Country legend Big Tom is being honoured with the Cong hands of fame award. Big Tom made the journey to Mayo last week to have the impressions taken and these will be unveiled in bronze on the wall beside The Quiet Man monument later this summer.

The stellar star of Irish country music, who stole the hearts of all on the Late Late Show country special in October, and whose tribute show on Irish TV generated a massive response, was delighted to accept the invitation from the committee in Cong.

“It is a lovely honour and I am also happy it is happening in one of my favourite parts of the country,” says Tom.

“The Quiet Man has always been a favourite of mine and I even recorded a song called The Ballad of Big John Wayne, which was written by my great friend Johnny McCauley.

“They unveiled a beautiful sculpture of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in Cong some time ago and it is very special to be honoured here beside them. We played in the dancehall in Cong many times back through the years.

“Rose and I stayed in Ashford Castle for a few days last year and the welcome we had from the staff was top class. Cong is a beautiful place and no wonder it was chosen as the main location for The Quiet Man. I want to thank Paddy Rock and Patrick Luskin for this special honour.”

Paddy Rock, who has pioneered the Cong hands of fame award accolades, says they were thrilled when Big Tom accepted their invitation.

“If ever there was a man on the Irish showbiz circuit who deserves to be honoured with this award, it is Big Tom. As a Dublin native living in these parts for many years, I have long been aware of the immense bond that people all over the country have with Big Tom”, said Paddy Rock.

“Tom is loved by people of all ages because he really is a national treasure. We are also honouring Daniel O’Donnell this year and we hope to have both Tom and Daniel present in Cong for the unveiling ceremony sometime in June or July.

Our first two inductees to these awards were Ryan Tubridy (RTÉ) and local girl Maria Walsh (Rose of Tralee 2014) last year,” stated Paddy.

Committee member Patrick Luskin from Cong, who operates the Corrib Cruises from Ashford Pier, says Big Tom has associations with Cong going back 40 years or more.

“When Tom steps out of the car in Cong, he is surrounded by people. They love him over here. We’ll have a great day in the village when Tom and Daniel attend the unveiling ceremony this summer. It should be some occasion.”

Other appearances

Big Tom will make a guest appearance at a cabaret/dance night in his home village of Oram on Thursday 28 January.

The show features The Cousins, a combination of the McBride family outreach, including Thomas, Dermot and Jerome McBride, Margaret Murray, Johnny Brady and the Davis Brothers, all of whom are related to each other. Other guests at this show, which is expected to attract a capacity crowd, include John Glenn, Margo O’Donnell, Declan Nerney, Sean Hughes and Pat McKenna. It starts at 9pm and is in support of a local community enterprise.