WATCH out for The Murphys - they will be coming your way shortly. It's Ireland's own Murphys from the Kingdom of Kerry, a new country band that will be launched in a few weeks' time with family members who have all the attributes for success. Three gorgeous girls and their father Pat, who has experience from the showband era, having played with the likes of Brian Coll. Killorglin may be their hometown but, after spending some years in England, they are now based in Omagh and almost ready to hit the highways and byways of Ireland. "We will shortly add a keyboards player and a drummer and the band will be launched next month," reveals Castleblayney promoter Kevin McCooey who is managing the group. "Pat asked me to go along and listen to the girls and I was blown away with their sound. They write most of their own material. If you have something to say in music it gives you an edge and they have that. They have a lot going for them," he said. "They sing close harmony and are somewhat like the Dixie Chicks. Obviously, it will take them a few months to establish themselves but they have the talent to do that. "I don't really know why the family settled in Omagh when they returned from England, where two of the girls grew up, rather than going back to Kerry, but the northern part of Ireland has always been very strong in country music."
The girls are Cindy, Candy and Katie and they play a selection of musical instruments between them and dad Pat. Cindy is also the lead vocalist. They have a promotional single on YouTube, Streets of Promise, written, of course by them. It is certainly a promise of what is to come from The Murphys. "This is a song that means a lot to us and we have poured our hearts into it, from writing it to recording it. We aim to put the same heart and love, for what we do, into our live shows. Music is what we are," the girls say. The hugely popular Connemara Ring was written by Candy when she was just 16. That is quite a item to put on her CV. So too is the fact that the girls represented Ireland and the UK at the CMA Global Artists' Party in Nashville in 2008, when some of them were only teenagers.
DOMINIC KIRWAN has had another very successful summer in Britain and Ireland, when joined for many dates by Louise Morrissey. This weekend he wraps up with a concert tonight at The Braid, Ballymena, and tomorrow night he'll be in his home town of Omagh to entertain at The Strule Arts Centre. His release, Trying to Fall in Love, has also been a big favourite.
THERE is no Mayo fan more proud of the All-Ireland finalists than Gerry Guthrie and he will be a guest on Up for the Match on RTE tomorrow night when, no doubt, he'll entertain with his latest song Lefty Was Right After All.