Nice surprise for Lisa’s birthday

LisaMc — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:11:06 +0000

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. Over the past week I have had a few days off which has been nice.
Starting off the week with my birthday celebrations, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their lovely birthday requests on Highland Radio, messages on facebook, emails, cards and gifts, they were all lovely and I had a really nice day.
A big thank you to Crystal Swing, Philip English and also Caroline Walshe for my very tasty birthday cake which they presented to me half way through our concert in the Rhu Glen Country Club in County Kilkenny.
I made a great attempt at devouring the whole thing with several cups of tea within a couple of days!
On Tuesday it was back down to the Hazel Hotel in Monasterevin where I was appearing as a Special Guest for a charity concert with Midlands 103 radio station and presenter Joe Cooney. There was a tremendous amount of talent performing on the night including the adorable Simon Donegan Junior whom I believe is going to have a massive career ahead of him, the lovely Benn Sisters, dancing man Shaun Loughrey, Pam Jackson, Lisa Stanley, “God’s Plan” star Derek Ryan, myself and many many more.
I always really enjoy performing in the Hazel hotel as it is such a lovely place and John Kelly – the owner- works so hard and does a fantastic job from ensuring the sound, lights and stage are perfect to making sure everyone is fed and well looked after.
The night was a great success and I would like to make a special mention to Caroline Walshe who travelled all the way from Tipperary to be with us on the night it was great to see her there, and also Eunice Moran – who will be appearing with Mike Denver on this year’s Glor Tire competition it was nice to see them all. After Kildare, I travelled back home to Glasgow for a few days, I had a family wedding on Saturday and I’d like to say congratulations and thank you to Gerry and Tracy Coyle for such a brilliant day and also for asking me to sing at the ceremony. It was a fabulous day and it was really good to spend some time with all of my family and friends as I haven’t seen some of them for the past five months.
While I was over in Glasgow, I received wonderful news also. I am delighted to announce that my first single Old-Fashioned Girl has now reached number five in the European Country Music Charts after only four weeks of being in the charts. I was so excited when I received the news, fingers crossed it keeps going!
As well as this, we also had the lovely news of another addition to the family. I would like to say Congratulations to my cousin Donna and Lawrence Peoples on the birth of your gorgeous baby girl Sarah.
I haven’t had the chance to meet baby Sarah yet as I’ve been away but I have seen plenty of pictures and she is gorgeous and I cannot wait to meet her. Over the next few weeks I’ll be concentrating on finishing my latest album and working hard on a lot of plans and goals I want to achieve over the next few months.
Don’t worry though I’ll keep you all up to date with it all so please make sure you keep purchasing your weekly Donegal News onMonday for all the latest information.
Until next week, take care

