Mary flies the country flag

Mary Dunphy is enjoying the country music trails. The daughter of the much-loved and late-lamented Sean Dunphy is one of the nine finalists in the current Glór Tíre series on TG4. Sean, who represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967, sang If I Could Choose. He came in second place that year. Sandy Jones won it for the UK with the Phil Coulter song, Puppet on a String.

Mary, who lives in Curragha near Ashbourne, is the only singer from Leinster in the current series. She works in a Ballyboughal nursing home and does some part-time singing at parties and other ventures in the region.

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Her brother, Brian, is a member of the ballad group, The High Kings, so the Dunphy musical tradition is in good hands. Mary has recorded some tracks to promote her appearance on the TV series, including I’m Gonna Be A Country Girl Again. Her mentor is Mick Flavin.