The Newbies Keepin 'er Country

In Ireland, country music is more popular than ever.

A host of new country music stars have tempted a generation to turn

their back on the nightclub, don their Stetsons and jive the night

away, from Ballymena to Ballydehob.

This week, we're hitting the dance floor and taking to the stage with

the townies turning culchie...

Dublin is ballads, trad, not country.

..from a husband and wife duo starting jiving classes

-in the city...

-I really think yous all should try it,

cos it's bleeding deadly.

Been a long time, baby.

..to an Elvis impersonator swapping the jumpsuit for a Stetson.

As soon as I put that on stage, I become myself.

Country is coming to a city near you.

But is Dublin really ready to jive?

Any interest in jiving, dancing?

Oh, no.

Will the Belfast music scene be all shook up by a former tribute act?

Cos I want people to leave here as if they've actually went to a country show.

And can a man who's never seen the likes of it...

-Bizarre.

-..really become a pro-dancer on Ireland's

toughest floor?

-I'm really nervous.

-Welcome to the brand-new world

of Irish country music.

# Well, you get down the fiddle and you get down the bow

# Kick off your shoes And you throw 'em on the floor. #

Now, country music in Ireland has always been

a predominantly rural affair.

Barn dances, tractor runs

and agricultural shows are the heartland of the scene.

But as the popularity of the music grows so does its fan base.

Pat and Patricia run a garden centre on the outskirts of Dublin...

..and in between the fuchsias and the petunias,

country music is blossoming.

# I beg your pardon

# I never promised you a rose garden. #

Country music, to me, is life now.

I can't believe I went 50 years, or 40 years, without actually dancing,

but we found it eventually.

It's giving us a great social life,

we're up and down the country, we've friends all over the place now.

We're actually like teenagers again and that's being honest with you.

Just putting a bit of music on, a bit of real music.

Bit of jiving going on, you know, just get a bit of rhythm going.

Ya boy, ye!

With the music never off the stereo,

unsuspecting customers can even get a jive.

Did you ever jive before?

Come on, we'll give it a...

Let me show you here now. Just step out onto the floor.

But not all Dubs are fans of country and Irish.

It's very unusual in Dublin for two inner-city Dubs to enjoy country

music. It's not heard of up here.

They say, "Country music, what's that?"

Their love of country music has only grown over the last year,

when Patricia asked Pat to go with her to jiving class.

It is a good fun.

Keep coming towards me. She wanted me to take up dancing and I'm going,

-"Yeah, right, dancing?"

-HE SCOFFS

"I don't think so."

And she says, "Country dancing." I says, "You're mad, I think.

-"Would you go away with that?"

-Initially, he just didn't dig it.

Champions League, how am I going to see the matches when I'm dancing?

-Jesus.

-But Patricia's plan came up smelling of roses.

But he actually loved it and I was surprised.

He was as into it as I was.

With this new-found passion for the music and dancing,

Pat and Patricia are determined to sow the seeds of country in Dublin

-city.

-Myself and Pat's mission is that we could bring country music

and jive into Dublin cos I really don't think they know what they're

missing, to be honest.

They're convinced that by setting up a weekly jive class in the city,

they can get the Dubs into the music.

If we can even get 10% of Dublin jiving,

I really think yous all should try it, cos it's bleeding deadly.

Like their Dublin cousins, Belfast folk have yet to fully jump on board

the country music bandwagon.

Being from Belfast, you know, obviously everybody's city folk

and the likes of city centre are still all about pop music.

# When I heard Big Tom in the Galtymore

# With the dancers crying out for more... #

But that wasn't always the case -

before pop took over Belfast, folk loved their show bands

and their country music.

Back in the day, in the '70s, every club in Belfast,

if you were a band that didn't do country, you didn't get a gig.

So, it'd be great to bring those days back again.

James Lynas is hoping to bring back the glory days of country.

I'm not going to stop until I have

actually got Belfast loving country music again. That's my goal.

# And if I got an encore

# I'd go home feeling like a king. #

James works as a cleaner...

This isn't a bad old job, you know,

but it's a long way from being on stage, you know.

..but he has dreams of becoming a king of country music.

When you've all the gear on, you know, the studded shirts, the jeans,

the boots, it gives me a buzz.

There's no better feeling in the world, you know.

And then on the Monday morning, you come back,

get your spray bottle out and continue on.

# Oh, it's crying time again You're gonna leave me... #

And before he found his country calling,

James performed as The King.

# Cos, baby

# Baby, you know

# You know that I can... #

-Been a long time, baby.

