LOCAL music group, The Tumbling Paddies, won ‘The Best Country Folk Band’ award at the Red Carpet Music Awards in Holland at the weekend.
Since their formation, the six-piece band are fast becoming one of Ireland’s most sought after acts. The group have released eight original songs, four of which soared to number one in the UK and Irish ITunes charts.
Group manager, Andy Cox, feels that “it was nice to win” this award and to be recognised among the top music bands throughout Europe.
“It’s not bad now at all. It was nice to win it,” he reflects.
Like all artists and bands in the music industry, the tour schedule had to be postponed as a result of Covid-19, but as restrictions ease, the band have a busy schedule planned for 2022 with some big gigs lined up in Ireland, the UK, France, Germany and America.
Working behind the scenes in the band is Andy Cox, a widely regarded musician from Pettigo, who has written songs and collaborated with the likes of Georgette Jones, Cliona Hagan, The Logues, Caroline J Harte and Paul Kelly.
Andy collaborated with the Fermanagh sensations and together they produced the songs, ‘I Guess’ and ‘Pretty Girl’.
Reflecting on their growth, Andy feels that it is imperative that they keep “building it up” now that restrictions have been eased.
“I saw them playing one night in a bar in Belleek and I listened to them and I went over to talk to them.
“At that time, there was only five in the band so we added a keyboard player and I got them a couple of the original songs that I had written, a song called ‘I Guess’ and ‘Pretty Girl’ and it started kicking off,” he recalls.
“We are going very well now. We are getting great crowds and we are selling out everywhere until the Covid.
“Now, it is time to start building it up again.”
Looking to the future, The Tumbling Paddies are set to release new material and Cox believes that there are exciting times to come for the group.
“They have a lot of good songs out there. We have a whole new album written and ready to go – I co-write the songs with them.
“We are ready to go so we will have an album out next year.”
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