This could be the last time I get to write on here about my experience on Glor Tire. I remember first writing about it probably around the end of May when I wrote about being asked to appear on the show. I am not usually a competitive person although I have taken part in competitions in my younger days and so if it had been a case of me having to apply to take part on the show I can honestly tell you I wouldn’t be here writing about it today and I wouldn’t have even thought of going for it. Even when Trudi contacted me and asked me could I be her chosen person I was still hesitant but after being persuaded by family and some friends I decided to go for it. I have said it from the outset. Its all a bit of crack for me. I can sing yes, but I am not like the best in the world and never want to be. It is you, or the kind people that are voting for me that will keep me in this competition and so if I do well it will be you that have to take the credit for a lot of it. I will just do what I enjoy doing and that is to be able to sing and play music.

Last Wednesday saw the last of the pre-recorded shows going out on TG4. I remember the day very well. I had to do three separate trips to Galway that week for recording and it was great that this one was on the Friday and I could relax for the weekend afterwards. It was the perfect sort of Irish Summers day. Well, it started raining before we left Carlow and it followed us all the way to Galway and continued to rain while we were there. I happen to like Galway as cities go. But I do not like trying to get round it in the rain. We had to be there for around 4:00 for a rehearsal with the band and then I remember running down the street trying to find a caffay where you could just get something simple like a sandwich to eat. Anyway, we found one and had something nice and I remember hearing Shining Light from Ash. Hadn’t heard it in years and it just got stuck in my head. I had to come home later and listen to it again and just listen to the lyrics and the melody which is just such a catchy thing. Ash are a rock group from Northern Ireland who I haven’t heard too much about in the past few years. I wouldn’t have been a huge fan but I can be like that with some groups or artists. I hear a track or two that just blow me away and I just have to go and investigate.

The recording of the show itself went fairly smoothly with no real hitches. By the Friday I was use to the drill of what to expect from the rehearsals and working with a band that I had never worked with before and also dealing with some fantastic production people. I was nervous as to how things like that would go for me as I didn’t want people being any way awkward around me because of me being blind and them not knowing what to say or how to talk to me about things but I am happy to say how nice it is that this didn’t happen. It will be a pleasure to work with all the people on the show again this week and for however long more I get to stick around for. The feedback that I received from the judging panel was very good and I couldn’t have asked for better. It is also nice when you have a well known and respected songwriter/singer on the panel and hearing what they have to say about you. I have had an interest in Charlie and his work for years and never had the pleasure of meeting him till the start of this series of Glor Tire. I have a couple of what I think are interesting songs picked for the next few weeks. It will only be the people that are watching and voting that will decide whether I can carry on to the next programme and get to sing them all or not.