Cliona joins the clan
Country star and drummer hit road as newlyweds
IT’S VERY much a family affair for Cliona Hagan as the country star and her drummer make their debut tour as newlyweds.
And the singer also has to put up with her in-laws on the road as her husband has brought a good chunk of his own family in tow. Simon Sheerin is a member of Ireland’s only seven-piece family country group, The Sheerin Family, with whom Cliona has been touring for over a year. But as they hit the road ahead she really is one of the clan now. Cliona, 33, told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘I’m so lucky to have them, I’ve played with so many musicians in the past but there’s something to be said of having family around. We all get on so well, it’s good craic and I feel more comfortable in my skin, happier and more relaxed. When Simon and I sing duets together it’s beautiful and there’s a lot more meaning behind it, and I’m also not hung up on things like when I was single like how my hair looks.’
The couple wed earlier this year in Co. Westmeath and Cliona insists they are still firmly in the honeymoon period and have no plans for children any time soon.
But she says: ‘Obviously, it’s a little different from a nine-to-five job because our hours are upside down, but we make it work.’
The singer said they decided to stay on in Portugal after they finished supporting Patrick Feeney, admitting: ‘We’re burnt out and we need some downtime together.’
After their much-needed break, Cliona and The Sheerin Family Band are heading on a second nationwide tour of the sell-out Dolly Songbook
Tour early next year. But before then she plans to return to Ireland to support her own family and launch a Down Syndrome Ireland fundraiser raffle.
The singer has close ties to the charity – her uncle Paul has the syndrome.
Cliona told MoS: ‘They need our support and deserve the same opportunity as everyone else.’