Country tours to Tennessee and Arkansas

Eugene McDermott from Castlebar has been organising Old-Time Country Tours for many years now and his personal supervision and guidance has won him a core following who love his emphasis on the roots of the genre while also paying tribute to Elvis Presley.

Eugene and friends are heading back to America for their 2016 tour from 7-17 September. It is a scene he knows inside out.

It starts in Memphis, with special passes for Graceland Mansion and a guided tour of Sun Studios. The tour group will visit the restored boyhood home of Johnny Cash in Dyess, Arkansas. The Nashville experience will feature a night at the Grand Ole Opry, a trip on the General Jackson Steamboat, and visits to the Ryman Theatre and the Country Hall of Fame.

New on the itinerary this year is a visit to a Dude and Guest Ranch in Dunlap Tennessee. A Chuck Wagon meal will follow and the group can also kick their heels up at an old-fashioned barn dance. They will then spend two nights in Pigeon Forge, which will include a visit to Dolly Wood, located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. On the final day, they will visit Clinton, Tennessee, and tour the Museum of Appalachia. The evening will be spent at the Country Tonite Show, which has been voted the top show in the Smokies.

For further information, call Eugene on 094-902-3663 or 086-8035-558.

Mick saddened by death of Duke the dog

Country singer Mick Flavin is coming to terms with the passing of his beloved dog Duke. The Golden Labrador was a constant in Mick’s life for several years and featured in a video as well as on an RTÉ Nationwide interview with the Longford man.

“We had Duke for 14 years and he was truly part of the family,” says Mick. “People who have loyal dogs know what I mean when I say they really do become part of your life. I brought him all over the place in the jeep. You talk away to them all the time. It is a shocking sad feeling to lose a dog. You grieve for them and it takes a long while to get over it.”

Francie Flynn dies in Tuam

Another link with the golden era of the showbands was broken with the recent death of Francie Flynn. He died peacefully in the kind care of the staff at Galway Hospice. His brother Johnny was a legendary showband leader in the ’60s and ’70s with the Johnny Flynn Showband.

A third brother, Brendan, was also a member of the band. Francie, who is predeceased by his wife Della, will be sadly missed by his daughter Juliet and sons Francis, Joseph and Noel, the family circle, friends and former band colleagues.