Words and photos by Marie Carroll-O'Sullivan

Kerry has a new reason to tune in as local country singer Paudie Coffey steps into the national spotlight on TG4’s much-loved series Glór Tíre.

It is believed that Paudie is the first person from County Kerry to compete on the show, a hugely popular Irish-language country music competition that showcases rising country talent alongside some of the biggest names in Irish country music.

By day, Paudie has worked out of sight in the yard at MD O’Shea’s, where he has been based for the past seven and a half years.

By night and most weekends he has been travelling the length and breadth of the country music circuit, performing alongside his father, Mike Coffey, with whom he has been playing for an impressive 11 years.

Paudie smiles when he recalls how it all began.

At around 15 years of age, he was sitting at home when his father asked what he was up to.

“Nothing much,” Paudie replied.

“Grand so,” said Mike, “get your guitar and come help me with a gig in the Avenue.”

That simple moment marked the beginning of a journey that continues to gather pace.

When asked how far the music has taken him, Paudie’s answer says it all:
“Anywhere from Beaufort to Spain.”

Spain, as it turns out, is no exaggeration.

Last October, Paudie was invited to perform on Jimmy Buckley’s ‘Craic on the Costa’ in Torremolinos, an experience he describes as a huge honour.

Sharing the stage with iconic country stars such as Philomena Begley, Gerry Guthrie, Cliona Hagan and Louise Morrissey, Paudie clearly left a strong impression.

He has since been invited back for October 2026, with more Costa-side craic firmly on the agenda.

Paudie also looks back on the Covid years, when music became a daily family project.

Along with his sisters Leanne and Tara, he recorded country music videos every day for 100 consecutive days.

What began as a way to lift spirits grew into something lasting, resulting in their CD Small Moments, Big Memories.

The project raised €3,000 for charity, split between Palliative Care and the special class at Cullina National School, a cause close to the family, where Paudie and his sisters all attended school as mainstream pupils.

Now, that journey has brought him to Glór Tíre, following on from his great performance on Tuesday night’s show, where Paudie counts himself very lucky to have earned his place in the competition.

One of the standout moments so far has been performing Your Health Is Your Wealth alongside Claudia Buckley, daughter of Jimmy Buckley and who is also Paudie’s mentor on the programme.

Paudie will perform on Glór Tíre next Tuesday Februrary 10 on TG4.

If Paudie wins the judges votes he will be through to the semi-final on March 3 or alternatively he will have to battle it out in the quarter final on February 24.

The next steps depend on public support.

Voting is done via the Glór Tíre app, which must be downloaded to access five free votes.

While many loyal country music fans may not be fully app-savvy, this is where the younger generation can lend a hand and help with the download, cast the votes, and maybe leave the app on the phone just in case.

If Paudie progresses to the final on March 10, the competition will be whittled down from five contestants to just three, and every vote will count.