Great sing song in Mickey’s Bar, Gweedore

LisaMc — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:05:55 +0000

This week brought a few different activities to light and it was great fun. In between travelling up and down the country performing, I managed to squeeze in some time off to spend with family and friends and also even managing a national television appearance.
After a run of 15 continuous dates over the past couple of weeks, I was glad to have a few days off to relax a little and spend some time with my family and friends who are over on holidays.
Things have been incredibly busy for me over the past while and although I do get tired with all the travelling, I’m having an absolute ball and wouldn’t change it for the world, fingers crossed it lasts!
Once I had finished my spot in The Hazel Hotel, Monasterevin, Co Kildare, on Saturday, I decided to tackle the four-hour journey home instead of waiting till Sunday.
Even though I didn’t get home until 6am, I was glad of my own bed when I finally got into it. I had just enough time to recharge the batteries and then I was off to Falcarragh for a few days.
My two brothers Joe and Chrissy and also a few friends had organised a night out on Sunday which I had been looking forward to all week.
So we all headed to Gweedore to spend the night, starting in Seán Og’s then we shifted to The Dodge nightclub and then finished the night in a pub called Mickey’s.
In all of my years travelling over to Ireland and spending a lot of time in Gweedore visiting family friends, I have to admit, I had never came across Mickey’s in my life but we had a great night. The band had just finished when we arrived but the sing song was only beginning.
I was delighted when the owners and many people in the pub recognised me but even more so when they told me they were big fans and also faithful readers of my weekly column Country Girl .
It really does mean a lot when people go out of their way to congratulate you and let you know they are really interested in what I have and continue to work so hard on.
The sing song was great and we managed to get the whole pub singing along and even a few dancers which was great. I’d like to say a huge hello to Owenie Harkin and Mairéad O’Toole whom I met on the night and I hope to see them again very soon.
On Tuesday night I was on a television programme called A little bit of Ireland which was aired on sky channel 201.
The programmes host is a lovely man called Richard O’Brien and joining me on the show was the world class Isla Grant and rising stars Gerry Flanagan and Alastair Coyles.
The show went very well and once we all had a short interview with Richard, I performed my latest single I’m a little bit lonely which went down very well with the audience.
I’d like to thank all of you who tuned in to the show I hope you enjoyed it and for those of you who didn’t get a chance to see it, you can view my interview and also my performance of my latest single on www.youtube.com/lisamchughdotcom.
On then I went to the Summer Country Dinner Dance in The Milford Inn Hotel. I had the pleasure of being in the company of the legendary Frank McCaffrey, lovely Tony Kerr, the new voice and image of Country Music Nathan Carter and Derry born star Jason McGilligan.
So I was doing it for the girls again on the night and I had great fun. The show started with the unmistakable voice of Frank McCaffrey who did a brilliant job warming up the crowd, next in line was Jason McGilligan who wowed the crowd with his latest hits.
I believe Jason will be releasing a brand new album very soon so make sure you keep an eye out for it as it’s sure to be a great album.
It was then time for me to take to the stage and keep the crowd going for the duration of my spot and I can gladly say I succeeded.
After a short interval the great Tony Kerr entertained the lively crowd and the night was finished off with a bang when Liverpool born star Nathan Carter closed the show.
The night was a great success and I would like to say a big thank you to Seamus, Mary, John, Julie, Paul, Lindsay, Terry and Lisa who came along to support us on the night.
I would also like to say a special hello to the two Ciaran Sweeneys, our youngest and best dancers we had on the night and not forgetting all the gang who came all the way from Gweedore to be with us.
I promise I will sing Buchaill On Eirne especially for you the next time you come to one of my gigs.
The next few days were not as close to home as the Milford Inn, it was quite the opposite really as we travelled five hours down to Waterford for another Crystal Swing event.
I would normally just jump into my little car, turn up the CD player and keep driving until I hear my little sat nav lady (whom I’ve christened Bernie) shouts out to me ‘You have now arrived at your destination’ and that’s when a smile comes across my face.
Poor Bernie works awfully hard and at times can take a high level of abuse like when she tells me my journey in total will be five hours long.
But it wasn’t only Bernie’s voice I had gibbering on throughout the journey, I had my mum and dad along with me, so between Bernie’s Dublin voice shouting at me to turn a different direction every five minutes, my dad’s Tyrone jokes and my mum trying to shout over the two of them, the car journey was eventful to say the least!
But we made it in one piece and the show was yet again a wonderful success and I hope we can get back down to Waterford again soon as it really is a beautiful place.
The five-hour drive had to be accomplished again after the show as I had to be in Co Tyrone on Saturday afternoon for the Killeter Fair.
It was my first time performing at the fair and I hope it wasn’t my last.
The whole thing was so well organised and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved from the organisers, the backing band to everyone who came to support.
This week I will be covering a few miles once again but I will start off tonight by celebrating my birthday with my friends and family.
I am now another year older and I hope the next year will be as fulfilling and successful as the last one. Tomorrow night I am returning to The Hazel Hotel for a big night with a host of other fantastic artists including Shaun Loughrey, The Benn Sisters, Pam Jackson, Simon Donegan, Lisa Stanley and Derek Ryan.
It’s sure to be a brilliant night and I’m really looking forward to it.
Later in the week I will be returning back to Glasgow for a few days to perform at a few private functions over the weekend so until next week I hope you have a great week and take care.

Don’t forget to check out all the latest news and information on our Lisa’s website www.lisa-mchugh.com

