Mick Mulhern is as much at home on the farm as he is on stages around Ireland. Raised in the ethos of the rural west, Mick has a small farm near Ballyvary close to Castlebar, in Mayo, and is always delighted to chat about the farming world.

“You could say I’m no stranger to the land and livestock. I have a suckler herd and I have always been familiar with life on the farm. It is easy to feel at home with the farming fraternity,” says Mick.

His main job as a sales representative with Technical Camera Services based in Castlebar (specialising in drain cameras) takes him from Donegal to Wexford and from Kerry up to Antrim.

“I’m well used to the roads at this stage. I seldom need to use a sat-nav. There are weeks that I clock hundreds of miles. You get to know and make friends all over the country,” adds Mick.

Mick’s debut album, Stormy Horizons, released in 2017, introduced him to country audiences outside his native Mayo. His second album, Souvenirs, consolidated his status as a fine interpreter of traditional country songs.

Tony Allen of Foster and Allen is a good friend and big supporter of Mick Mulhern. “He is a marvellous man and he loves and enjoys his music. Mick puts his own stamp on every song he sings which is very unusual.

“I recorded a duet with him, The Folks Out On The Road, which is on his most recent album. We are shooting a video for it in the coming weeks. Mick is very reliable and that is a great trait in any person,” says Tony.

Mick brings heart and soul to all his songs and his easy banter and wonderful stories sees him establish a great rapport with audiences. He became a close friend of the late great Big Tom and featured on the Nationwide tribute on RTÉ to Big Tom last week.

He is so much at home singing songs like When The Roses Bloom Again’, Stormy Horizons, Old Love Letters, Today I Started Loving You Again, the Merle Haggard classic, along with songs such as Blue Ridge Mountain Girl, Roseville Fair, Rose of Heart, Katie Daly, You Waltzed So Softly Through My Mind, all of which resonate in a special way with country aficionados.

Mick is doing a number of guest spots on shows around the island of Ireland in the coming months and is also recording a few new numbers for early release.

Muriel and Brendan duet

Fran Curry with the late Brendan Grace and Muriel O'Connor.

Some years prior to his passing in 2019, Brendan Grace joined Muriel O’Connor from Limerick in Gerald O’Donoghue’s Greenfields Studios in Headford to record a lovely version of My Elusive Dreams.

Muriel has just released the song as a radio play single and is overwhelmed with the early response.

“The song was brought to my attention some years ago by my good friend, Donal K O’Boyle, who died earlier this year, up in Donegal. He felt it was a duet number that would suit me if I got someone who could capture the mood of the song,” says Muriel.

“Brendan came to mind right away. I first got to know him when I worked with Aer Lingus at Shannon Airport. The Grace family had moved from Dublin to Cratloe and were regulars flying in and out of Shannon on their American trips.

“I later got to do the opening guest spots on some of Brendan’s shows which were a great experience for me as I was used to dancing shows rather than sit-down audiences before that.

"He was an absolute genius and would talk to everyone. What I loved about him was he was the same off stage as on stage and made time for everyone.”

My Elusive Dreams was composed by American writers Billy Sherrill and Curly Putman and was a No 1 country hit for Tammy Wynette and David Houston in 1967.

“Fran Curry and I shared many cherished moments and stages with Brendan over the years. This collaboration serves as a heartfelt tribute to our lasting friendship. We would like to extend our gratitude to Brendan’s wife, Eileen, for graciously permitting the release of this single in his memory,” adds Muriel.

Bundoran Weekend

Derry native Pat McKenna will host his Dancing Weekend in the Allingham Arms Hotel in Bundoran from 18-20 October.

The Maghera man made a countryside breakthrough around a decade ago when The Wind On The Hill became a major favourite on stations around the land.

Pat has recorded a number of popular albums since then and is a regular on the dancing and concert circuits. He is a special favourite with Kerry audiences and has featured on several of the Radio Kerry concerts in recent years.

Among those joining him for the weekend in Bundoran are Robert Mizzell, Eddie Gallagher, Ann McCrory, Shaun Loughrey, Liam McLaughlin, Bríd Gallagher and Robert Browne. Full details can be had by contacting the hotel on 071 9841075.

Margo heads home

Margo brings it all back home to Donegal when she headlines her own show in the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny on Thursday 10 October. This is the third and final show in the 2024 series, Margo-Celebrating 60 Years in Music, and it promises to be a gala night for the queen of Country and Irish music.

“I had to do the last show of the year in my home county,” says Margo. “We had two brilliant nights in Mayo and Kerry and I am now looking forward to another special one among my own folk up here.”

Joining Margo will be the Ryan Turner Band and guests David James and Shunie Crampsey.

Ticket are available by calling 074 91 22700.