This group found out that looking as good as Dolly Parton takes more dedication than a “9 to 5” job.
A whole tribe of people in Kerry, Ireland, donned their biggest, blondest wigs and dusted off their cowboy boots to set the record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Dolly Parton.
A whopping 959 people dressed up as the iconic country singer for an event dubbed Dollyday Listowel.
The event’s chairperson, Cora O’Brien, led a team of 13 people dedicated to breaking the record to raise funds for local cancer charities The Kerry Hospice Foundation and Comfort For Chemo Kerry.
Cora explained: “The money raised will stay in our county and help people locally that need this service.
“The foundation has been instrumental in offering medical treatment, compassion, and dignity to those who are in the final stages of their life, some of us on the committee have witnessed this care first-hand and have had family members use this service.
“Comfort for Chemo Kerry‘s aim is to build and equip a state-of-the-art purpose-built chemotherapy unit for the people of Kerry.”
She added: “The choice to organize Dollyday as a charity event to benefit these charities is rooted in the shared values of compassion, community, and support for those who need it.
“These charities have a personal aspect for most of us involved in the committee and are close to our hearts.”
Almost 1,000 people got on board with the message, with men and women of all ages – the oldest was 93! - donning their best Dolly costumes to join in the fun.
But why did they choose Dolly?
We choose Dolly for a number of reasons; initially as we love her music, she is an icon, and is celebrated widely and we wanted to honour and celebrate her in our way. - Cora
“We felt it would be fun and would create a sense of excitement to dress up like Dolly. Her music is known worldwide, and she has a larger-than-life personality. Dolly is an inspiration and has many philanthropic endeavours.”
Listowel, where the event was held, is known for writers including Bryan MacMahon and John B. Keane, and the town holds a Writers’ Week each year to celebrate its literary achievements.
That provided another tie to Dolly, whose Imagination Library gifts books to children to inspire them to read more.
Cora added: “Dressing up as Dolly created a sense of excitement and creativity, it brought smiles, laughter and a sense of joy while also raising funds and awareness for the charities.”
The costumes on display ranged from more casual double denim looks to full on glamour, with some even giving a nod to the singer’s famous Playboy cover.
Cora said: “While I can’t predict Dolly Parton‘s personal reactions, based on her public persona, and known values, it’s likely that she would react positively to photos of people dressed up like her for a world record.”
Cora and her team spread the word for the attempt across social media and with online campaigns asking people to get involved, and were delighted to see how many people turned up.
The event was even attended by Eugene Naughton, President of the Dollywood Company, and got attention from media around the world.
A busker was on hand to sing some of Dolly’s biggest hits and people even rode through the town on horseback while dressed as the singer.
People also enjoyed some line dancing before gathering together for an emotional dove release ceremony, with birds representing lost loved ones and those currently going through cancer treatment.
Cora and her team previously set the record for largest gathering of people dressed as nuns with 1,436 people donning habits for Nunday Listowel in 2012.
She says the people of the town could have one more record in them but admits she’s not sure how they’d follow up an icon like Dolly.
Cora said: “There is a range of emotions at achieving a Guinness World Records title - accomplishment, excitement, joy, happiness, surprise, and pride to be part a of a team that brought all this together. It involved so many people that it’s a shared accomplishment, with all who took part.
“A huge thanks to everyone that took part and contributed to the charities.”
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