Donal is a well-known optician, and his business, the Donal McNally chain of optician shops has 10 branches. He lives in Dublin and is married to Carolyn.

He has six children, Donal, Sheila, Ellen, Kevin, Bronagh and Niamh, four of whom work in the business.

John is a professional tenor based in Coogee, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.

He is married to his Irish wife Anne, and has a daughter Elizabeth, a son Austin, and three grandchildren aged 5, 3 and 1. John new album, Melodies of Love, is available from www. johnmcnally. net.

He will perform on Tuesday, 29 May at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, in aid of Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross.

For bookings call 01 417 0000 or log on to www. nch. ie.

Donal on John

John is the youngest in the family and I'm the second youngest, and there are three years between us. We did everything together and always got on very, very well. Our three elder brothers all went away as we got older and our sister was a nun, and she went to Botswana.

We used to sing together as boy sopranos and while I won the boy soprano award at the Feis Ceoil in 1947, John won the famous German Lieder competition. Unfortunately, my voice broke as I got older and didn't come back, but John's didn't and he was always a fantastic singer.

John and I were very keen on sports, and we ran for Clonliffe Harriers in the 100 yards, the 220 and the 440. We also played Gaelic football and hurling together. We went to secondary school in Limerick, on what was called a studendum, because believe it or not, we both had great aspirations back then of becoming priests! It was with the Redemptorist order, and in those days, they seconded young people at that stage to see if they were suitable. As it turned out, we were both unsuitable to join the priesthood, and they told us so!

I went on to study optometry at the College of Technology in Kevin Street, and John initially studied dentistry at Trinity before deciding after a year or two that it wasn't for him. So he also decided to become an optometrist. I qualified in 1960 and John qualified in 1963.

John always had a wonderful voice, and I was delighted when he became a professional singer. He went off to live in Australia, and I miss him when he's away, but we keep in very regular contact. We play a lot of golf together, and he's home now especially to play at the Island Golf Club, of which I'm a member.

He's also looking forward to seeing his great friend Christy O'Connor Snr next week, because he gives him lessons.

There's a great synergy between John and I, which is extraordinary. I always look forward to him coming home, and talking to him on the phone. I've only been over to visit him twice, but I hope one day to go over and see his three young grandsons.

When the National Concert Hall opened in Dublin, I thought John should come home to give a concert, and he did in 1984. The forthcoming concert will be his 21st concert there and, sadly, he's saying that it's going to be his last one.

John on Donal

There were really two separate families in our house when we were growing up, and because Donal and I were very absorbed in music, there was a real kinship and friendship between us. I never considered him to be an older brother, even though there's three years between us.

I've found myself very closely attached to Donal all my life, and I feel it's the same for him too. He was very much an influence on me, and the most important thing was that he encouraged me when I started singing and gave great support at the beginning of my career.

We both sang as children, and we were very much attached at that stage because we were very classically oriented in music. When I started singing Lieder and giving concerts, Donal used to come with me and he would play piano for other artists and sometimes for me, if I didn't have a pianist.

I didn't start singing immediately, because our mother said I needed a good steady job. I practised as an optometrist for four years and absolutely loved it. I think what Donal has achieved with his business here is unbelievable, because optics is a very competitive industry, and he has four of his children working with him now. As he says himself, you don't put on glasses to see any more, you put them on to look good. I'm still very interested in the whole area, and regularly read books on the eye.

I was singing in the Gaiety and at Jury's, and had a hit with 'Mary of the Morning' for Columbia records. I started singing more modern music and I went to Australia in 1971 for five weeks to do some concerts. I ended up staying because I was a guest on The Tonight Show there, and just after my appearance, the host, Simon Dee, quit after a disagreement with the producers. They asked me if I could come in and take over for one show and I ended up staying for four years, and it was the number one show in the ratings.

I miss my family and the culture of Ireland. My daughter, Liz McNally lived here for a few years, and was the voice of AA Roadwatch, known for her phrase "bumper-to bumper!" Donal and I are very close, and it's been of great benefit to me to have a brother on the ground here, who takes such an interest and is such a fan. More importantly, he's also a fantastic support on a personal level.

You can be very friendly with other people, but when you have a brother who's a blood relation, you can speak about your innermost thoughts, and the problems you may be having, and you know you'll get a sympathetic ear. The whole family will be at my concert this month, which, sadly, will be my farewell.

Although, Melba, the Australian singer gave 162 farewell concerts, so you never know.