0:00:02 > 0:00:05In rural Ireland, country music has never been so popular.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11A host of new country music stars have tempted a generation
0:00:11 > 0:00:14to turn their back on the nightclub, don their Stetsons
0:00:14 > 0:00:19and jive the night away from Ballymena to Ballydehob.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23This week, we follow three single country music fans
0:00:23 > 0:00:25as they look for love on the jiving scene.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27He's a bit young.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30He's a fantastic dancer. I wonder if his da's here.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35Will divorcee Ger's love of dancing find her the ideal partner?
0:00:35 > 0:00:39He may or may not be attached, which is brilliant.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Can father-of-ten Tommy's trip
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna
0:00:44 > 0:00:46find him the woman of his dreams?
0:00:46 > 0:00:50I'm lying long enough on my own in a cold bed down there.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53It's not too warm, I can tell you that.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56- Hmm, well, his daughters aren't too sure.- He's too choosy.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59His woman has not been born yet.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02And will a makeover turn separated mother-of-two Cathy
0:01:02 > 0:01:06into an irresistible country music diva?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08How do you feel?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10I feel amazing. I can't wait to get to the Moy tonight.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Boys, leave your Masseys at home!
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Welcome to the romantic world of Irish country music.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31# Six short months we went together
0:01:31 > 0:01:34# Deciding it should be forever... #
0:01:34 > 0:01:37For years, country music and social dancing
0:01:37 > 0:01:40has produced many happily married couples
0:01:40 > 0:01:43who first connected on the dance floor.
0:01:43 > 0:01:4638 years ago, two of my friends saw Cecily dancing
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and said, "I dare you to go over "and ask her to dance."
0:01:49 > 0:01:51So I went over and asked her to dance,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and the first thing she said to me was, "Are you able to dance?"
0:01:57 > 0:02:00But today country music star Jimmy Buckley's song The Big D,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04about divorce, rings true for an awful lot of single people,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07whether they be divorced, widowed or separated.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09# I'm going through the big D
0:02:09 > 0:02:12# And don't mean Dallas. #
0:02:12 > 0:02:13I've gone through a tough time
0:02:13 > 0:02:17and I know what it's like to be at home, lonely and on your own.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21I've got great company and I've got great friends from country music.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28# It's multicoloured and waterproof... #
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Part and parcel of what you do when you're out here jiving,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32and if you meet somebody that you can talk to
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and be free and open with, it makes it a far enjoyable night.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Cathy from Draperstown has been separated for a number of years.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50I think when you turn 40 now and you're split up or whatever,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52I think people expect you to knit, or to do something like that.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57I don't have knitting needles, so, you know, I like to go out.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00If I don't have the kids, I like to be out.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02And when she's not jiving,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Cathy has her hands full
0:03:04 > 0:03:09looking after her two young children, Ethan and Bethany.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10Spellings.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Do we know these? Trunk.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Like an elephant.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- T-R-U-N-K.- Excellent.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Right, can you spell knight?
0:03:19 > 0:03:23As in knight in shining armour - who I have yet to meet.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25You have no knight in shining armour.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27I know I've no knight in shining armour.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- It's all right, you've got me. - Thanks, Ethan. Thank you.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33# Baby, baby You're driving me crazy... #
0:03:33 > 0:03:36While the children may sympathise with Kathy's plight,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39they're not so sympathetic with her taste in music.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Would you like a wee break? Wee bit of music on?
0:03:43 > 0:03:45- How about a wee bit of country? - Depends what you're putting on.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- What about a bit of country? - No, don't put country on!
0:03:48 > 0:03:52- Ach, you know Mummy loves country. - Well, we don't!
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Come on, have a wee dance. Go on.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Right, I'll do the part of the man for now, right?
0:03:56 > 0:04:00- Aye, because you can't get one. - What?! Ethan McGuigan!
0:04:00 > 0:04:03'Mummy thinks she's a bit like Dolly Parton a lot of the time.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06'Laughing and jumping around the house, singing
0:04:06 > 0:04:07'and going absolutely mental.'
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Aye, the craic's 90, it's good.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13But I don't like it - I don't like jiving.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Yee-ha!