The McHughs head for Arranmore

LisaMc — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:43:36 +0000

A very busy but fun week has been had this week. Since my last column, I feel like I haven’t stopped but I have had a ball.
On Monday I had the pleasure of going to Arranmore Island to raise funds for the purchasing of a defibrillator for the ambulance service on the island which is run on a voluntary basis.
Although I have been over and back to Ireland since I was a baby, I hadn’t ever been to Arranmore and I was really looking forward to it.
So many people told me to wrap up warm and pray for a calm day so I wasn’t really sure of what to expect. As all of my family are over from Glasgow on their holidays, they decided to join me in Arranmore as they had never been either.
So my brother Christopher and I went in my car to catch the boat while my mum, dad, sister Celia, brother Joe, sister in law Joanne and my two nephews Aidan and Lucas went on as foot passengers.
However, what I didn’t realise was that if you were taking your car over to the island, you do not actually get out of the car for the duration of the crossing.
Now I am not normally a bad traveller but I had never been on a boat with the cars jammed together so close you cant open your door, and you can see over the edge of the boat out of the car window, not fully, but just enough to see the waves splashing.
It wasn’t until Christopher said to me half way through the crossing “You know if this boat decides to get into a bit of bother we’re not actually going to get far without being able to open any doors?”
The only hope we had was to put the roof down! So with that running through my mind, the whole motion of the boat swaying from side to side and with us only being able to see slightly over the side of the boat, you can imagine the colour of our faces when we reached the island!
Once we came round and landed safely on dry ground it was time to explore! It was really busy and it was such a lovely place.
I really wanted to spend a good while on the island but we didn’t have enough time that day as I had to be back straight after doing my spot.
But, I will be back again soon and this time I will make sure I’m a foot passenger. The day went really well and I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Josie Cannon from Dunlewey for backing me on the day and doing such a great job, and also Thomas Costello and everyone involved for doing a brilliant job organising the whole event. I hope to be back again very soon.
After Arranmore, it was on to Warrenpoint in Co Down on Tuesday for another live outside Broadcast with the wee man from Strabane, Hugo Duncan.
My brother Joe came with me this time and done all the driving which was a bonus for me as it meant I could get a little sleep on the way.
On the show was myself, the lovely C.C Cooper, Triona Allen, Foster & Allen, Bend Them Strings, Boxcar Brian and not forgetting the very talented Country Harmony who played for everyone.
There were so many people around the place and there was even a dance floor which was greatly used throughout the afternoon.
It was another successful broadcast and I’d like to thank Hugo & all of the team for inviting me along and doing such a great job!
Wednesday brought us some sunshine for a change and it was just what I wanted! With all of my family over at the minute from Glasgow, I decided to spend a couple of nights down in Falcarragh to spend a bit of time with them.
As you all know we had a big night in Falcarragh on Wednesday night in The Ostan Loch Altan so with me staying in Falcarragh it meant I was closer to the hotel to get things organised.
But before we got down to business it was time to have a little fun and make use of the nice weather we had! It was jet ski time and although the sun was shining the water was still absolutely freezing even with a wet suit on.
It was wild! The craic was good and we all had a shot on the jet ski, some of us even managing to fall off a few times giving the rest of us a good laugh.
Once we were all too cold to continue we called it a day and parked up the jet ski to get ready to head over to the hotel.
There was a good crowd around the hotel when we landed which gave us good vibes that it was going to be a good night!
The night kicked off with the great John Cannon and very talented Diane Cannon. They warmed the crowd up brilliantly and had them all out on the floor dancing from the beginning it was great. Diane even performed her latest single live on the night and it went down a storm.
Hopefully she will be bringing out many more to come as I think she has a fantastic voice and is such a lovely person.
Once the crowd were rearing to go I took to the stage performing my latest single “I’m a little bit Lonely” as well as all of the well-known classics.
The floor was full from start to finish and I thoroughly enjoyed performing for a lot of the people who mean a lot to me.
Once I had done my hour it was time for Nathan Carter to close the show and he done a brilliant job. It was his first time down to Falcarragh and he went down a storm so I don’t think it will be his last time either.
There was over 400 people there on the night which was really great for a Wednesday night. I would like to say a massive thank you to my mum and dad and also Mick Coyle, John Shusie Gallagher, John Cannon, all of the committee, The staff and everyone at the Ostan Loch Altan hotel as well as all of the performers on the night but most of all I would like to thank all of you who came out to support us on the night especially my good friend Donal K O’Boyle, my family friends Joe and Bridget Coyle and not forgetting the lovely Aine Sweeney.
It really was a great night and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
You never know we might even organise another night soon.
On Thursday it was on the Strand Hotel in Ballyliffin where I performed with my good friend Brian Kerrigan. The night went really well and I’d like to say a big hello to Monica and Harry Brown & all the gang for coming all the way from Glasgow to see us, it was great to see them all. Friday was on to the T.F Royal Theatre in Castlebar with Crystal Swing and Saturday we returned to The Hazel Hotel – Monasterevin.
Both nights were a massive success and we even had the pleasure of the lovely C.C Cooper who joined us for the show in The Hazel Hotel and she really put on a great show!
This week you can find me on firstly a television programme called “A Little Bit Of Ireland” which will be aired on sky channel 201 on Tuesday evening, Wednesday night I will be taking part in The Summer Country Concert in the Milford Inn Hotel along with a list of other fabulous acts, Friday I will be along with Crystal Swing in the Rhu Glen in Waterford, Saturday afternoon I will in The Killeter Fair and on Saturday night we take the Crystal Swing tour to Sionmills. So I hope to see you at some of these events.
Don’t forget all of my tour date details are updated all of the time on my website www.lisa-mchugh.com so please confirm all dates on the website before starting your travels.

