Shadowing Practice: Tributes paid to country music icon Dolly Parton at Kerry pub | RTÉ News - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Now returning to the death of Dolly Parton, dozens of visitors have been paying their respects to the country music icon at Pau de O'Shea's pub in County Kerry today.
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The singer famously performed there in 1990, creating a long-standing connection between the singer and one of the kingdom's best known families.
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Dolly Parton in 1990 performing coat of many colours in Kerry GAA legend Paddy O'Shea's pub.
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It hasn't been washed since so.
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An unforgettable meeting of country music in Kerry football,
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which saw Dolly take home Paddy's 1985 All-Ireland Final jersey and leave behind an everlasting legacy.
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Now, some 36 years later, that legendary performance and the woman behind it is being remembered once again.
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I had no idea that she came here, so it's just like meant to be that we were in Dingle.
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I was a huge fan of her singing and songwriting, but I was also a huge fan of her philanthropy.
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To raise a Guinness to the one and only Dolly Parton has been really, really special for us.
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We just loved her and we grew up with her and she's amazing.
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And that affection continues to extend to the O'Shea family, almost four decades since Paddy and Dolly first crossed paths.
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Yeah, it's a wonderful story for us to have.
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Obviously the photos are hanging up and people are in on a daily basis
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and it's the main picture that catches the most attention
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and even today since we've opened this morning the amount of people coming in, American tourists even, to come in and see where she has performed.
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It's unbelievable.
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Plans are already underway here at Paddy O'Shea's to mark Dolly Parton's passing with a night of song, stories and celebration.
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A fitting Irish tribute to a country music icon and her astonishing connection to this small corner of West Kerry.
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Barry Gallagher, RT News, at Patio Shays pub in Cian Tra.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "Tributes paid to country music icon Dolly Parton at Kerry pub | RTÉ News" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.