-HE CHUCKLES

I did look pretty funny, to be honest.

Elvis had a nice, swarthy skin and I was white as a ghost.

But...a few sunbeds fixed that!

They want to see and think that you're Elvis Presley on that stage.

But pretending to be someone he wasn't

had this tribute act singing the blues.

If somebody said to me, "I'll give you a million pounds to stick an

"Elvis suit on and go and do it again," I would still say no.

I want to be a country artist.

James has now swapped the jumpsuit for a Stetson.

This is the real me.

And I've never felt so comfortable in all my life,

dressing up in all this gear.

And as soon as I put that on stage, I become myself.

If he wants to make it as a country singer, it's now or never.

For me, this is sort of make or break,

I would love to just be able to leave work and go full-time at the

singing and dedicate my life to it.

# They're laying people off down at the factory... #

Like The King before him, James has some legendary writers on board

to help him break the big time.

You know, you've got talent, you've got a really unique voice, you don't

-sound like anybody and it's going to happen eventually.

-Cheers.

Jon Philibert has written songs for the likes of country legend

Bobby Bare and Tom Jones, and he hopes his new track

Whiskey Get Busy will have James toasting success.

Hopefully I'll have that track to you by Thursday evening and you can

let me know Friday, then, what you think, sure,

and we'll take it from there.

-Excellent, looking forward to it, big time.

-No problem, Jon.

# Dancing about the Liffey

# Going through old Dublin town. #

In Dublin, Pat and Patricia have hit the streets

to try and convince city folk to come to the jive classes.

-Have yous ever thought of jiving?

-Oh, not a chance.

-Have you ever thought of it?

-Oh, no, no.

Any interest in jiving, dancing?

-Oh, no, thanks.

-SHE LAUGHS

-No?

-Would you be interested in taking up a jiving class?

-A which?

-Jiving class.

But this is Dublin city...

-Jiving?

-Jiving, yeah.

-Oh, I thought you said diving.

-Jiving, a bit of this...

-It'll keep you fit.

..they haven't seen jiving here since the early '70s.

-We're starting a jiving class.

-Yeah?

And we're just wondering would any of yous like to come along?

-Me? I've two left feet and a wooden leg.

-You haven't!

If you get into this, you'll be hooked, guarantee it.

If you can't get something in here, you might give up.

Watch the mules, now.

Can yous teach us?

With hundreds of flyers handed out and at least one on-street lesson,

interest starts to pick up.

-Have you ever danced?

-I have.

Take that leaflet. Great for your mind, body and soul.

-It'd be great to see there.

-Yeah.

Great, you'll enjoy it.

After a long day of traipsing the streets, Pat and Patricia

will just have to wait and see if anyone in the city

wants to learn to jive.

I know they'll stay if they come.

At least they know about it now and hopefully they might just try it,

even, you know.

# Too-ra-loo and a too-ra-lay It's in my DNA... #

Pat and Patricia's new classes are too far away for wannabe jiver,

Toura.

He moved to Belfast from Zimbabwe back in the '90s.

I'm almost as local as...

an Ulster fry, you know.

# Oh, there's Irish in America There's Irish in Berlin... #

From a Northern Ireland perspective,

we just all love having the craic, like.

Initially when I came,

the longest time I was going to stay was two years.

I met an Irish girl and fell in love, the rest is history.

23 years later, we have three daughters, so...

..Ireland stole my heart.

Since he's been in Northern Ireland,

Toura has tackled everything the local culture has to offer,

from learning Irish to perfecting traditional dance.

A few years ago, I was in Donegal and I saw this guy dancing sean nos

and I thought, "Wow."

And then I decided that moment that I was going to learn the dance.

There's an old Native American saying -

when you see us dance, you see our spirit.

That is what the dance of Ireland is to me.

I'm a cultural vampire, I love to immerse myself in culture.

With country music and jiving now

such a part of people's social lives,

Toura wants to get his teeth into the scene.

The country music scene is huge.

Young people who would normally listen to pop music,

they are going out

dancing to country music.

Like...

You know, that's just bizarre.

It's a whole new world

and tonight Toura is going to experience it for the very first

time at the Ryandale hotel.

I'm going to get a sense of what the country music scene

is all about.

Get a feel of what the craic is.

I normally dress quite casually but

from what I've heard about the country music scene,

the guys love to dress up.

The most important part of a dancer's wardrobe are his shoes

and Toura's confident he's got the right footwear.

I'm making an effort to look the part and

if the shiny shoes help me blend in,

so be it.

