Noel Cassidy - News & Articles

Jun 25, 2006. From: The Sunday Mirror. By Michael Commins.

FERMANAGH country singer Sean Corrigan is busy these days preparing for a double launch of his debut album, Down That River Road.

The 21-year-old from Kinawley will be joined by many friends from the business for the big night in the Fortlodge Hotel in Enniskillen on Wednesday night, June 28 and the compere for the night is Big Bernie from radio station Q101.

The artists appearing with Sean are Noel Cassidy, Ally Harron and Marian Curry, Barry Doyle, Anthony McBrien, Mickey Clerkin (of the Shaun Loughrey band), Brenda Mulgrew and Gerry Mac and the show starts at 9.30pm.

Wednesday, August 14, 2002. From: Western People News Paper

Longford Country from Noel Cassidy
Country balladeer, Noel Cassidy from Drumlish in Co. Longford, returns to the recording spotlight with the release of his new album entitled "Reflections of Country and Irish".

This is Noel's fifth album and it contains 12 popular tracks from the Irish and American traditions. There's no doubting the influence Big Tom has had on Noel as he includes a few Johnny McCauley songs previously recorded by Big Tom.

This is an album that will find much favour with people who enjoy this genre of music from a singer who renders his songs in a proud Midlands accent. We wish Noel well with his latest venture.

All the best from Noel
(taken from 'With your Host Daniel O'Donnell' Sunday World, October 8th, 1995)

Country music singer Noel Cassidy has become a video star with a new release called All The Best From Ireland.

Noel is one of the stalwarts of the live music scene and this video is a tremendous showcase for his talent.

Filmed on location throughout counties Leitrim and Longford, Noel is featured singing 15 requested country and Irish Favourites.

Country songs such as 'I was There' and 'We'll Sweep Out The Ashes' and his hits, 'Southern Dixie Flyer' and 'Old Time Waltz' are mixed with evergreen ballads like 'My Grass is Greener' and 'The Homes Of Donegal'.

There is even a song he composed himself - 'My Town Ballinamuck' - a tribute to his birthplace.
I'm sure it will be a great treat for his many fans and it will also serve to introduce his style of entertainment to a whole new audience

Noel Cassidy - A quality Country & Irish Singer
(taken from The Longford Leader - Friday 20th March, 1992)

Noel Cassidy is now recognised as one of the finest Country singers in Ireland today, a fact acknowledged by record buyers and dancers alike. A consummate professional, Noel has enjoyed considerable success since making the decision to concentrate his efforts on a full-time career in the music business. That was 1989. Since then Noel has built up an impressive reputation, not just as a live performer, but also as a number of hit singles among them, Southern Dixie flyer and We'll Sweep Out The Ashes.

However, it was his superb interpretation of the rather plaintive song, Old Time Waltz, written specifically for the Ballinamuck-born singer by Peter Lawlor, a former member of the Pacific, which truly marked Noel Cassidy's coming of age in the Country Music world. Without question, one of the most outstanding recordings of 1991, or any other year for that matter, Old Time Waltz deservedly commanded massive airplay on national and regional networks and brought Noel to the attention of a vast and appreciative audience.

No surprise, then, to learn that Noel's 'wonder' hit, Old Time Waltz is featured on his newly released album, which will be launched in The Longford Arms Hotel this Sunday night March 22. This promises to be an extra special evening and to mark the occasion, Noel will be presented with an 'Outstanding Achievement' award from Brian Carthy, the well known RTE1 and 2FM Sports and music presenter. Significantly, too, Noel is one of the artists featured in Brian's best-selling new book, the A-Z of Country & Irish Stars, which contains biographical details of seventy one of our leading and best-loved entertainers, including Daniel O'Donnell, Philomena Begley and Joe Dolan.

Since turning professional, Noel Cassidy, in addition to guesting on numerous high profile radio programmes, has also been invited to appear on major television shows, including Bibi(RTE), Kelly Live(UTV) and Live at Thress, where he will be making a return appearance on Tuesday March 31. Apart from touring Noel is beginning to consolidate his position in Britain where he makes a point of touring on a regular basis. In fact, Noel will be breaking new ground this Easter when he undertakes his first ever Scottish tour.

There is no doubt but that everything is going Noel Cassidy's way at the moment and nothing would please him more than to have his fans celebrate with him in his home-county. So why not come along and enjoy what promises to be a 'night to remember' in the company of Noel Cassidy and his Band in the Longford Arms Hotel on Sunday next March22. Don't dare miss it.

Cassidy Heads For The Big Time
(Taken from 'The Last Word by Eugene McGee)

When you are born and reared in the less affluent part of the county, in north Longford, then you rarely get anything soft in life and only the fighters have much of a chance of making it to the top in any walk of life. There is no better example of this at the moment than singer Noel Cassidy from Ballinamuck. For years Noel was a well-known locally as a country & western singer around the pubs and other entertainment-spots in north Longford and along th Cavan-Longford-Leitrim borders. It seemed as if things would stay that way for him until he took the bull by the horns a couple of years ago and decided to make an all-out effort to break out of the small-time music scene and try for national acclaim.

Making such a decision is never easy for the part-timer because there ia always an element of a gamble involved. Possibly inspired by the siccess of his near-neighbour, Mick Flavin, not to mention Declan Nerney from the same parish, Noel Cassidy threw his hat in the ring for national stardom. For the past two years singing has been his livelihood and recently he reached an important landmark when he signed an impressive recording deal with Dino Records.

Following several fairly successful chart hits over the past two years, Noel hit the jackpot in this erratic business when he recorded the song 'Old-Time Waltz'. Many people who had never really taken note of Noel Cassidy were hooked by this particular song and its extremely appealing chorus. Young and old liked it, the name Noel Cassidy gained a whole new following, and that song may well be the turning-point in his career.

Just lately Noel has released a new four-track cassette featuring 'Old time Waltz' and three other attractive songs all of which are recent compositions. One of them, 'I Was There', is composed by the legendary American singer Buck Owens who was probably never in the '98 Hall in Ballinamuck - but his records definitely were.

Good recordings need exposure and we will be seeing Noel Cassidy on The Bibi Show on RTE television shortly as well as half a dozen other television appearances which have been lined up. And not far off is a full-scale album from Noel for which all the tracks have already been recorded with the boys in his band, Connie Casey, Roger Sullivan, Nigel Pratt and Terry Reynolds.
So, these are interesting times for Noel Cassidy as he hovers on the brink of the big-time. If, as appears likely, he becomes a national star, it will be further proof that hard rearing never dad anybody any harm.