Top names in Country music for weekend festival in City

Fans of Country music are in for a treat this week when a line-up that includes Philomena Begley, Mike Denver, Louise Morrissey and rising star Johnny Brady will take over the ballroom of the City’s Clayton Hotel for the weekend,

A new state-of-the art dance floor being installed in the venue for the event.

The weekend will begin this Friday night with Johnny Brady and his and, plus Mike Denver and his band, with dancing from 10pm-2am.

“Johnny has built up a huge following in his two and a half years on the road and we felt the West of Ireland would be a good place for his Country show,” says his manager Linda Murphy of the decision to bring the event to Galway.

In his career to date, the Antrim singer has won numerous awards, and has been a mentor on TG4’s Ceol Tíre.

According to Linda, Johnny has earned himself the title ‘the gentleman of Country music’ for the courtesy and affection he shows to his fans, greeting people before shows, and staying on afterwards until he has met everybody who wants to talk to him. His energy-driven performances have earned him a huge following in Northern Ireland and a growing fanbase in the South.

He was reared a country music environment, as his mother and Big Tom are first cousins, and Johnny spent his childhood summers with his grandparents in Big Tom’s hometown of Castleblaney, Co Monaghan. While there he worked in the older singer’s pub, the Old Log Cabin. Little wonder, then, that Big Tom has been hugely supportive of Johnny. In addition to touring Ireland and the UK, Johnny has also performed on music tours to the sun in Europe, supporting the likes of Nathan Carter and Jimmy Buckley.

His high-profile gigs in Ireland include playing to 3,500 people at the Marquee in Drumlish Festival in Co Leitrim, last year. A busload of fans from Drumlish will be travelling to Galway for this weekend’s feast of music, while there will also be a contingent from Northern Ireland.

Following this Friday night’s show from Johnny Brady and his band and Mike Denver and his band, Saturday night will see Louise Morrissey, Brendan Quinn, Philomena Begley and Johnny and his band take to the stage. Again doors will open at 9pm with dancing from 10-2.

Sunday afternoon will feature Ciaran Rosney and Johnny and his band. Doors open at 1.30, with dancing from 2-4pm (children under 10 free).

Special weekend packages, which were available, are almost sold out, but tickets are still available for Friday and Saturday night and for Sundays afternoon.

Tickets for all shows are available at the door for €15.