I'm a novice, but I'm willing to give it a go.

Time to go country dancing.

If you want to become an accomplished jiver,

there's nowhere better to watch the pros in action than the Moy,

County Tyrone, the best spot in the land for a bit of country and Irish.

He might be handy at the Irish dancing

but jiving's a different game altogether.

And it seems shiny shoes aren't welcome here.

It's my first time, man.

I can tell that by that attire.

What's wrong with what I'm wearing?

-Well, you haven't the brown shoes on, like.

-No.

I wouldn't go to the back door with them on.

What a night I've had!

The craic is absolutely amazing.

My plan now is to go and get some lessons.

I need to get my steps in check.

I need to learn how to dance.

Dancing is the most important skill necessary if you want to really

enjoy a country night out.

# Going out for the craic Guitar on my back

# Gonna sing and dance all night... #

Jive classes are popping up all over rural Ireland

as beginners get to grips with the moves.

In Dublin city, husband and wife dance teachers Pat and Patricia are

anxiously waiting to see if anyone will turn up

to their new Monday night jive class.

I hope people really do turn up now.

This is the big test. This is the big push, so

if we can get a bit of movement here tonight, we can work on it.

You know, you can put notices up and you can give leaflets out

but people say they'll come, but will they come,

do you know what I mean? I've been there myself saying,

"Oh, yeah, I'll go," and then, "No, I'm not going to go." So, yeah,

so hopefully they'll just get the courage to walk through the door.

How you doing, ladies? How are you? How are you doing?

-Are you here for the jiving, are you?

-We are indeed.

-Oh, happy days.

Enjoy yourselves. You'll have a good old night. Enjoy it.

After a slow start,

the hall starts to fill up with would-be jivers from the city.

It looks like great fun, so here we are.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

And before long, they're learning their first country dance steps.

Right, two, three, kick.

Left, two, three, kick.

# Going out for the craic Guitar on my back

# Gonna sing and dance all night... #

Best friends Sean, Leanne and Tanya are a former disco-dancing trio.

I was the champ, so I came...

I always used to come first.

It just gives that more ability, you know yourself...

-God!

-But these former disco dancers

are struggling with the country moves.

-Two, three, four...

-They'll do all right, in fairness.

I've seen a lot worse dancers than what's here tonight.

Just once they get their steps right.

That starts with the rhythm and the count.

Everything else will come after that.

And the trio were finding out you need a good pair of lungs to jive.

I'm like the Liffey in Dublin.

I swear to God, the sweat is rolling off me.

I've never done a work-out in the gym or anything in my life, just not into it. Like,

this is something good for me, cos I'll end up taking the banger one of these days.

The banger means a heart attack, just to let you know.

Meanwhile, Patricia has a spring in her step about the good turnout.

It's great to have a crowd so, yeah, I was delighted so many people came.

Like, it's great. I'll make jivers out of them yet.

Dublin can jive.

And it seems the disco dancers are country converts.

In my flat this week, I'm going to be practising,

getting all the country music up on my telly.

That's it. Got to get costumes and all now it's practising.

Dress sense on this scene is no laughing matter.

These boys and girls take their fashion seriously.

Would-be jiver Toura from Belfast is preparing for a big night out at the

Four Seasons in Monaghan and, if he's going country,

he needs to dress country.

I'm going to a country gig next week.

Last time I was there, I was not dressed right.

Can you get me sorted?

Oh, definitely. Know what you're after, nice brown shoe, brown belt,

double-collared shirt, 100%.

-Come on this way.

-OK.

On this scene, you can have any colour of shoe you like...

-Now you're talking!

-..as long as it's brown.

No, no, no, no, no, no. Definitely not.

What you want is a nice brown shoe. See, something like that there?

That's tidy, that'll do, that's nice.

-They are a bit plain, like.

-Listen, that's what all the guys

-are going for.

-'They are stylish.

'They're not really me in the sense but...'

..I'm game for it, like, you know.

Yeah, that's a different style altogether, like.

That's pure class, pure country.

Oh, yeah.

You're not going to know me now.

You're 100% country.

One, two, three, four and one, two...

With the wardrobe sorted,

Toura just needs to work on his moves.

He's been attending a jiving class in Banbridge, along with 60 others

keen to learn.

This is my third lesson.

I'll still have to get my footwork sorted,

so I'm getting there but I'm not yet there.

Oh!

OK. So just watch the wee things like that there.

The Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan hosts the very best jivers every

Sunday night, and if Toura's serious about mixing with the best,

he'd need to learn fast.

