Country Music on TV

Country Music and Irish Music on our TV screens

You have to ask yourself why there is 16 hours of Country and Irish music to air each week on Showcase SKY Channel 201 Freesat 403. Responding to unprecedented demand from fans of Country music and Irish music in the UK and Ireland, Showcase TV has dedicated more than 16 hours of airtime to showcasing established and upcoming talent from the country and traditional Irish music scene. 

Showcase TV has compiled a unique collection of new and exciting programmes with appeal to fans of Country music and Irish music over 10 different programmes will cover Americana, Country & Western, Country & Irish and Traditional Irish. This is the most comprehensive collection of Country and Irish music to air on TV in the UK and Ireland in more than 20 years. Tony Blin Stoyle, Commercial Director of Information TV, the company that broadcasts Showcase TV, commented: “For too long, Country music and Irish music have been missing from our TV screens.  Although this kind of music is enjoyed by millions of people around the world, in the UK it often loses out to the more mainstream genres.  Our aim is to celebrate Country music and Irish music and give them the place they deserve, so that fans and artists can make that vital connection.”

As a result of this Showcase present a unique collection of programming – Music for Pleasure, A little bit of Ireland and the very popular Hot Country and Hot Country extra run by Cork man Hugh O Brien, who interviews our top country singers each week and is responsible for a lot of the new videos we see popping up on Youtube and other websites.. All these shows are presenting the very best in country music and traditional Irish music.  They showcasing top performers and all the up-and-coming talent from America, the UK and Ireland. Let’s not forget the popular Phil Mack’s Country Roadshow on Showcase 201, Monday 9pm (60 minutes) and repeated Saturday at 1pm - which brings the “craic” into the sitting rooms of 11 million homes.  Every week presenters Phil Mack and Lisa Stanley tour the counties of Ireland to bring live performances from the best, established and upcoming talent, Irish country music has to offer. In the first one-hour

Exploring the American country scene, Inside Music Row, Music Row Profiles, and The Country Vibe will provide up-to-the-minute music, news and action direct from Nashville, Tennessee.  Meanwhile, Southern Psalms, Best of Gospel Singing Jubilee and Gospel Journey draw on country’s roots to provide a more traditional option. Add to the mix our own TG4, with a host of Irish country music shows to pick from, The Sunday World Country Music Awards, The Hot Country Music Awards, The Farmers Journal Country Music Awards and it just proves that Country music is still very popular in Ireland today.