Until next week, take care

Catching up with Daniel in Derry

LisaMc — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:52:54 +0000

Well, what a week I have had. So much excitement rolled into a short space of time its been great. Ill start off by telling you all about my night in Dungloe Main Street on Tuesday night.
As you all know the Mary From Dungloe Festival started on Saturday 24th July and continues through to Sunday 1st August and I have to say it really is a well organised festival and I would like to congratulate Trice Gallagher and all of the team for doing such a good job.
As I mentioned in last weeks column I performed at the Dungloe Hospital garden Fete on Sunday which was a great success, but I returned again on Tuesday evening to the main stage on the Main Street.
While we were setting up on stage, there was the 5k race taking place and I have to say I was out of breath just watching them!
There were so many familiar faces running past that I have known for years from the times I used to be at the festival with my cousin Marissa Coyle, and I would like to say a big congratulations to everyone involved in the 5k race, I might join you next year but ill have to start training now for it or else ill be crawling behind you all!
As the crowds gathered, the first act of the night took to the stage which was local man PJ Sweeney who kicked the show off with a great start, next in line was myself.
I was delighted to be back on the Main Street stage again as last years event was so successful and even though it poured from the heavens, it didn’t shift any of the country music lovers.
Luckily this year there was no rain when I was on and the crowds began to grow by the minute it was nice to see.
I’d like to say a big thank you to John and Margaret Coyle, Bridie McBride, Mick and Una Coyle, John Duggan and Moya Mulhern, John Paul and Sinead Coyle and finally Colleen Morgan, Paul McBride and all of the gang from Glasgow who came out to support us that night.
On stage with me was my good friend Brian Kerrigan who done a brilliant job as always backing me for my set including my latest single “I’m A Little Bit Lonely” and also the tongue twisting “Buchaill On Eirne”.
I was a little nervous about performing in Gaelic as I knew that the majority of the audience would have fluent Gaelic but I gave it my best shot and it went down a storm as the crowd erupted when I finished.
Next in the big lights was the lovely Elaine Boyle who sang all of the well known hits including the floor filler “Galway Girl”.
Elaine put on a brilliant show and the crowd weren’t slow in showing their appreciation. And the final act on the Main Street was the one and only Sean McMonigle.
It was my first time hearing Sean in person and I thought he was fantastic and a pure gentleman also, it was great to meet him.
Once things ended outside we took the craic indoors to the Midway Bar were Johnny Haughey and Brian Kerrigan started the music again.
The place was jammed and everyone was in great form especially the Armagh Mary and The Down Mary who were up dancing all night.
As well as Johnny & Brian we had the pleasure of listening to a young girl of 12 from Drogheda called Eimear.
I could not get over her confidence at such a young age, she hadn’t a nervous bone in her body which is a good thing and I can see us hearing and seeing a lot more of her in the future.
After Eimear, I was asked back up to sing another few songs which I was more than happy to do. The night was great fun and I’m hoping to get back down again later in the week to have some more fun!
The highlight of my week was on Wednesday night when my good friend Nathan Carter and I went to see the Daniel O’Donnell concert in Derry.
I hadn’t been to see Daniel in concert in a while and I knew Nathan hadn’t either so we decided we would go along to the concert in Derry and I am so glad we did.
There wasn’t an empty seat to be seen and everyone was so lively from the minute Daniel stepped on stage.
He sang all of his classics and had the whole place clapping and singing along with him, he was just up for having the craic and he made sure everyone had a brilliant night.
The great thing is, no matter who you speak to about Daniel, they all say he has not changed since the day he started and it is so true!
From the days me, my mum and dad and all of the family used to visit him for tea in The Viking House Hotel in Kincasslagh, no matter where he is or how busy he is he will always go out of his way to say hello to everyone and find out how everyone is.
Naturally I was delighted when half way through his concert he stopped to see where we were sitting so he could say hello.
After the show had finished we were about to head home when Daniel’s manager came over and asked us to go back stage to have a chat with Daniel and Mary Duff and all of the band we were thrilled!
It was a great opportunity to ask the man at the top of the ladder for some advice and also getting the chance to speak to Mary about her experiences starting off.
It’s so nice to know that even the most successful stars of country music are more than happy to offer any help and advice they can to the newer acts hoping to break into the scene. As if that wasn’t enough excitement, I was then asked to be part of Hugo Duncan’s outside broadcast in Dungloe where Daniel and Majella and a host of well known performers were at. As you can all imagine the place was absolutely mobbed.
We were then into the weekend and what a big weekend in Donegal it was. The Country Fest weekend was held in the Clanree Complex on Saturday and Sunday.
I was performing on Saturday evening in Legends Corner. I had a lot of my family there to support me and I met so many lovely people who were wishing me all the luck in the world with my career which is so nice to hear.
The music kicked off at 1pm right through to 11pm on both days with all of the top acts in Ireland and also the famous Gene Watson, Hal Ketchum and so many other fabulous entertainers. The whole weekend was a great success and I am really looking forward to next year’s already as I’m sure all of you are!
Today I’m on Arranmore Island to raise funds for the purchasing of a defibrillator for the ambulance service on the island which is run on a voluntary basis.
There are a number of events on the day including a Honda 50 run, a tractor cade, a display of rally cars, bouncy castle, and BBQ.
There will also be musical entertainment from myself, Josie cannon, The McDaid family, Arranmore Pipe Band, Cloughaneely Band and some local talent to name but a few which will be taking place on the gig rig.
It’s sure to be a great day and also if any of you may be interested in coming along for the day give the events organiser Thomas Costello a call on 087-8608776 for more information.
This week I am looking forward to a number of gigs, including the Big Night Not To Be Missed in The Ostan Loch Altan Hotel – Gortahork on Wednesday, August 4.
Come along to hear Nathan Carter and his band along with myself and not forgetting the great John and Diane Cannon who will be entertaining you for the night.
Tickets are €10 each and can be purchased from the hotel reception, Link2 Letterkenny and also Books and Charts in Dungloe.
Tickets are selling fast so please do make sure and purchase yours while you still can!
I will also be in The Strand Hotel in Ballyliffin on Thursday night from 12-2am along with Brian Kerrigan, so please do come along and join us for a good night.
On Friday night, its back to my tour with Crystal Swing. We are returning to the lovely T.F Royal Theatre in Castlebar.
Our first concert in the T.F in May was such a success we are bringing it back again. And finally on Saturday we will be in The Hazel Hotel in Monesterevin Co. Kildare which I am really looking forward to. I have a few family and friends joining me for that weekend so it’s bound to be a good one!
I hope you all take care until next week and I hope you will come to some of my dates near you, I would love to see you there.
Don’t forget all of my latest information on myself, my music and dates are on my website www.lisa-mchugh.com, why not check it out!