You're not driving a two-handed saw.

-Hey!

-SHE LAUGHS

OK, bring me up for a spin.

Woo!

-Oh, OK.

-Well, maybe not too fast.

You need to calm down just a little bit there.

He's a very eager dancer,

so he can sometimes get overexcited and use a bit too much force when he

is leading a lady, which can be quite sore on her wrists,

arms and shoulders, and I definitely know that from experience.

One, two. Remember, not too many, not too big a step,

just a small kind of little pivot.

Yeah, very good. Just kind of get your whole body into the rhythm of

it cos you don't want to exert yourself too much by going crazy.

Other wee thing is that when you're leading the lady's hands,

make sure that you're leading it maybe a beat or two beforehand.

Especially, remember the very beginning, where we go one, two,

three, four, one, on two, the hand is raised...

-Ah.

-So that, on three, the lady begins to spin

and then brought back in.

OK?

It's a different dancing style than he's used to.

Oh, what was that?

I don't know.

But he's got rhythm and the moves are improving.

Much better.

Calm the arm down just a little bit.

You're doing really well.

Was that OK?

That was really good. You just need to remember that

when you're going up like that, you could be going up for a set that's

maybe two, three, four, maybe five songs long -

if they're doing a medley, it's going to be a very long dance.

You could be up on the floor for 15 minutes, just doing a jive,

so you don't want to exert all your energy just at once

and then be, like, mad jiving, crazy jiving and then all of a sudden

being like, "My goodness, I can't jive any longer!"

Shuffle, shuffle, left. Shuffle, shuffle, right.

He's come on quite a lot since he's first started out,

so we're looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Right, left, right, clap.

-Hips, hips...

-Woo!

I've had an amazing night.

That's the beauty of this scene, you know, that people just help you.

They dance with you.

And I tell you what - I'm ready for the Four Seasons.

# The more I get to drinkin'... #

Former Elvis impersonator James Lynas is recording his new single.

# So, whiskey

# Get busy

# I'm depending on you. #

What did you think of that, Frankie?

-SPEECH INAUDIBLE THROUGH GLASS

-# You! #

# You! #

# I'm depending on you! #

James hopes this new song will propel him to country music stardom.

All I'd hope, in about a year's time,

that we'll be down there with the likes of the Robert Mizzells,

Nathan Carters. That's my aim, is to get up there with those guys.

# Whiskey, I have heard your reputation. #

That's a wee Belfast twang. It sneaks in there now and again.

You can't take...

# I guess I'll get to... #

You can take a boy out of Belfast but you can't take the Belfast out

-of a boy.

-It's class.

Son, your voice is fantastic.

-Excellent.

-Cheers. Happy days.

-Very, very good.

# I'm depending on you Yeah! #

I would say I'm obsessive about country music.

It's actually become like a disease and I can't shake it off

and I won't. I don't even want to try and shake it off, to be honest.

I eat, sleep and breathe it.

Even the kids are starting to eat, sleep and breathe it.

James and his new band have struggled to get gigs

in and around Belfast.

Because Belfast is hard to get country venues, you know,

and it's very rare.

But they've secured a headline gig ten miles down the road in

Carrickfergus, but that's as close as the music gets to the city.

We're rehearsing like mad, just making sure it's going to be right.

The last thing we want to do is go to a country venue and

not be country.

In Dublin, country music and jiving is proving popular

with the city slickers,

as Pat and Patricia's class goes from strength to strength.

-You enjoyed last week anyway?

-Yes.

-That's your first night in. That's good, yeah.

Each week, more and more new faces are showing up to learn to dance.

I haven't danced in ages.

-I know, but you'll be grand.

-I've not been to a dance class in years.

Turn, two, three, left, right...

Amongst the new recruits, there are some regulars as well.

The former disco dancers, Sean, Tanya and Leanne, are back for more.

# Up the jive

# Yeah, up the jive... #

As Patricia puts the 40-strong class through their steps,

the local women's Gaelic team decide to pitch in, too.

-How are you?

-Grand.

-You're interested in coming in?

-We are, yeah.

-Lovely, lovely.

-The more the merrier.

-You'll be well able for yous are well fit.

Oh, I don't know about that!

The fancy footwork shouldn't be an issue for these girls.

# Up the jive... #

Woohoo!

Kind of tough after you've just done a Gaa workout

and then you're into a jive workout.

Instead of the hands being up here,

it's all this motion and getting my hands and the feet together and...

Yeah.

As the footballers tackle the basic moves,

the former disco dancers are jiving like old pros.

