In the 32 years since their hit 'I'm in the Mood for Dancing', the Nolans, Ireland's most famous singing siblings, have endured musical ridicule, philandering husbands, bereavements, and three cancer scares. Now, in a new group memoir titled 'Survivors', the sisters—Maureen, 56, Linda, 52, Bernie, 50, and Coleen, 47—have opened up about the dark legacy of their father Tommy Nolan, who sexually abused eldest sister Anne and was frequently violent.
The sisters were born to Tommy and Maureen Nolan, a husband-and-wife singing duo who had eight children. They performed professionally from an early age, often playing nightclubs while their father-manager drank at the bar. 'It was abnormal,' says Bernie. 'No wonder child working laws are so much stricter now.'
Tommy Nolan died in 1998 aged 78. A year later, Anne revealed her secret to her sisters, and in 2008 published a book about the abuse. 'Until that point, we swept everything under the carpet,' says Coleen. 'But you realise you want to be able to stand up and speak out.'
Bernie, however, disagrees with making the abuse public. 'I'd have kept it private,' she says. Linda adds that it must have been difficult for Anne, as everyone loved their father. The publication of Anne's book caused a rift within the family, but the sisters have now come together to tell their story.