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- Do you like country now?- Not really.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20'Going out jiving isn't just a release for Kathy...'
0:04:22 > 0:04:23'..it's changed her life.'
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Well, I've lost six stone through Slimming World
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and, I have to say, I feel better than I've ever done before.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Like, if you look up there, that was me whenever I was...
0:04:32 > 0:04:35That was five years ago, that's me and my sister.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37And then that was me a couple of weeks ago,
0:04:37 > 0:04:38we were at a hen party.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41It's actually helped me lose weight because I love to jive
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and a night's jiving, oh, my God! It's like...
0:04:43 > 0:04:45We call it body magic at Slimming World.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46But, I mean, you just...
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I could dance the whole night, I just love jiving.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It really is helping me shift the pounds
0:04:51 > 0:04:52and lose inches, to be honest.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55# Hey, did you happen to see
0:04:55 > 0:04:58# The most beautiful girl in the world?
0:05:00 > 0:05:04# And if you did... #
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Tommy is a divorced father-of-ten from Fermanagh.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13He'd love to share his love of country music with the right woman.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Oh, golly, country music has changed my life so much.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19I would have nothing now. I only go to country music and dancing.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I love it so much.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22I would've got a wee woman but I'm afraid
0:05:22 > 0:05:25because, if there's a wee flaw in one...
0:05:25 > 0:05:28I want one with not that wee flaw, do you know what I mean?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30It's like getting a tear from the cat.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33If you get a bad scrap from a cat,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36especially if she's an older cat, that tear is hard to heal.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39But if she's a wee young kitten, it'll heal up quick.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42I'd rather have the younger woman, you know what I mean?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44I don't mean in a bad way or anything.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46I don't mean anything bad about it.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53But Tommy would like to share some other things as well.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57These last two years I've had to learn to do this on me own -
0:05:57 > 0:05:59cooking and washing and that kind of thing.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It takes a woman to do the wee extras
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and there's a technique to doing ironing and stuff
0:06:04 > 0:06:06that I can't really do, you know what I mean?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Somebody was telling me there's a festival coming up in Lisdoonvarna.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12I might give that a wee go, you know? You never know.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14I'll keep trying, anyhow.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I don't mind if she's 20 or 70, but if I get the right one,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19she's for in there.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21# My coat of many colours
0:06:21 > 0:06:25# That my momma made for me
0:06:25 > 0:06:27# Made only from rags... #
0:06:27 > 0:06:29And Tommy would fit right in
0:06:29 > 0:06:32at the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34as all of his family love music and dancing.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39And going out with Dad on Saturday nights.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42People would ask me,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44"Is it embarrassing, going out with your father?"
0:06:44 > 0:06:47But it isn't, because he can dance and he knows so many people,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- and more people than us.- Us.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- And he's good craic.- Yeah.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54He isn't embarrassed to be seen with his daughters.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59He never does anything wrong that we are embarrassed about.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Apart from dancing with every woman in the place!
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Come on here, missus!
0:07:09 > 0:07:10Since his divorce,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Tommy has danced with women up and down the country,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16but he is still to find the right one.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Well, I have been all over - Navan, Cavan, Monaghan.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I've been over to a lot of the other dances,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25but I just haven't met the one that would click,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28that she'd want me and me want her and the two of us want each other.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31There's no use going down the road with a women that you don't want.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32I wouldn't make a fool of a girl.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I'd like to get a wee honest genuine one, but it's so hard to get.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40But Tommy's daughters are not so sure it's as simple as that.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44He's too choosy. His woman has not been born yet. No way.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45Do you not think?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47# I put on my Sunday best
0:07:47 > 0:07:50# With my fancy scalloped vest...
