opportunity to record Life Is A Beautiful Dance for their benefit.

"There are 350,000 family carers in Ireland. Some of them are caring for elderly parents, some are caring for partners and some for children. Their whole lives revolve around the caring and the love.

"So we're releasing the single to raise awareness of Family Carers Ireland and hopefully raise some extra money."

  • You can download Life is a Beautiful Dance for 99 cent at all major digital retailers from next Friday. You can also make a donation through their website familycarers.ie.

Sunday World

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