Ailish McBride’s cover version of If You’re Ever Down in Dallas shot to the top spot on the iTunes country charts within hours of its release earlier this month.
The last few months have been a whirlwind for the 21-year-old, who hails from a suckler farm in Donegal and has recently qualified as a veterinary nurse.
She released the track just weeks after completing her final exams as part of her honours degree in veterinary nursing at Letterkenny Insititute of Technology.
McBride, who has recorded fifteen singles to date, works full-time in a veterinary practice, Parkview Veterinary Clinic, in Strabane.
If You’re Ever Down in Dallas
Speaking to That’s Farming, she said: “Brian Kerrigan recorded and produced the single at Harmony Studios in Letterkenny and Steve and Daniel Bloor filmed and arranged the video.”
“I recorded a video to accompany the new single. It was filmed on location in Ramelton, Co. Donegal, at the stunning Oakwell Holiday Village. Be sure to check it out,” she added.
“I have been getting good feedback on my recent single so far. Furthermore, I thought it was something a little different, and it has not been covered much in the past. I would like to thank everyone who has downloaded it so far. I appreciate it.”
Suckler farming
Like many other artists, Covid-19 has impacted her musical career as live gigs are still not permitted. However, she luckily still had the opportunity to record new music in the studio.
“The return of live entertainment is still a grey area at the moment due to the ongoing pandemic. But hopefully, we will start to see the return of live shows in the near future; fingers crossed,” added McBride, who appeared on Glór Tire in recent years.
With Covid-19 bringing the entertainment calendar to a halt, McBride has spent more time on her family farm.
“At the start of lockdown, we were busy with cows calving. Keeping busy made lockdown a lot easier for me as, without it, I do not know what I would have done.”
“There are always jobs to do. This year, we put a big emphasis on compacting the calving season with synchronisation.”
“This consists of a few trips to the chute and extra handling of the cows. However, it is well worth it. Finishing calving in nine weeks makes it more hectic for a few weeks compared to being dragged out over a few months.”
“This also leads to a more even crop of calves when selling. We also tried our hand with ET work this year, flushing one of my heifers. We scanned a handful of recipient heifers in-calf, so that is exciting for us moving forward while also improving genetics in the herd.”
“On the music front, there are a few things in the pipeline at the moment that I will reveal very soon. So keep a close eye on my Facebook, Ailish McBride Music, for all the latest updates.”
Ailish’s music is available on YouTube and other platforms, including iTunes and Spotify.
We recently interviewed the young country music star – read this profile.
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