0:07:50 > 0:07:54# And I went to town and picked me out a wife. #
0:07:54 > 0:07:57At home in Galway, divorcee Ger Walsh
0:07:57 > 0:08:01couldn't live without the music of her favourite country star,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Mike Denver, to keep the company.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I use country music when I want to do housework or ironing,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09because I don't like ironing,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12so if you're listening to country music
0:08:12 > 0:08:15and when you're doing your housework as well,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18it just makes you go a little bit quicker.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21# Her Oklahoma dust is everywhere... #
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Originally from Kilkenny, Ger is cleaning the house
0:08:25 > 0:08:27in anticipation of all her old friends
0:08:27 > 0:08:30coming up for their annual trip to the Galway Races
0:08:30 > 0:08:33to jive the night away to Mike Denver.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35- RADIO PRESENTER: - Could you play Mike Denver
0:08:35 > 0:08:37for Julie, Bernie, Eleanor, Rose?
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Thanks a million from Ger.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41Well, we played this very first song
0:08:41 > 0:08:43and I hope they heard it and enjoyed it.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45And, Ger, thanks for the request.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46These are all my CDs.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50There's Mike Denver, John McNicholl, Nathan Carter.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Also I have tapes, because I have a walkman,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and Marc Roberts actually gave me this tape.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00He's a fine-looking thing there, isn't he?
0:09:00 > 0:09:03And, erm, I just totally enjoy all my country music.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07# Some days a diamond
0:09:07 > 0:09:10# Some days a stone... #
0:09:10 > 0:09:13And since she became single again,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17every country music song has a particular significance for Ger.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Country music, there's a song for everything
0:09:19 > 0:09:21that's going on in your life.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25The one that, really, I can't listen to is Stand By Your Man!
0:09:25 > 0:09:29I can't listen to that song any more!
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Being a divorced person,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35I don't think, you know, that song, Stand By Your Man?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37No, definitely not!
0:09:39 > 0:09:46# Sometimes it's hard to be a woman... #
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Meanwhile in Draperstown,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Cathy is still on the hunt for her knight in shining armour.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And she's tried online dating with - ah - mixed success.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00A friend of mine said recently, she said, Cathy,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04"This online dating, would you recommend it? What's it like?"
0:10:04 > 0:10:07So I thought about it and I said, "Well, do you have a cookery book?"
0:10:07 > 0:10:11She said, "Why?" I said, "Do you ever make anything out of the book?"
0:10:11 > 0:10:13She says, "Yeah." I said, "Well, why do you make it?"
0:10:13 > 0:10:15She says, "Because it looks nice in the picture."
0:10:15 > 0:10:19"Tell me this - at the end, does it ever look like the picture?"
0:10:19 > 0:10:21She says to me, "No, not really, mine doesn't."
0:10:21 > 0:10:23I said, "Yeah, well,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25"that's kind of like what online dating's about too,"
0:10:25 > 0:10:28because a lot of the time what is on the pictures
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and what's portrayed online isn't what you actually meet in person.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35At the end of the day,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39I'd like somebody my own age with their own hair and teeth!
0:10:39 > 0:10:41There's somebody out there,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43there has to be somebody out there for everyone,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45that's what they say anyway.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46And I suppose my thing is
0:10:46 > 0:10:51I don't want to find Mr Right Now, I want to find Mr Right.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58And Cathy believes her love of country music and jiving
0:10:58 > 0:11:00will help her find Mr Right.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02I'm going to go and do it the old-fashioned way.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04I'm going to go out and meet people and socialise
0:11:04 > 0:11:06and speak to people face-to-face
0:11:06 > 0:11:07and have a wee dance with them
0:11:07 > 0:11:09and you never know what might happen.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I just think somebody will sweep me off my feet on the dance floor.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Tommy's trip to the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna
0:11:22 > 0:11:23is just four weeks away,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27and he's warming up at a Gerry Guthrie gig in Monaghan
0:11:27 > 0:11:29with a few dances with his daughters.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31They're class dancers.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I take them out to dance and they love it and I love it as well,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37and you wouldn't be stuck with your daughters with you. Never, no.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Oh, Daddy's number one.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43I always love waltzing him and quickstepping him
0:11:43 > 0:11:44but it's hard to get him.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47He's on demand the whole time, the whole night.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50You're like, I'll have the next dance. He's like, I'll be back.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53I said I want to waltz and he went off with some young girl.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54I was like, "Get back here!"
0:12:00 > 0:12:05But whatever woman Tommy gets to dance with here...