Great night in Dunfanaghy

LisaMc — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:46:18 +0000

Over the past few days I have been doing quite a bit of traveling. Earlier in the week I was down in Roscommon doing some work on my new album which I am really excited about.
I love being back in the studio recording again and although there is still a lot of work to do yet, I am really happy with what we have done so far.
My aim is to have it all finished by the end of August or early September and then have a few album launches around the country which I hope some of you will come along to.
I will let you know exact dates and venues very soon so please do keep up to date with my weekly column.
After a few days in the studio it was back up to Donegal again for a concert in the Ozanam Community Centre in Dunfanaghy.
There was a host of fantastic artists on the night. The first to kick off the show was the great Jason McGilligan giving us a fabulous show including a super rendition of his latest single When my blue moon turns to gold again.
Next in line was myself performing a few of the well-known classics including Old-fashioned Girl which has had a tremendous amount of airplay.
We then sang along to the lovely Donal McDevitt before finishing off the first half with the one and only Louise Morrissey.
The second half was certainly no disappointment as the whole crowd clapped along to the lively set of Shaun Loughrey and did not let up while two of the nicest girls in the business took to the stage – The Benn Sisters.
Local star Eddie Gallagher went down a storm singing Buck Owen’s hits including Open up your heart and of course we had the Gweedore man himself Seamus McGee.
In between all of these fantastic artists we had The wee man from Strabane Hugo Duncan to entertain everyone and compere the entire night.
The audience looked to be having a brilliant night and they did not hold back on the purchasing of the CDs, so much so they actually bought me out!
It came to a point where I had to steal my mum and dad’s copy of my album to give to someone who really wanted to buy it.
It was a brilliant night for me as well as all of the artists and I was so glad to be performing so close to my third hometown, Falcarragh.
I would like to make a special mention to my cousin The one and only Una Coyle from Falcarragh who was there with all of her friends, also Donal K. O’Boyle who is a great supporter of Country music, and not forgetting Maire Rua, her daughter Mary Theresa and husband Dom. It was great to see so many familiar faces there.
The traveling then continued a little further down the country on Friday as we headed to Tipperary for the start of our second Crystal Swing Tour.
Due the fact I had a six-hour drive to do before arriving in Tipperary, I decided to drive down on the Friday and attend the Hazel Tree in Mallow where Patrick Feeney and his band were playing for the night and I was so glad I did.
The place was jammed and the dancefloor was full from the first song which was great. Patrick has a brilliant voice as well as being a lovely person and he put on a great show with his band.
On Saturday afternoon, I had a radio interview in Tipperary with Tipperary Mid West Radio’s presenter Mossey Ritcherson which went great and I couldn’t believe how many people were texting and phoning into the show to wish me the best of luck with everything.
It was lovely to know that I have fans all the way down in Tipperary and I hope I meet some of them very soon.
Once we were fed and watered, I headed on to Kilross where the concert was being held. It was great to see everyone again and catch up with what they had been up to over the past couple of months.
The show was a great success and it really set us up for a brilliant few weeks to come. All of the coming tour dates for myself as well as the Crystal swing tour are all on my website www.lisa-mchugh.com, I hope you’ll check them out and come to see us somewhere near you.
After our show I had to drive all the way back up to Letterkenny again as I was performing at the Dungloe Hospital Garden Fete along with Michael Cleary and Briege and also Johnny Haughey. I was really pleased to see such a big crowd there to support the hospital and we raised a tremendous amount of money which was fantastic.
Those of you who have been reading my column every week will have noticed I have mentioned a big night which is coming up on Wednesday, August 4.
Due to massive demand, my mum and dad and the committee in Gortahork are organising another big night in The Ostan Loch Altan.
A few months ago they organised a night with local talent as well as myself in the hotel to raise funds for the Haiti disaster which was unbelievably successful.
There was 1200 people there and we managed to raise so much money. But this time, for one night only, Nathan Carter and his band and myself will take to the stage to entertain you.
On stage before us will be local stars John and Diane Cannon.
Tickets are €10 each and can be purchased from the hotel reception, Link2 Letterkenny and Books & Charts in Dungloe. This is a night not to be missed so please do purchase your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Until next week, Take care

