Country music has seldom enjoyed as many headline news stories as in 2014. From the Garth Brooks mania earlier this year, to the surging home scene, it really is the genre that has stolen the limelight in style.

TV3 gets in on the act next Wednesday night, 17 September, at 9pm, as Ciara Doherty will present an hour-long documentary called At Home with Country Music. The Letterkenny native goes on tour with some of the best-known country acts on the home scene these days.

Ciara meets artists Jimmy Buckley, Robert Mizzell, Lisa Mc Hugh and Derek Ryan, and goes behind the scenes as they gig and speaks to fans whose lives revolve around country music.

For those not familiar with the scene, this is a chance to experience the heartbeat of country music, that is very much alive and well and thriving around the island.

Young artists like Derek Ryan and Nathan Carter are leading a major revival and attracting a young fan base. But for years, country music has been firmly embedded in rural Ireland’s social scene, where it has a loyal and enthusiastic following. The very appearance of Big Tom McBride at any venue is greeted with a spontaneous standing ovation. The respect for the Monaghan man is huge. Country fans love their stars.

Ciara Doherty, who also compiled and presented the highly-acclaimed documentary about the Healy Rae family in Kerry some months ago, thoroughly enjoyed her time compiling this special show for TV3.

“Country music is a big scene in every county and part of the fabric of many parts in rural Ireland, but it is spreading more and more to the towns and cities. Country fans tend to almost idolise their chosen stars and know them on a first-name basis. This is unique to the country scene. You don’t find that close rapport in other genres.

“Most of the footage was shot in Donegal, Westmeath, Galway and Cavan, while we also visited the Olympia Theatre in Dublin for Derek Ryan’s concert in July, to confirm the appeal of country music in the city,” says Ciara.

Viewers will be treated to Jimmy Buckley doing an impromptu Elvis impersonation back home near Athenry.

“I spent an afternoon with Jimmy in Co Galway, where we also visited his greyhounds and kennels. It is a world away from the stages where he sings his country songs. We then see him performing to around 800 people at a dance in the Abbey Hotel in Donegal.

“We also visit Logue’s in Cransfort, Co Donegal, and meet Robert Mizzell and his band and speak to their followers. Robert tells us that a scene like this where bands can play seven nights a week from Malin Head to Mizen Head is unique to this country. No other genre of music can do this in Ireland.

“We also visit The Well in Moate and the studios of Mid West Radio in Mayo. It is impossible not to become aware that there are parallel worlds out there in relation to country music on the radio. Country fans keep saying they seldom, if ever, hear their artists and music on RTÉ, Today FM or Newstalk. They depend almost entirely on the regional radio services, where country music plays a major role in securing and maintaining high listinership figures.”

TV3 realise full well they too are assured of excellent viewing figures for At Home with Country Music on next Wednesday night. Ciara Doherty sums it up well.

“Everyone has got a little bit of country in them. There is the music, the songs and the lyrics are often so easy to relate to. The friendship and welcome among all age groups while we were working on this was palpable. Viewers are in for a real treat and this show should enhance the awareness and understanding of country music and why it remains such an enduring presence in Ireland.”

• At Home with Country Music goes out on TV3 on Wednesday night, September 17, between 9pm and 10pm.