Nathan Carter releases song set to be wedding hit composed by Shay Healy

The song's video features a real-life wedding and some famous faces, including Father Brian D'Arcy and former showband star Tommy Swarbrigg.

Nathan had struck up a friendship in recent years with the multi- talented Healy, who died in April of last year at the age of 78 after a long battle with Parkinson's.

Shay, who wrote Johnny Logan's 1980 Eurovision winning song, What's Another Year, told Carter that he had the perfect song for him.

Sometime later he played him a demo recording of This Journey and Nathan says he instantly fell in love with the lyrics and sentiments in the beautiful song.

"Shay gave me a demo of This Journey and I went to France to record it with a guy called Chris Neil, who has worked with everyone from Sheena Easton and Mike & The Mechanics to Celine Dion.

"Then the whole Covid thing happened and it got put on hold. Sadly, Shay died last year before he got to hear the recording. But I think this is a song that will be one of his great legacies and it's a real privilege for me to be now releasing it and for people to be hearing it for the first time."

The video for This Journey features the recent wedding of Karen Farry, from Co. Fermanagh, the only daughter of Nathan's manager, John Farry, and her fiancé Brian Magennis.

John is filmed walking his daughter down the aisle. The wedding ceremony is conducted by Father Brian D'Arcy.

As their journey enters the twilight years, the couple are portrayed by husband and wife, Tommy and Geraldine Swarbrigg.

Tommy started his music career as a member of Joe Dolan's band, The Drifters, before going on to play with The Times. He also represented Ireland in the Eurovision with his brother, Jimmy.

The powerful video also portrays same-sex relationships and marriage as it brings the song to life.

"I think Shay would have loved it," Nathan says. "It's so sad that he's not around to see his song take wings. Shay was a hugely creative person and right up to the end he was writing and pitching his songs. He was full of ideas and he was always excited about a new song. I feel so lucky that he sent me this one."

Nathan's manager John Farry, who penned Ireland's 1997 Eurovision entry, Mysterious Woman, which finished second to the UK's Love Shine A Light by Katrina and the Waves, had been a long-time friend of Healy.

"When Shay played This Journey for us it knocked us out," John says. "We promised Shay that we would record it down the line. I really do believe that it's going to become a hugely popular wedding song and another great legacy of Shay's."

Eurovision king Johnny Logan recently participated in the planting of a tree and the laying of a commemorative plaque in honour of his friend Shay Healy at Dublin's Sandymount.

•YOU can now watch the video of Nathan Carter's new song, This Journey, on YouTube.