Clareen's Pete Kennedy.

From Clareen to Nashville...and back again for country star

It always seems a little unusual when an artist's success has somehow garnered them greater recognition abroad than at home. And while it may be unusual, in the world of showbiz it's certainly not strange. Just ask Pete Kennedy, he'll tell you all about it!

The giant singer-songwriter from the parish of Clareen in Offaly has been making his presence felt in Nashville over the past few years; singing at the famous Bluebird Cafe, appearing in the hit tv show 'Nashville', writing with some of the top songwriters in town, and even featuring in a one-hour special on the Grand Ole Opry's own radio station.

But it's only in more recent times that his natural talent as a performer has been turning heads and earning him some long overdue applause here in Ireland. His inclusion as one of a select number of Irish acts on Aiken Promotions star-studded Harvest Fest 2017 line-up, however, should see an acknowledgement of Kennedy's ability brought into balance on both sides of the Atlantic.

Luckily for his Irish fans, they won't have to wait until August to enjoy what Nashville has been paying attention to for some time. Kennedy joins the Sheerin Family for their regular night of country music in Cooney's Hotel of Ballymahon on February 21. While looking forward to that show, Kennedy could only laugh at being more well known in Nashville than Tullamore!

It's not just Harvest Fest, where Kennedy will share stages in Westport and Enniskillen with, among others, Nathan Carter and Miranda Lambert, which has raised his profile to a whole new level. Proving he's every bit as comfortable in front of a camera as behind a guitar, Kennedy has also been hosting his own tv show, ‘Country Sessions’.

'Yeah, the feedback from the pilot shows we broadcast late last year was fantastic, and the first full series should be hitting screens sometime very soon. We've been highlighting some seriously talented singer-songwriters and I'm looking forward to fans getting to see these shows. Lots of exciting times up ahead!'

Exciting times, indeed, beginning with Pete Kennedy himself joining the Sheerin Family in Cooney's Hotel, Ballymahon on February 21.

* Pete Kennedy's new album, 'The Voyage', is available now in TRAX, the Bridge Centre, Tullamore.