‘Sky’ is the limit for our Lisa

LisaMc — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:01:19 +0000

The summer is here finally and the only reason I know that is because we’ve had so much rain over the past few days.
I hope it’s not stopping you going out and making the most of things though! It’s certainly not stopped me but it has put a damper on things quite literally.
I have had a really busy week this week but its all been good fun. Earlier in the week I was in a place called Brighouse which is in Yorkshire to do the filming of a television show called A Little Bit of Ireland.
The show is hosted by a lovely gentleman called Richard O’Brien who really made me feel welcome from the minute I arrived.
Because I was coming straight back to Derry Airport after the show, I didn’t bother bringing anyone along with me.
Instead I enjoyed the four and a half hour train journey from Glasgow to Brighouse with a pen and paper making a few plans for the coming months ahead.
Although it never really bothers me to travel alone to places, I was a little anxious to make sure I got on the right trains and buses or knowing my luck I could have ended back where I started.
The filming was on Tuesday evening and as well as myself on the show there was Alistair Coyles, Gerry Flanagan and the great Isla Grant.
It was my first time meeting all three of the other performers and we had a great laugh together. It was so interesting hearing all the stories Isla had to tell us about her life in general but most of all becoming so successful, as well as hearing Alistair singing for the first time, he has a great voice and a very good album which he has recently released.
And of course meeting Gerry for the first time was a pleasure, he really is a lovely man. The show will be aired on sky television at the beginning of next month which I’m excited to see but I will give you more details nearer the time.
Once I arrived back in sunny Donegal in one piece, it was back into the driver’s seat of the mini to clock up some more mileage.
Off I went to The TF Royal Theatre in Castlebar. You may remember I was in the TF when I was on tour with Crystal Swing and had a great night there.
I met some lovely people and the staff were all fantastic. So much so, that the manager contacted me to perform at a Charity Concert in aid of Temple Street, Children’s University Hospital Dublin which I was delighted I could attend.
Along with me was the excellent La Bamba, the legendary Frank McCaffrey and the hilarious Conal Gallen. So I was doing it for the girls that night and we really had a great night.
The place was packed and it was yet again a really successful night and I’m looking forward to going back again soon on the next tour with Crystal Swing next month.
After a quick recharge of the batteries, I was raring to go again, the only difference being that I had my two friends Aisling and Lisa over from Glasgow for the weekend which was brilliant. Although we talk a lot on the phone its great to spend some time with them and I was so glad they came over to see a few of my gigs.
The car was certainly never quiet that weekend, between the singing and laughing and chatting constantly it was great fun.
I took the girls to a festival in my third hometown we’ll call it – Falcarragh, where I was invited down by Pio McCann of Highland Radio to do an outside broadcast.
It was great to visit Falcarragh and see, all of those familiar faces who have supported me from day one and still continue to do so.
The broadcast was a great success and I even had my family in Glasgow listening in on their internet radios which was nice.
Once the festival came to a close in Falcarragh, it was on then to another one in Churchill that evening. This was my first time in Churchill but I had heard good reports about it. I performed with Jason McGilligan and his band.
Jason and his band are really professional and a lovely group of musicians who are doing great things around the country scene.
There were a number of artists performing on the night and I think the girls really enjoyed meeting all of them and snapping some pictures.
There was a brilliant crowd around and everyone looked to be having a good time as the sweat poured off them! That’s always a good sign.
This week I will be kept really busy, I will be in Dunfanaghy on Thursday 22nd July along with a host of fantastic artists including the lovely Benn Sisters and Shaun Loughrey.
Then I’ll be kicking off the start of our second tour with Crystal Swing in Kilross Co. Tipperary. I cant wait to see Mary, Dervla & Derek and all the gang again its been a while since we last seen each other. Finally my weekend will be finished in Dungloe.
I will be at the Dungloe Hospital Grounds raising funds for the hospital between 2.30pm-5.30pm so please come along and join in the craic if you are free, I’d love to see you there.
I have included a few snapshots I took over the past few weeks, I hope you like them.
Until next week, take care

