Great memories I never dreamed I would have so many opportunities when I started out 11 years ago

I'M celebrating 11 years on the road, but it's sort of weird because I'm not sure if I can count last year as a year 'on the road.'

It was more like a year locked up at home.

When I first started out I could never have imagined so many of the great opportunities and events that came my way.

And I certainly never expected that there would be a year where a virus would shut down the entire entertainment business and put me off the road.

However, I can still look back on 2020 and pick some highlights in my career.

We released May The Road Rise, a song I wrote with John Farry, at the start of last year with The High Kings, and it was a big hit.

Then we followed it up during lockdown with a new recording featuring more collaborations, and released it again for charity.

It featured a 30-piece orchestra with vocal contributions from Crystal Gayle, Johnny Cash's son John Carter Cash, Altan, Moya Brennan and Celtic Thunder. So that was a good venture in the middle of lockdown.

We also did a charity single called Stay At Home, Stay Alive.

And I celebrated 10 years in country music with an anniversary album. It proved to be my most successful album to date by going straight to number one in the charts and staying there for two weeks.

It's only when I look back over the 11 years that I realise how much I achieved and the great experiences I enjoyed.

The highlights have included singing for Pope Francis at Croke Park, headlining my own show at the 3Arena, playing at the London Palladium, getting my own TV series on RTÉ, doing the Living with Lucy show, hosting Carter on the Costa shows in sunny Spain (those were the days) and even publishing my life story in a bestseller.

Hopefully, there will be many more chapters to come when we get back out on the road.

Sunday World