Daniel hosts Opry an Iúir

Daniel O’Donnell is master of ceremonies for the new series Opry an Iúir, filmed in front of audiences in Newry Town Hall. The show goes out on TG4 at 10.30pm on Wednesday nights throughout October, November and December. “I really enjoyed presenting Opry an Iúir again this year. The guests were all great. I got to sing a few songs in Irish. A first for me! It’s so good to have a show like this to showcase some of our great country stars,” says Daniel. This season features country stars Dominic Kirwan, Charlie Lansborough, Mike Denver, Louise Morrissey, Jim Devine and Johnny Brady. Daniel will join each artist on stage for a chat and a special duet performance. Some of the Irish traditional artists who will also feature on the series include Seamus Begley and Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill. Opry an Iúir is made with funding from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund. The series will air in January 2016 on BBC Northern Ireland.

Lisa’s debut album launch in Cookstown

Tyrone singer Lisa McCrory will launch her debut album at a gala dance in the Greenvale Hotel, Cookstown, on 29 October at 8.30pm. Lisa has been steadily building a profile in the Ulster region in the last few months and featured on the BBC Radio Ulster 40th birthday celebrations on the Country Afternoon show hosted by Hugo Duncan and Fr Brian D’Arcy. Joining her at the Greenvale will be Johnny Brady, Hugo Duncan, Barry Devlin, Liam Kelly and Country Harmony.

Abbeyleix show for Dylan’s cause

The Abbeyleix Manor Hotel will host a special night in support of Dylan’s Path to Walk on Friday, 16 October.

Dylan Towey is a four-year-old boy from Ballaghaderreen. He was born with cerebral palsy and has been accepted for life-changing surgery at St Louis Children’s Hospital for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy in Missouri. Various fundraising ventures, some of them supported by GAA players from Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo, have been held in recent months to help fund the surgery.

The Abbeyleix show will feature Theresa and The Stars from Wexford; Camillus Egerton (Mullingar); John McIntyre from Cavan; Aine Crehan from Galway and Mary Prendergast from Waterford. The compere is Kevin Lalor-Fitzpatrick from Raheen, Abbeyleix, who hosts his own Saturday show on Midlands Radio. Admission is just €10 and all support will be most welcome for this worthy cause.

Niamh sets her own style

Dear Someone is the title of the brand new album from Tyrone singer Niamh McGlinchey. She has enjoyed a major platform when performing as a guest on several of Nathan Carter’s concert shows on both sides of the Irish Sea. The 11-track album features a blend of new songs and standards, many of them with a nice acoustic feel. The album was produced by Jonathan Owens in Granard and features three of Niamh’s own songs.

The Nancy Sinatra hit, These Books Were Made For Walking, is featured here as is the Elvis classic Love Me Tender. There is also a fine rendition of the Don Williams number, Desperately.

The album features duets with Malachi Cush on the Johnny Cash standard It Ain’t Me Babe, and on Walking With My Love. This is the third album from Niamh and one that looks set to introduce her to a much wider audience.

PJ soldiers on

Clare farmer and entertainer PJ Murrihy has released his new album, Soldier On. PJ, who is also a prolific songwriter, has penned eight of the 15 songs in this collection, including the humorous I’m Not The Only Cowboy In The West.

PJ, whose breakthrough song two decades ago was When I Mowed Pat Murphy’s Meadow, covers a variety of themes and topics in his songs, while also showing a rich appreciation for songs from the country, folk and ballad traditions. Apart from his own songs, he has included such favourites as The Arkansas River, The Wind On The Hill, Fairweather Friends and She Lived Beside The Anner.

Musicians featured on the album include Frankie Gavin, Seamus Shannon, Dessie Hynes, Martin O’Malley, Eimear Howley, Gay Brazel and Johnny Carroll. PJ remains a popular attraction on the circuit, with gigs all over the country.

Soldier On is available at PJ’s gigs, in local record shops or direct from PJ at 087-688-7480.