Enjoying new life in Donegal

LisaMc — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:20:14 +0000

Hello everyone, I hope you are all happy and well. I’ve not written to you for a few weeks now but I’m back in action again.
I have a busy couple of months coming up and I’ll be telling you all what I’ve been up to every Monday so make sure and purchase your weekly copy of the Donegal News to keep up to date.
Over the past few weeks I have managed to attend a few concerts and events which has been great fun.
Some of you may have heard of the Summer Concert Tour which has been touring all over Ireland for the past few weeks, and those of you who were lucky enough to see one of the concerts will agree that it was an absolutely fantastic show.
I managed to see the show in Galway which started with the lovely girls from Enniskillen - The Benn Sisters who kicked off the show with a bang covering their latests hits including “Good Girls Gonna Go Bad”, then we danced along to the great Shaun Loughrey, unmistakeable voice of Frank McCaffery and the star himself Ray Lynam.
The second half of the show was filled with as much talent as the first including a note perfect performance from Sandy Kelly and the Derryman himself Kieran McGilligan.
But much to my surprise while I was sitting enjoying the show, James McGarrity very kindly asked me up to the stage to sing a couple of songs which was fantastic and the crowd were so full of life, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The show ended on a high with The New Voice & Image Of Country Music – Nathan Carter singing his well known hits including one of his latest singles ” Where Do You Go To My Lovely” and of course the song he does best ”The Games People Play”.
It was a great night had by all and it was my first time performing in Galway since my appearance on Glor Tire so it was great to be back.
Since I moved to Letterkenny seven weeks ago, I’ve not had much time to spend with my family as I’ve been so busy.
But over the past few days my mum and dad have been here visiting which has been nice. We even managed to get out and about over the weekend to a few gigs it was great!
On Friday night we went to see Mike Denver in The Milford Inn Hotel and as usual, Mike put on a great show. The place was jammed and the dancefloor never emptied from start to finish which is a great sign.
Mike was even kind enough to ask up a few singers who were there to enjoy the night including Jason McGilligan – who has a great voice and is doing very well at the minute with his own band around the country, he also asked up Nathan Carter, as well as myself.
It’s lovely when even the biggest stars in Ireland take the time to give the newest acts to the scene a chance and it was really nice of Mike to ask us up to sing.
I would also like to say a big hello to the Wonder Woman herself Máire Rua and her daughter Mary-Theresa and also Angela Gethins who looked like they had a great night at Mike’s concert as well, it was really nice to see them again.
On Saturday we decided to take a trip to a place my mum and dad attend a lot which is McBride’s in Castlefin. I had heard a lot about McBrides but I had never been there myself so I decided to join them for the craic.
We met up with my aunt and uncle, Kathleen and Mark from Castlederg who also class McBride’s as their topspot.
I knew there would be music on but I had no idea who it would be, but when we arrived I was pleased to see it was my good friend John Farry who was the entertainment for the night.
McBride’s were a great support to me while I was on Glor Tire, so it was great to meet the people who took the time to vote for me and I was happy I got the chance to sing them a few songs to show my gratitude.
After McBride’s, we headed to The Riverclub also in Castlefin where my good friend Robert Mizzell and his Country Kings where playing.
As usual there was a great crowd in and there was a great buzz around the place. It was great to see Robert and all the band as I havent seen them for a while with me being so busy and I’m glad their still doing a great job.
Sunday brought a surprise to everyone, as it was Father’s Day we decided to take my dad out for lunch which was lovely.
After lunch we decided to go a drive to Falcarragh as it was a lovely day. While passing through Kilmacrenan, we noticed a lot of cars parked and there was a stage set up with instruments all ready to go and a lot of people walking around.
So we decided to stop and see what was happening, we hadn’t heard of any festival or anything happening so we were curious to find out what was going on.
Before we knew it the music started and it was a gentleman I had met a few months ago called Eddie Gallagher who was singing and playing guitar.
The next thing everyone started jiving and waltzing along to the music in the street. It was a great sight, the sun was beating down and everyone was in great spirits.
Next thing I knew my name was being called over the microphone, “there’s a young girl down there who was a finalist in Glor Tire, her name is Lisa McHugh, maybe she’ll come up and sing a few songs for you”.
Of course, I was delighted that Eddie recognised me and invited me up to sing a few songs. I always enjoy performing for audiences all over, but it’s even better when it’s spur of the moment and everyone has such a good time.
I hope everyone who was down in Kilmacrenan had a great day and I really hope to see some of you again very soon.
I have a busy couple of months coming up and I’m really looking forward to it. One of the dates I am especially looking forward to is on Friday, July 2, it’s a big Summer Country Concert in the Mullaghduff Community Centre in the Rosses.
The show starts at 8pm and we will have a host of local artists to entertain you in the first half before I will be on stage with my good friend Brian Kerrigan to get you all singing along and dancing.
Tickets are €10 each and I really hope you will all come out to support not only myself, but all of the local artists who work hard at what they do and deserve all the appreciation they can get.
As well as Mullaghduff, I have another tour with Crystal Swing coming up over the next few months. Due to the massive success with the first tour, we are bringing it back to a venue near you very soon.
All of my tour dates for July and August have been updated on my website, www.lisa-mchugh.com, please feel free to have a look and if there are any near you, I hope you will come along. I’d love to see you! Until next week, be safe and take care and I hope you all like my latest single “I’m A Little Bit Lonely” and are still requesting it on your local radio stations.
Watch this space
For One Night Only: the two youngest stars of Country Music will perfom at The Ostan Loch Altan Hotel, Gortahork. More details will be revealed very soon.

A big night out in Letterkenny

LisaMc — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:01:29 +0000

Since my last column I have been a busy bee. We have now finished our nationwide tour with Crystal Swing and I must say I was rather sad on the last night as I had such a ball as well as everyone else involved.
Our last few shows were in Castlebar, Ballybunion and Letterkenny which were all a fantastic success. Over the whole tour there were many highlights including filming the DVD in Cork Opera house and the wonderful night we had in The Hazel Hotel but my main highlight was perfoming in Letterkenny infront of my family and friends.
It’s great to travel all over the country performing in front of so many different audiences but nothing can beat having your family and friends in the audience there to support you.
With most of my family living in Glasgow, there were a lot of them wanting to see the show but unable to attend due to work commitments etc, but hopefully the Crystal Swing Tour will reunite soon and they can see it then.
I met so many lovely people while I was on the road and everyone involved in the show became great friends which I think is one of the best things about my developing career.
After our last performance in The Clanree Hotel, myself, Derek and my two friends Ciara & Michael decided to carry on the party.
It was Derek’s first time in Donegal, so I couldn’t let him go home without experiencing a night out in my ‘new’ hometown!
Because it was a Monday night there weren’t many places open but we found an open door at The Central Bar. As soon as we walked through the door, a group of girls clapped their eyes on Derek and let out the biggest scream you could imagine.
huckle buck
So the cat was let out of the bag straight away. From then on there were countless people asking for pictures, autographes and just wanting to speak to him, it was crazy. I even managed to convince him to do his legendery ‘huckle buck’ legs and the place went wild!
It was a fantastic night and what I love about Derek, Dervla and Mary is that no matter how many times they are asked to sign an autograph or be in a photograph or simply have a conversation with a complete stranger, they are always more than happy to do it and they just want to enjoy themselves.
They are the most down to earth, caring people I have ever met and I am very proud to say that I was involved in their nationwide tour.
As well as having a great show and great night out in Letterkenny, I also bumped into a good friend of mine Johnny Haughey.
I haven’t seen him for a good while so it was great to see him at the show and find out what he has been up to.
He has recently finished a very successful UK tour and is now touring all over Ireland with his very own band.
So if you hear or see Johnny advertised for somewhere near you, please go and see the show, I can assure you it will be a great night. I am hoping to get to one of his shows very soon myself so I may see you there.
For a few days after the tour I spent my time relaxing and it was great. But when I say relaxing, I mean in between being a ‘mother’ to my sister who is not having the most enjoyable of pregnancies.
With my mum and dad being back home in Glasgow, there is no one else here to be ‘mother’ as I say.
So all of the cooking and cleaning has been left to me and I’m not sure my dinners are doing Celia very many favours to be honest!
But it wont be for long im sure, as my mum and dad don’t need an excuse to come back at the best of times.
And also another member of my family who is not too well at the moment is my brother Christopher who underwent an operation on his hand last week. The operation was a success but he’s still in a lot of pain so I wish you a very speedy recovery and I hope to see you soon.
For the next few weeks ill be concentrating on promoting my latest single which is called I’m A Little Bit Lonely, I am delighted with the way the single turned out and I’m so thankful to Wayne Thorose and Martin Cleary for their continuous hard work. I have updated a preview of the song on to my website www.lisa-mchugh.com and I hope you check it out and you can also request it on your local radio stations from next week. Until next week be safe & take care.