0:12:05 > 0:12:08ultimately, it's daughters Melissa and Leanne
0:12:08 > 0:12:11who'll make the decision whether she's suitable or not.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18They'll be watching who I dance with
0:12:18 > 0:12:20and they may come over and say,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Daddy, I don't think that's the fit for you.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Maybe I'll be thinking to myself,
0:12:24 > 0:12:25maybe there's a wee flaw I can't see.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28I'm too choosy anyway, like! You know what I mean?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36The one I really, really fancy, you know, I did really fancy her.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39I know she was giving me the looks all the things,
0:12:39 > 0:12:40and I knew she did like me,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43but I don't want to go and ask her out or give her my phone number
0:12:43 > 0:12:44because my daughters are there.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46But they don't mind. They'd like to see moving on,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49but I don't like doing it in front of them, you know what I mean?
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- You've been a wee star.- Thank you.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55I'll get a wee dance after.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57We'll get another dance, thank you very much.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Every night I go, you always see different faces.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01You know yourself, all the strange faces.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03A lot that I do know, but I hope I see her again,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07because if she does, I'll give her my number. Well, I'll try anyway.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19After a four-hour bus journey,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Ger's friends have arrived from Kilkenny
0:13:22 > 0:13:25for their annual big night out,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28jiving to Mike Denver at the Galway Races.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Is this the couscous?
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- Oh, I love couscous. - Do you?- Yeah.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38- These are my new shoes. - Show me, give me a look.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39I bought two pairs!
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- How many pairs of shoes have you now, four?!- Four.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Oh, they're lovely.- I've no black.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- Pink shoe and this dress. - Gorgeous, lovely.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Can we look at the soles?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54- There?- Look. They need to be buffed.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Well, you can do it later on for us, will you?
0:13:59 > 0:14:02# And she loves him in spite of those wicked ways
0:14:02 > 0:14:04# She don't understand... #
0:14:04 > 0:14:06And once the tea is had,
0:14:06 > 0:14:11the conversation inevitably turns to jiving and the opposite sex.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Oh, I was out one night and this guy says to me,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Ger, why don't you drink? I said, do you see that table?
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I said, if I drank, I'd be dancing on that.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22- Come on, girl, I'll give you a leg up!- That's what they say.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Some of the older men are much better dancers
0:14:24 > 0:14:26than the younger ones.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Do you know what I notice now?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Guys that were heavy...
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and when they were walking they were like this,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35but the minute they started dancing,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37it was like they were gliding along the floor.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38So, Ger, tell us,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42if you met somebody that glided along the floor, would you like it?
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Well, he'd have to do a lot more...
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Glide in more ways than dancing!
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- No, he'd have to be a great jiver.- Right.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52And if he didn't like Mike Denver,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54then, sorry, I'd leave him on the dance floor.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01But will there be any suitable jivers waiting for them
0:15:01 > 0:15:03at the Galway Races?
0:15:03 > 0:15:06There should be loads around that are able to dance tonight.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It's the Galway races, isn't it?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Would you say there would be many loose men there tonight?
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- I don't know. - Are you looking for one?- No!
0:15:22 > 0:15:26If separated mother-of-two Cathy is going to find her ideal man...
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- Good morning. Cathy, is it?- Yes.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32..she wants to do it face to face and not online.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35So Cathy is going shopping for a new dress in Belfast
0:15:35 > 0:15:39before she goes jiving at the Ryandale in the Moy.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Although I feel great being six stone lighter,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44I do not know how to dress and what to wear
0:15:44 > 0:15:47that would maybe accentuate my figure.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50That's no bother. We'll get you looking stunning for your jiving.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Thanks very much. Now is your cue to leave!
0:15:52 > 0:15:54And we'll close the door.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02- Right, you're allowed back in again. - Well Cathy, what are we thinking?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04I think the shape is very good,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08because you have a small, small waist that we need to show off,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11but I am not 10% sure on those flowers.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13You know, I do like this.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16It makes me look slim, I actually feel slim in it,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- but it's a wee bit dark. - You're right about one thing, Cathy.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21At the beginning, you said you had good legs,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and you really do need to be showing them off.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27And I think I have the dress just for you.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Cathy, tell me, how do you feel?
