Armed with his banjo, confident stage presence, and a voice made to sing Country Music, Fermanagh’s Paddy Treacy had long been a contender to reach the Glór Tíre Grand Final.
In the semi-final last week, 22-year-old Paddy delivered a performance that sent him into next week’s finale.
Paddy, from Lisnaskea, in the south of the county, impressed the judges, studio audience, and the voting public with his lively renditions of the Dessie O’Halloran song, ‘Say You Love Me’ and his take on Daniel O’Donnell’s ‘Walk On By’, which he sang in Irish.
Read more: Glor Tire finalist Conor Owens is balancing farming with his country music career
Read more: Glor Tire star John Mullan admits he shed a few tears at making it to the final
Paddy describes as “unbelievable” his progress throughout the competition. “It's been class from start to finish, all the way,” he says, “and getting to play with the Glór Tíre House Band was a big thing because they're probably the best Country musicians in Ireland.”
He is now preparing for the Glór Tíre Grand Final on Tuesday and his efforts have been further boosted by the support he has received from across Fermanagh.
“You walk down the street now and people say ‘Best of luck tonight’, just people recognising you,” he says.
“The whole thing in general has been brilliant, and also the response from Monaghan, Cavan, and Tyrone, all the border counties, has been brilliant. I have to say I'm very thankful for that.”
Whatever happens on the night of the Grand Final, Paddy, who is also an All-Ireland Banjo Champion, knows that being on Glór Tíre has raised his profile across the island of Ireland and given him a platform to push his career forward to the next level.
“The recognition off Glór Tíre already is brilliant,” he says. “It’s a massive stepping stone.
"That's why we're all here, to get recognized, and to get a bit of a name out there, and there is no better way to do it than this.”
For more information see www.tg4.ie and follow @glortire on social media for all of the latest news and updates.
Get the latest country music news, interviews and pictures straight to your phone by joining our exclusive Facebook page - here
