'As happy as Larry': Donegal vet nurse reaches Glór Tíre semi-final
Veterinary nurse, farmer, and country musician, Jack Larry, was announced as the fifth semi-finalist for TG4’s long-running hit country music show, Glór Tíre, on Tuesday night last.
The 23-year-old saw off intense competition from three other competitors to win the public vote on the show's first live broadcast of its 21st season.
Larry, who is from Buncrana, said: “I'm over the moon.”
“It couldn't have been done without the public vote, so I want to take the chance to say a big thanks to the people at Donegal and all over the rest of the country for voting for me.
"Being on Glór Tíre is one of the best experiences I’ve had on the music scene.”
He impressed the show’s judges and the viewing public with his rendition of ‘The Rose of Castlerea’, a family favourite.
“Singing it always gets a good reaction out and about at the dances, so that was the reason I chose it,” he said.
Despite his assured performance on Glór Tíre, he said he was apprehensive.
“I was nervous to be honest. Closer to the time the nerves kept increasing, but I got through it and it was a success anyway, thank God.”
He will appear in the semi-final of Glór Tíre on TG4 on Tuesday, April 8 at 9.30pm, alongside fellow semi-finalists Marion Kelly, Limerick; John Mullan, Derry; and Paddy Treacy and Conor Owens, both from Fermanagh.
Larry is busy preparing for the show and said the people of Donegal are rooting for him.
“Anything that happens in Donegal, like in sports, the people come out for you. It’s a very supportive county,” he said.
“And not forgetting family and friends, they’ve all been wonderful.
"We’ll keep practising away and keep at it on the social media, sharing things as much as we can on Facebook and Instagram.”
The Donegal man keeps a small flock of lowland cross ewes and purebred lanarks.
Will the farming jobs have to take a temporary backseat as he prepares for the next episode of Glór Tíre?
“I dare say we might get a couple of days off to get things organised,” he said, laughing.
The 2025 Glór Tire semi-final will be presented by Aoife Ní Thuairisg.
Resident judges, Jó Ní Chéide of RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta, and singer Caitriona Ní Shuilleabháin, will be joined by adjudicator, Eddie Rowley of the Sunday World.