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- I feel amazing.- You look amazing.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37It's just something that I wouldn't have picked myself. I love it.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40The dress goes out. When I dance, it'll go round.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It is so elegant, it's so glam. I wanted to feel like Faith Hill.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45I know I don't look like her -
0:16:45 > 0:16:47but after the hair and make-up, who knows?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50All I can say is, I can't wait to get to the Moy tonight.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Boys, leave your Masseys at home!
0:16:59 > 0:17:01In Fermanagh, Melissa and Leanne
0:17:01 > 0:17:04are packing their divorced father-of-ten, Tommy,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06off to Lisdoonvarna
0:17:06 > 0:17:09in the hope that he'll bring back the woman of his dreams.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14So, Daddy, how many shirts are you going to be needing?
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I would need 12 or 14 shirts at least, if not more,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20because this is the biggest scene of my life,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22going to Lisdoonvarna.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25This is the place for me to bring back Mrs Right -
0:17:25 > 0:17:27the one I want, Melissa.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29I actually do hope you get a woman.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- It will save us the job. - Of all this ironing!
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Well, if I get the wee woman, as I call her, Mrs Right,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38she'll be here and you will have no more ironing to do, Melissa.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- This could be your last pack. - Oh, yes.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41I need a pink shirt,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45because a pink shirt is like a magnet to draw the ladies.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47- I don't know what's in it. - Yes, Daddy, I agree.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- This one?- Yes.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- No, no...- This is more you. This is with the times.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Daddy, we prefer this one.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56This is the magnet, Melissa! Yeah!
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Just give me the luck I need. I hope.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Tommy is heading to the matchmaking festival
0:18:06 > 0:18:07with high hopes.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10And he's not the only one.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Ideally, I'd like Daddy to find somebody
0:18:14 > 0:18:16that's a bit of craic, like himself.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17He's always up for a laugh.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Somebody nice, kind...
0:18:20 > 0:18:24..good-hearted, I'd like her to get along with us as well, you know?
0:18:24 > 0:18:26That would be very important. And also age.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I'd like her to be, you know, round the same age as him.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37In Galway, Ger and her friends
0:18:37 > 0:18:41have already discussed the possibility of meeting new talent.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Girls, girls, are you ready? Are you ready?
0:18:46 > 0:18:50And now it just leaves time for a quick rehearsal of the Tommy K dance
0:18:50 > 0:18:53before they head to Mike Denver.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Right, are we ready?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57# Let's call out his name
0:18:57 > 0:18:59# Tommy K, Tommy K
0:18:59 > 0:19:01# Tommy K, the DJ
0:19:01 > 0:19:04# Tommy K, Tommy K
0:19:04 > 0:19:07# Give us the locomotion
0:19:07 > 0:19:09# Give me me dancing shoes
0:19:09 > 0:19:11# Give us the mashed potato
0:19:11 > 0:19:14# Give us the boogaloo
0:19:14 > 0:19:17# Give us the words between the songs... #
0:19:17 > 0:19:20His daughters have already nicknamed him Tommy K
0:19:20 > 0:19:23for his love of country music and jiving.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24And Tommy is coming into
0:19:24 > 0:19:27the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna
0:19:27 > 0:19:28with hope in his heart.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34# Tommy K the DJ Tommy K, Tommy K... #
0:19:34 > 0:19:37But his first stop isn't to an afternoon dance,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Tommy wants to see what the future holds.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46# He's brave and courageous
0:19:46 > 0:19:48# Upright and strong... #
0:19:48 > 0:19:50- Hello, Tommy.- Hello.- How are you?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- Pleased to meet you. - How're you keeping?
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Come in. Looking forward to meeting you all day.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56- Oh, thank you very much. - Nice to have you.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Pick 12 cards for me now, please, from anywhere.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01- Wherever you want to go.- One...
0:20:03 > 0:20:06..two...
0:20:06 > 0:20:08three...
0:20:08 > 0:20:10And I'm going to go up beside you to take one,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12because I like going close to the ladies, if you don't mind.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- Now, close your eyes.- Close my eyes?
