Foster and Allen are known as two of the most laid-back gentlemen on the music circuit in Ireland. The easy-going nature of the duo from Westmeath is a special part of their enduring popularity that continues to attract major audiences to all their shows at home and overseas.
After almost 50 years on the circuit, Tony Allen has released his first solo album, a project that had its roots in the pandemic when the entire business ground to a halt.
“We all had time to think about things that might normally never cross our minds during our busy times,” says Tony.
“Gerard Dornan from Down had penned a song called Your Health Is Your Wealth, which seemed an appropriate number for that era. I recorded the song and later released it as a single and was delighted with the response. The idea for a full album began to take shape and Seamus Cullinane in Moate did a great job in the studio over a number of months. The end result is my debut solo album, Daydreams and Memories.”
The album features 16 songs delivered in Tony’s gentle and relaxed style, including the Willie Nelson classic, I Don’t Know A Thing About Love. There are duets with Hugo Duncan on Ghost Riders In The Sky and Four Strong Winds with Philomena Begley.
Tony has also included three new songs from Irish songwriters. Hearts Get Lost is fresh from the pen of Derek Ryan, while PJ Murrihy from Co Clare wrote A Song for Westmeath. The Town of Athlone, another fine composition by the genial Kevin Sheerin, will also feature as the next single from the album.
“Kevin’s song is proving popular on our local stations and is going down very well with people from around the Athlone area and those who know the town so well,” says Tony. “Mick (Foster) has released a number of trad albums over the years so maybe it was time I decided to do a solo one. We have been enjoying a very busy Irish tour over the last few weeks and it is wonderful to see such crowds still attending our shows after all the years.”
Passion for football
Away from the music scene, Tony has a passion for football and hurling. He can be seen at Westmeath matches around the country during the league and championship campaigns. “There’s nothing like supporting your team or county in the company of friends. We were down in Aughrim recently for the Westmeath versus Wicklow match. These are wonderful social occasions and I absolutely love them and look forward to the games week after week.
“Winning the inaugural Tailteann Cup in 2022 was a huge occasion for us. Having Kevin Maguire as captain, ‘our fella’ from Caulry as we call him, made it extra special. Thousands turned out for the homecoming in Mullingar. These are the days we cherish.”
Daydreams and Memories is out now.
The next date in the Foster and Allen 2024 Irish tour will be in Cappoquin Community Centre on 6 March, followed by dates in Roscarberry, Killarney, Bantry, Glanmire and Loughrea and finishing in the TF Royal in Castlebar on 15 March. For more information, fosterandallen.ie
Old Time Country Tour
The 2024 ‘Old Time Country Tour’ from Dublin to Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas takes place from 11-20 September, taking in some of the iconic venues associated with the music scene in the southern states.
Castlebar-based Eugene McDermott, who has organised the event for several years, is once again looking forward to bringing people from Ireland on this special guided tour to places that he has become intimately familiar with.
Graceland
First stop will be Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion and grounds in Memphis followed by a guided tour of Sun Studio where Elvis first recorded.
The trip also includes a visit to Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis, visiting the house where he spent his early days and also the church where Elvis first started singing gospel songs.
The group will visit the Dyess Colony in rural Arkansas where the Cash family moved in 1935. They’ll spend time at the restored boyhood home of Johnny Cash, which is set among the farming fields that have changed little over the decades.
Days and nights spent in Nashville will include a night at the Grand Ole Opry and special tours of the Ryman Theatre, the Country Hall of Fame, and the legendary RCA Studio B, where Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Bobby Bare, and a host of others recorded some of the most enduring songs in music history.
From Nashville, the group will travel to Pigeon Forge for two nights and spending time in Dollywood, one of the world’s foremost theme parks in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Full details from Eugene on 086 803 5558 or email oldtimecountrytours@yahoo.com
Country and gospel tour
Patrick Feeney is in the concluding stages of his ‘Country and Gospel Tour’ for 2024. The Sligo singer and his band have performed shows at various outlets around Ireland in recent weeks.
Patrick, who is a member of the Three Amigos along with Jimmy Buckley and Robert Mizzell, has been concentrating mainly on the concert circuit over the last year. He has a number of other dates along with various artists planned for later in the year. A new album including some well-known gospel standards is also due for release in the coming months.