Jason McCahill, the ‘cheeky chappie’ of this year’s Glór Tíre, is ready for the big one next week as he makes his way to the Grand Final of TG4’s long-running hit Country Music show.
Jason won the public vote in a dramatic semi-final last night, beating strong competition from Kildare’s Alistair Fingleton, Tyrone’s Gerard Gormley, and Louth’s Jenny Hanlon, for the right to compete for the title of Ireland’s Glór Tíre Country Music Champion 2024 – one of the most prestigious titles in Irish Country.
Jason admits to a rush of emotions, from “shock” to “my mouth went dry” to being “over the moon” as his name was called out. “There was a wee fist pump, but it hasn’t sunk in yet,” he says. “Honestly, I was standing on the stage, saying to myself, I’m just happy to have gone as far as I’ve got. That’s all changed now, we’re going for the big one next week.”
It is a far cry from when Jason started the competition. Back then, he felt just being on the show was already a win. However, being mentored for Glór Tíre by rising Irish Country star, Claudia Buckley – daughter of one of Jason’s musical heroes, Jimmy Buckley – and duetting with her, along with strong solo performances of John Denver’s ‘Thank God I’m A Country Boy’ and Randy Travis’s ‘Three Wooden Crosses’, revealed a lively and engaging performer, with a strong and natural Country voice.
“The first show with Claudia, I was nervous, and I’m not a nervous person,” says Jason. “Then coming down last week, I don’t know what it was, but I didn’t care about the cameras, I didn’t care about anything. I went on the stage thinking, ‘This might never happen again, go and enjoy it’.”
The result was Jason in the final. It marks, not just a victory for the 26-year-old delivery driver from Ramelton, but a victory for Donegal and Ulster.
Jason is one of two Donegal natives in the final, the other being Chelsea Evans from Dunfanaghy. Also in the final is Fermanagh’s Karl Kirkpatrick. In all, three West Ulster performers are going for the Glór Tíre title – a fact that genuinely delights Jason.
“It’s Ulster dominated,” he declares. “Country music is an all-Ireland thing, but Donegal, Tyrone, Fermanagh, I don’t know what it is, no matter who is playing, no matter where you go around them parts, it’s jammed, it’s wedged, you can’t get in! So I’m proud to be from Donegal and proud to be from Ulster, the heartland of Country and Irish music.”
Indeed the support from Donegal, and the wider region, has been enthusiastic for Jason. “It’s been mental,” he says. “I can’t thank the people enough. They made a wee village man from Ramelton very, very happy. Hopefully, everyone is proud and I’m indebted to them.”
Jason is also grateful to Claudia Buckley for the support she has given, and part of him also wants to win it for the Galway singer.
“I can’t thank Claudia enough. She’s an absolute gem,” he says. “Hopefully we can go one further – me or Karl, who she also mentored – and make her the youngest Glór Tíre mentor to have a series winner.”
For the Grand Final, Jason promises to “go out with a bang no matter what”, and has hit the ground running in his campaign to ensure that Glór Tíre victory.
“My plan is no different to the last couple of weeks. From tomorrow morning, I’ll be annoying people on social media,” he laughs, “keeping the campaign going, maybe making a couple more funny videos. We push on again and come down again next week and enjoy it, no matter what happens.”
The Glór Tíre 2024 Final airs on TG4 on Tuesday 23rd April at 9.30pm