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Now, these are the angels under your hand.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18- HE CHUCKLES - It's not funny.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- You're asking the angels. - What have I to ask them?
0:20:20 > 0:20:25What's the most important thing you want an answer to? You ask them.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27I wonder, is there such a thing
0:20:27 > 0:20:30that I could get a wee honest, genuine woman?
0:20:30 > 0:20:34OK. There's been an awful lot of pain and unhappiness,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36there's been an awful lot of stress around you.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- Oh.- The worst is behind you. - Oh, thanks, I'm glad to hear that.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40You've got to be thankful for now
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and thankful for everything else, you know?
0:20:43 > 0:20:47And your health is just, mind it, take care of it,
0:20:47 > 0:20:48and I think you need glasses.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50- I do.- You left eye's weaker than your right.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- I am blind. How did you know that? - Ach, sure, I know by looking at you.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I'm as blind as a bat.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- This woman has been married already.- Right.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59So she wouldn't be judging you,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01but she would speak it straight to you.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- Ah.- That's what you need, someone to tell you straight.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06That's the one I like.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08No, that's the one you need to keep you in your place,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11because you're a holy terror, is what you are.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13HE GIGGLES
0:21:13 > 0:21:17But you will never know unless you ask.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20And all that can be said is "yes" or "no" and "thank you".
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Ah.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33She was a lovely lady.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Some of the things she did tell me, like, definitely goes through.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40You know, because she said to me I was dancing too much.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42To pick out the girl that I really want, the love of my life,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47I'd have to cut down me dancing and chat to them more,
0:21:47 > 0:21:48like, you know what I mean?
0:21:48 > 0:21:51But I love me dancing, so I'm going to have to tone it down
0:21:51 > 0:21:53and not dance as much. Put it that way, like, you know?
0:22:05 > 0:22:08It's the night they've been waiting for all year.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Mike Denver live during the Galway Race week.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14The Galway boy, Mike Denver.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21# Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk
0:22:21 > 0:22:23# Of a day-ai-ay-ai-ay
0:22:23 > 0:22:26# I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
0:22:26 > 0:22:27# Of a fine soft day-ai-ay
0:22:27 > 0:22:29# And I ask you, friend... #
0:22:29 > 0:22:33For Ger and her friends, it doesn't get any better than this.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36And they recognise what these country evenings really mean
0:22:36 > 0:22:38to divorced people like Ger.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42She's been through a hard time. Tough times, like,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and she's come a long, tough road.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47It's given her a new lease of life, like.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Ger's able to get up now.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50She's a stronger person.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Much stronger person. More confident.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58She's just on top of the world when she's out at country music.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59It's... It's...
0:22:59 > 0:23:02It's like a medicine. A good medicine.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09# Oh, the sun's going to shine
0:23:09 > 0:23:11# In my life once more
0:23:11 > 0:23:14# Love's gonna live here again... #
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Down at the matchmaking festival,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Robert Mizzell and his band are packing the dance floor.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25And despite the fortune-teller's advice,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Tommy is getting through his fair share of dance partners.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35I did see one smiling at me and asked me where I come from,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and she asked me back to dance her again, which...
0:23:37 > 0:23:41That's not a bad hope and another of them winked at me going round,
0:23:41 > 0:23:42smiled twice or three times at me.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44So it's early in the night yet,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46but the crowd is so big, I can hardly get moving.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47The crowd is massive.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50But I want to take that advice too, as well, that that women gave me,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53not dance as much, and I can see what she's telling me,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56because I know there's more chances when I don't dance that much.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59But I'm going to head back in again because there's two or three.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I think I have a chance. OK, chat to yous again.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06# Kick off your shoes and throw 'em on the floor
0:24:06 > 0:24:09# Dance in the kitchen till the morning light
0:24:09 > 0:24:11# Louisiana Saturday night... #
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Finding love on a country-music dance floor is something
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Robert Mizzell has seen many times.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20We did a trip to Nashville about five years ago
0:24:20 > 0:24:24and there was a single girl and another guy on the trip
0:24:24 > 0:24:26and they've since got married. So it's good.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30You're bringing people together through the music
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and country music has always had that, especially in Ireland.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35It brings groups of people together.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Cathy's got the dress,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44and now, with her hair and make-up being expertly done...
