Tony Allen to sing Kevin Sheerin's new Athlone song on TG4 series tomorrow
by David Flynn
A song about Athlone town will get a national airing on a new series of the country music show, ‘Viva Ceol Tire’ tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 9.30pm on TG4.
The song ‘Town of Athlone’ was written by acclaimed local songwriter Kevin Sheerin and will be sung by Tony Allen of Foster and Allen fame on the show.
‘Viva Ceol Tire’ is beginning its third series on the night, and its creator, Mick Bracken told the Westmeath Independent this week, that the first series began at the height of the pandemic in 2021, and the second season began in 2023.
Mick is a videographer for over 30 years and mostly shoots country music videos. His ‘Viva Ceol Tire’ series has featured many of the veteran Irish country stars as well as several new acts over the past five years.
“We were busy filming the show last year and I’m really looking forward to the first night which will feature Athlone town and Tony Allen singing Kevin Sheerin’s Athlone song,” said Mick. “We also have Carmel McLoughlin who is a good singer from Roscommon on the show, and we have Derek Ryan.”
He said there is a new act this year which will be an ‘as Gaeilge’ song on video, and this coming week it will be sung by Kelli McGrory. John Hogan will also sing on Tuesday night’s show, as will Nathan Carter, who Mick said will finish the show from Sligo!
“We will have six music acts on every half hour show and it will run on TG4 for twelve weeks,” said Mick, who comes from Dalystown, Westmeath. “The series was filmed all over Ireland in some beautiful scenic locations and we are delighted to feature many new artists who have never appeared on TG4 before. Our presenter Jó Ní Chéide returns once again, bringing her great knowledge and love of country music to the show.”
Mick filmed the Athlone sequence for the show around Church Street and Burgess Park beside the River Shannon.
“We had a local man, Tom Curtin who used to live in Moate in it, and Sandra Julian (of Dancezone Stage School, Moate) got a young couple for us,” said Mick. “Down through the years, Sandra has always provided kids for our videos.”
Mick said that among several of the acts on ‘Viva Ceol Tire’ over the coming weeks are artists such as Brendan Shine, Ray Lynam, Foster and Allen and Robert Mizzell as well as other Irish acts, Mike Denver, Louise Morrissey, David James, Declan Nerney, Mick Flavin, The Ward sisters, Nathan Carter and Claudia Buckley.
“There will be two ladies in every show, which will be 24 female acts over the twelve weeks, and many have never been on television before,” said Mick.