Swinging 60! Cliff marks milestone in Dublin

CLIFF Richard has thanked his Irish fans for always making him feel special as he embarked on his 60th anniversary tour.

The 77-year-old singer chose Ireland for his first live appearances since his high-profile legal battle with the BBC.

He told an enthusiastic Dublin crowd at the weekend that he had been ‘really nervous’ on the opening night of his tour in Killarney, Co. Kerry, on Thursday.

‘Dubliners have always made me feel welcome here but that was very special, thank you very much,’ he said after receiving rapturous applause at the 3Arena on Saturday night.

The crooner, pictured left at the concert, said the welcome was extra special because he had not played at the 3Arena, formerly the Point Theatre, for ‘a long, long time’.

The tour continued with a gig in Belfast last night and will move to a series of concerts across the UK and Denmark throughout this month.

The singer sued the BBC over coverage of a 2014 police raid on his home in Berkshire, southeast England, following a false child sex assault allegation.

Judge Anthony Mann ruled in Cliff’s favour in July following a trial at the High Court in London, and refused to grant the BBC permission to appeal. The singer was awarded £210,000 (€235,000) damages after the judge found the coverage was a ‘very serious’ invasion of his privacy.

Cliff strongly denied the abuse allegation and was never arrested. In June 2016, prosecutors announced he would face no charges.