Crystal Swingin’ it!

LisaMc — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:02:50 +0000

Well Hello sunny Donegal! I hope you are all well and enjoying this lovely weather we have had over the past few days.
I have been having a wonderful time over the past week. As I mentioned in last week’s column, my tour all over Ireland with Crystal Swing has commenced and we have had a ball since it started.
I have travelled up and down the country and clocked up a fair amount of mileage in my packed to the roof car.
The running joke on the tour is how I have to put my roof down every time I have to lift my case in and out of the car as the back seat is so small and my case is so big.
Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t have a look in very soon as my arm muscles increase in size every day with all the lifting and laying.
From the start of the tour we have performed to audiences all over the country and they have been fantastic. Selling out Cork Opera House was definitely one of my highlights so far.
The crowd were going mad from the minute Philip – the other support act- stepped on stage until Derek was performing the one and only ‘huckle buck’.
We also recorded the whole show in Cork which will be compiled into a dvd at the end of the tour. I’m really looking forward to seeing that.
When we moved further up the country to the Glencarn Hotel, Castleblaney I was looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in the audience and I wasn’t let down.
It was the first show my mum, dad and sister had seen of the tour and it was good to spend some time with them before and after the show.
As well as my family, we had Nathan Carter, Henry McMahon and Charlie Arkins amongst many others there to see the show.
It’s really nice to see other people who are in the music business coming out to support other acts and they were all very impressed with the show which was great to hear.
A lot of people are unsure of what to expect when they come to the show as they have only seen the videos on youtube, but I can guarantee that you will have a fantastic night.
The show as a whole is very lively and unpredictable from start to finish and after every show we have countless people telling us its well worth the money.
So if you haven’t already seen the show or you are in two minds whether to go, do not hesitate and get your tickets while you still can and I look forward to seeing you there.
As well as the tour, I have been kept busy with other things I have in the pipeline and I hope to achieve over the next few months.
My new single has been completed and will be in radio stations all over the country within the next week or two.
So if you call up and request to hear it on your local radio station I really hope you like it. But for now it’s back into the driving seat I go and on to our next destination.
I would like to wish my brother Joe a very happy birthday and I’m sorry I’m missing his party in Glasgow but I hope he has a fantastic night. Until next week be safe and take care.

Making the big move to Ireland

LisaMc — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:55:55 +0000

Well this week has been a big week for me especially. As you all know from my last column, I was due to start my tour with Crystal Swing on May 13 to 24, but I had a few other gigs to attend before this commenced.
As I have a busy one this month, I decided to take the big step that has been drawing closer and closer over the past while.
I emptied my room in Glasgow and have decided to come to Ireland on a permanent basis for the foreseeable future.
When I travelled over on Friday I took my car over with me and what a sight it was. Let’s just say I couldn’t see out the back window of my car as the boot in a mini is the size of a shoe box!
But I managed and although it was sad leaving my home in Glasgow, I am so excited to see what the future brings for me and my career.
On Friday night it was off to the Milford Inn for Nathan Carter’s album launch. It was a man’s affair apart from myself but the standard of talent was fantastic.
There was Kenneth Neely, Norman Boreland, Trevor Loughrey, Hugo Duncan and of course Nathan. We also had the pleasure of a few songs from Natasha Spence, whom I believe has very recently finished an excellent album and I wish her the very best of luck with it.
After a couple of days relaxing the next stop was the Hodson Bay hotel in Athlone for the Hot Country Music Awards.
I had a great day and met so many lovely people but it was also great for some of the most respected people in the music business to catch up with each other.
As well as having the opportunity to perform at the show, each artist also recorded a video for the hot country channel which should hopefully be on Rural tv very soon.
I would like to congratulate Hugh O’brien and everyone at Hot Country and also Rural TV on such a successful night.
The long awaited tour of the most talked about family in Ireland Crystal Swing has commenced and myself and Philip English are delighted to be a part of it. Our first few dates have been incredibly successful and the audiences all over the country have been fantastic.
Last night we were in Cork Opera house which was a sell out and we also filmed the show for a DVD.
This has been the most enjoyable experience of my career so far and I do not want it to end. But for now I must get back on the road, its off to Galway we go!
So until next week take care