# There's flirtin', courtin' Who knows for certain

# Who's with who tonight

# Up the jive... #

-Tonight went brilliant.

-Oh, yeah, it went brilliant.

I think cos it's the second week, you know the steps, it's easier to get into, like.

You know, we could be teaching our own classes coming up.

-You never know.

-Have a jive and...

Having a jiving class in Coulagh.

Garden centre owners Pat and Patricia are delighted with how

things have blossomed.

I think our mission to countrify Dublin is going to work

and we're going get them all jiving so, yeah, it's brilliant.

At the end of the day, that's our goal,

bringing jive and dance back to Dublin,

and I think we're going to get there, do you know that?

# I'm gonna

# Roll out the red carpet When you come home... #

Bringing the music back to Belfast is James Lynas' ultimate goal.

Tonight, him and the band are in Carrickfergus

for their biggest gig yet.

It's not the Grand Ole Opry, but it's a nice venue, you know,

and we're getting closer and closer to doing it in the home city.

The nerves are starting to kick in.

But, sure, that's all part of the fun.

If there are no nerves, you can't perform.

That's how I feel about it, you know.

Well, that's my Elvis tattoo

I got a few years ago. It says TCB.

That means taking care of business

and that's hopefully what we'll do this evening here.

As well as playing the standard country tunes,

James will be testing out his brand-new track on the crowd.

Good old-fashioned honky-tonk country song.

Typical country song about women and beer, you know.

A nice wee story to it.

With a quick costume change, James is ready to hit the stage.

Sure you wouldn't know I was from Belfast.

THEY CHEER

# Stop the world and let me off

# I'm tired of going round and round... #

He's absolutely amazing.

Really, really enjoying the night so far.

It's great. And it's great to see a fantastic crowd in there.

This place is buzzing.

It really is good to see.

-To be fair, I'm not a country and western fan, don't really...

-We're getting there, we're getting there.

Yeah, we're getting there, but it's actually a very, very good night.

The paying punters are enjoying the well-known country tunes,

but the big test is whether they'll like James's new single,

Whiskey Get Busy.

# I said, whiskey

# Get busy

# Do what you gotta do... #

Whiskey Get Busy? I really enjoyed it.

Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

-If he's back here again, we'll be here.

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

-We definitely will be here.

-Definitely.

# Whiskey, I have heard your reputation... #

To think that someone from Belfast is going to be singing instead of us

having to travel down the country all the time, it's great.

# I'm depending on you! #

Oh!

With such a great reception,

country might just ride again in Belfast city.

James, please bring the country music back to Belfast, please!

-We need it!

-I just love the old music and

I just wish it was everywhere.

If you can please Belfast people, you can please anybody.

Most Belfast people are hard to please, you know.

The Four Seasons in Monaghan on a Sunday night attracts the very best

country dancers to jive the night away...

..and Toura is about to jump feet first into the evening.

This time, I have made the effort to get the right shoes,

the brown shoes and the belt.

He might look the part, but the proof is in the dancing.

I want to watch it a little bit and then I'll give it a go.

Before daring to step onto the floor,

Toura gets an idea of the standard the ladies expect.

Seeing some of the dancers, it really makes me nervous.

I'm going to ask somebody for a dance now,

so hopefully I won't make an idiot of myself!

I've got to give it a go.

It's the moment of truth.

Can Toura from Zimbabwe jive with the best of them?

# Kiss me, Mary Kiss me, Mary

# Kiss me one more time

# I may be young and a little scared But I wanna cross the line

# Oh, come on, Mary... #

There's no doubt - the boy can jive.

# Kiss me Let me walk you home tonight... #

He's great. He's fantastic.

And he just wanted to throw in extra bits.

It's good to have something different and a bit of energy and he's a lovely, lovely person.

He's bubbly and he's a bit of craic and, sure, that's what you want.

# Life's too short Let's have some fun

# There's good times here for everyone... #

And having proved his dance floor credentials,

there's no stopping him now.

His humour, he's, like, in your eyes and his legs are like this here!

Yeah, all you can do is laugh,

but that's what makes it a brilliant dance.

That's why you'd want to go back and dance again and again with him,

because he's such fun to dance with.

What a night I've had!

Absolutely amazing.

You know, it's family, it is a way of life for these guys

and I think it might be a way of life or me, too, now.

# So, whiskey

# Get busy

# I'm depending on you

# Yeah, whiskey

# Get busy

# Well, I'm

# I'm depending on you. #

Keep it country, boys!

Yeah!