0:24:46 > 0:24:49..the men of the Moy may watch out
0:24:49 > 0:24:52as she's ready to hit the Ryandale with her friend Cilla.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Oh, my God. I didn't even recognise you coming across the road.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57That is absolutely gorgeous.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59- What do you think? - That was some makeover!
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I have to say, I love it.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- I'm going with you the next time you go.- I loved it. Come on.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05It was brilliant. Two, please.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09# For a girl like you
0:25:09 > 0:25:11# A girl like you... #
0:25:13 > 0:25:16With this new confidence, Cathy has no shortage of dance partners,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19even if they may be a little bit young.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- Oh, my God.- He was a fantastic dancer.- Did you see him?
0:25:26 > 0:25:28He threw me around the floor like a rag doll.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29Fantastic but, I mean...
0:25:29 > 0:25:31He goes through all the jives that we would...
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Oh, we've seen him at Omagh. We've stayed away from him on purpose.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37You know, he's a bit young, he's a fantastic dancer.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I wonder if his da's here.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41# A lot of small-town boys can't wait to leave home
0:25:41 > 0:25:44# To bigger and better things
0:25:44 > 0:25:46# But all I ever wanted was a girl like you
0:25:46 > 0:25:49# A picket fence and a front-porch swing... #
0:25:49 > 0:25:52In Galway, Ger has attracted another dancer
0:25:52 > 0:25:54who, like her, can really move.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56There was actually a fella that caught my eye.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00He was a fantastic jiver, and if I could have danced with him
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I think I would have stayed on the floor the whole night.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05He may or may not be attached,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07but he seemed to be dancing with a lot of people,
0:26:07 > 0:26:08which was brilliant.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13# For a heart so true
0:26:13 > 0:26:15# And eyes so blue... #
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Man or no man, Ger has got it all tonight.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Her favourite singer on stage
0:26:21 > 0:26:23and her best friends jiving the night away.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29As you can see, music's still playing, I'm off. See you later on.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Come on, Ger, come on.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35And I've found a toy boy!
0:26:35 > 0:26:36SHE LAUGHS
0:26:41 > 0:26:44# Well, I bet my daddy married a girl like you... #
0:26:46 > 0:26:49And down in Clare, at the matchmaking festival,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51could Tommy have met his match?
0:26:51 > 0:26:52He asked me out for a meal tonight.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54I said, "I'll go for a meal and a glass of wine,"
0:26:54 > 0:26:56and we had a couple of dances in there.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00So you don't know what happens... What happens in Lisdoonvarna.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02That's what it's all about.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Love can be blind, you know?
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Love can be a very funny wee thing.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11It takes a while to get the right person,
0:27:11 > 0:27:12and I want to make sure.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14But, anyway, I don't mind.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16I always have me country dancing. Yeah.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25At the Jim Devine gig in the Moy,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Cathy's night is continuing to be a success.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31And this time, she's found a jiver her own age.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I had a dance there with that fella from Feeny there,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37and he is a great dancer, now. There's no two ways about it.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40You know what? We kind of fitted well together.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Cathy was very nice to dance with. She had a great beat.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Me and her get on very, very well.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52In fact, we hit it right off, right away.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Could it be that Cathy has finally found her knight in shining armour?
0:28:03 > 0:28:05- I go to The Mill and I go to Josie's...- Right.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08..and I go to The Four Seasons in Monaghan on a Sunday night.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10- A beautiful floor. - I've never been there, like.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- Well, I'll take you some night.- Really?
0:28:12 > 0:28:15I'll spin over the hill and lift you, if you wish.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- Well, there you go, maybe that's a plan.- Not too far away. OK?
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- All right, there's a plan.- Cheers.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23# I love you both
0:28:23 > 0:28:24# And this will be
0:28:24 > 0:28:30# Pure H-E-double-L for me
0:28:30 > 0:28:34# Oh, I wish that we could stop this
0:28:34 > 0:28:40# D-I-V-O-R-C-E. #