Chart-storming Mags’ journey from the milking parlour in Mid Cork to the Obama White House
DRIPSEY’S chart-storming singer Mags McCarthy has sung in the White House for Barack Obama, but now she’s returning to her mid- Cork roots for the video of her latest single, Light of a Clear Blue Morning.
In the video, Mags sings an upbeat version of the Dolly Parton-penned classic in various scenes, starting off in the milking parlour of the family farm in mid- Cork.
She began her musical and dance training at the age of four, and her primary focus eventually settled on fiddle.
She started writing songs and singing from a very young age. In 2016, she travelled to Nashville to realize her lifelong dream of a career in country music.
High points of the young singer-songwriter’s career include performing at the White House and sharing the stage with Dolly Parton at Dollywood.
Mags has toured more than 42 countries to date, performing before millions as a principal lead in her dance troupe and later as a solo artist. Mags’ previous single “Emotional Honesty” written by David M Ross and Steve O’Brien in Nashville scored her a Top 50 on the
Music Row Country Breakout chart.
Singing a song made famous by her idol is a the realisation of a lifetime’s ambition for Mags.
“Meeting Dolly in Nashville was like a dream come true,” says Mags, who was very sporty as well as very musical growing up.
“Dolly is a real-life hero.” Mags left Dripsey in 2017 to make her name in the world capital of country music. She already had a taste of America through, as she had gone there with Rhythm of the Dance, a spectacular Irish dancing show, and had sung at the White House on St Patrick’s Day at the invitation of then-President
Barack Obama.
She has also performed for other dignitaries such as the President of Ireland; the Mayor of Shanghai; members of the British Royal family; the young
Prince of Luxembourg in Chelsea, England; and the European Parliament in Brussels.
Her focus now is on the success of her current single released in March, which is steadily climbing the US country charts. At last count it was on the brink of breaking into the Top 50 of what is the most competitive country music chart in the world.
Mags’ rendition of the classic has attracted rave reviews and been premièred on the prestigious TV station the County Channel and the IrishPost network already.