Declan Nerney has lived a charmed life, from playing in bands with some of Ireland’s biggest country music stars, including Gene Stuart and Brian Coll, to meeting his idol Johnny Cash. Here, in My Country Life, Declan recalls how he dreamed of a life in showbusiness watching the big stars playing local marquee dances in his native Drumlish, Co Longford. He tells how he became a guitar player in a band while still in secondary school and recalls performing in Cork the night before his Leaving Cert maths exam. Now one of the legends of the Irish country music scene, Declan also tells the inside story of how his young niece and goddaughter Una Healy was a big part of his life as she grew up and he recalls his pride at seeing her become a major star when she found fame with all-girl pop sensations The Saturdays.

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