Late Late Show country music special: Daniel O’Donnell and Nathan Carter among guests as Irish stars to cover Miley Cyrus hit

Daniel O’Donnell with Philomena Begley

Miley Cyrus in the video for Flowers

Pictured at rehearsals for RTÉ The Late Late Show Country special in 2017 were TR Dallas and Mike Denver. Picture Andres Poveda

thumbnail: Daniel O’Donnell with Philomena Begley
thumbnail: Miley Cyrus in the video for Flowers
thumbnail: Pictured at rehearsals for RTÉ The Late Late Show Country special in 2017 were TR Dallas and Mike Denver. Picture Andres Poveda
Seoirse Mulgrew

The Late Late Show’s country music special hits screens this Friday for the first time since 2019.

Host Ryan Tubridy will be joined by the best of the Irish country scene to celebrate their music throughout the years.

Country music favourites including Daniel O'Donnell, Nathan Carter, Cliona Hagan, Philomena Begley, Derek Ryan, Claudia Buckley and Toy Show’s Caillin Joe will lead the line-up.

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One country music legend will also be inducted into the Irish Country Music Hall of Fame, an accolade previously awarded to Daniel O'Donnell and Philomena Begley.

Daniel, Cliona, Philomena, and Nathan will unveil a new project exclusively on Friday night’s show and they will pay tribute to, Ireland’s late king of country, Big Tom.

Described by Tubridy as “a huge country star of the future, if not now” the show will welcome back Tyrone teenager Caillin Joe, who will perform a Glen Campbell classic.

Some of the leading female artists in the industry will give a country twist to the number one song in the Irish charts at the moment, Miley Cyrus’ Flowers.

In addition to her string of pop hits, Miley Cyrus’s country pedigree includes being the daughter of Achy Breaky Heart singer Billy Ray Cyrus and being the god-daugther of Dolly Parton, with whom she has performed countless times.

The star-studded line-up will perform the songs that changed their lives including Irish originals and hits from Parton, The Bellamy Brothers and Garth Brooks.

Tubridy said this Late Late Country Music special will be his final one at the helm.

“It all started out really when I was not long in the job as the presenter of The Late Late Show and when driving around the country, I kept seeing posters of gigs of different country stars and it was a world that I wasn’t familiar with,” he said.

“And so, it began. I quickly learned that it was a world that brought people together and while I will miss seeing everybody on an annual basis, I have made a lot of friends in the country music world, and that has been my privilege.”

The Late Late Show will air on RTÉ One this Friday at 9.35pm

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