Philomena Begley (born 20 October 1942) is a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer from Northern Ireland. In 1975, Begley had a hit with her version of the Billie Jo Spears' song
Blanket on the Ground reaching higher sales then Spears in both the UK and Ireland. In 2020, Begley became the first lady to be inducted into ICMA Hall Of Fame. Today, Begley is affectionately known as 'The Queen of Country'.
Background
Philomena Begley was born and grew up in
Pomeroy, County Tyrone
Pomeroy is a small village and civil parish in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is in the townland of Cavanakeeran, about from Cookstown, from Dungannon and from Omagh. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 788 people. This article con ...
, Northern Ireland,
and worked in a hat factory in
Cookstown before her break into music.
Career
Her first venture as a singer was with the popular Old Cross Céilí Band, with whom she sang as a dare, but stayed with the group.
The group soon became known as the Old Cross Bandshow and released three records in Ireland in 1968 and 1969, but none made an impression in the chart. In September 1970, the band changed its name to The Country Flavour.
Begley's first record following this became her first chart hit when "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" reached number seven in the Irish chart. In 1974, she formed the Ramblin' Men,
while the Country Flavour continued to tour with several other lead singers (including Eileen King and Dan O'Hara) during the 1970s.
Begley regularly toured with
Ray Lynam from 1975 and they recorded many duets together, probably their most popular being "My Elusive Dreams",
which went on to be mentioned in
The Pogues
The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...
' song, "
A Pair of Brown Eyes
"A Pair of Brown Eyes" is a single by The Pogues, released on 18 March 1985. The single was their first to make the UK Top 100, peaking at Number 72. It featured on the band's second album, '' Rum Sodomy & the Lash'', and was composed by Pogues ...
".
In 1975, Begley had a hit with her version of
Billie Jo Spears
Billie Jo Spears (born Billie Joe Moore; January 14, 1938 – December 14, 2011) was an American country music singer. She reached the top 10 of the country music chart five times between 1969 and 1977, her biggest being "Blanket on the Ground", ...
' hit song "
Blanket on the Ground" which took her to number five in the Irish chart.
Spears also released the song in the United Kingdom and in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
at the same time, but in Ireland, Begley's version received the highest sales, as Spears' version only went to number 11. Begley occasionally performed with Spears and later recorded a tribute song to her after the American star's death in 2011.
By 1977, she was undertaking a major tour of the United States, and in 1978, she was invited to sing at the
Grand Ole Opry by
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.
In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...
.
Since then, she has returned annually to
Nashville, been a guest of honour at the
St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City, and has sung at both the Grand Ole Opry and
Carnegie Hall. Although few of Begley's CDs have been released in the United States, a number are available for downloading on the site Freegal Music.
Recognition
One of Begley's biggest fans is Irish singer
Daniel O'Donnell
Daniel Francis Noel O'Donnell, MBE (born 12 December 1961) is an Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist. After rising to public attention in 1983, he has since become a household name in Ireland and Britain; he has also had co ...
, and he once said, "When Philomena sings a song you believe her... you feel that she's experienced every emotion she expresses."
Personal life
Philomena Begley is married to Tom Quinn and they have three children Mary, Aiden and Carol. She is also a grandmother. They reside on a farm in
Galbally, County Tyrone
Galbally ([Placenames NI](_blank)
Andrea Begley
Andrea Begley is a singer-songwriter from Pomeroy, Northern Ireland, who is most notable for winning the second series of the BBC talent search ''The Voice UK'', beating the favourite to win, Leah McFall. She is the niece of Irish country music ...
, won the BBC TV Series ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'' in June 2013.
She is a regular contributor to the
Belfast Telegraph's Lifestyle section.
Discography
;Albums
*1972 - ''Truck Driving Woman'' (Release Records)
*1973 - ''The Two of Us'' (with
Ray Lynam) (Release)
*1974 - ''Meet the Queen of Country Music'' (Top Spin Records)
*1975 - ''The Best of Ray and Phil'' (with Ray Lynam) (Country Records)
*1975 - ''Blanket on the Ground'' (Top Spin)
*1976 - ''Irish Country Queen'' (Top Spin)
*1976 - ''Queen of the Silver Dollar'' (Top Spin)
*1977 - ''Truckin' Queen'' (Top Spin)
*1978 - ''Nashville Country'' (Top Spin)
*1979 - ''Fireside Country'' (Top Spin)
*1979 - ''The Best of Philomena Begley'' (
K-tel
K-tel International Ltd is a Canadian company which formerly specialized in selling consumer products through infomercials and live demonstration. Its products include compilation music albums, including ''The Super Hits'' series, ''The Dynamic ...
)
*1980 - ''Philomena's Country'' (Top Spin)
*1981 - ''My Kind of Country'' (Top Spin)
*1983 - ''Country Scenes'' (K-tel)
*1984 - ''You're in My Heart'' (Ritz Records)
*1985 - ''Simply Divine'' (with Ray Lynam) (Ritz)
*1987 - ''More About Love'' (Ritz)
*1988 - ''Silver Anniversary Album'' (Ritz)
*1991 - ''In Harmoney'' (Ritz)
*1993 - ''Simply Divine'' (Ritz)
*2002 - ''My Elusive Dreams'' (with Ray Lynam)(Prism Leisure Records)
*2003 - ''Irlands Qeen''
*2004 - ''Once Around the Dancefloor'' (Prism Leisure)
*2005 - ''Village''
*2007 - ''The Philomena Begley Collection'' (Voice Records)
*2009 - ''The Way Old Friends Do''
*2009 - ''I'll Only Give This Up When It Gives Me Up''
*2013 - ''How I Love Them Old Songs'' (H&H Records)
*2018 - ''From Then Till Now'' (H&H)
*2022 - '' The Dimond Collection''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Begley, Philomena
1942 births
Living people
Country singers from Northern Ireland
Musicians from County Tyrone
20th-century women singers from Northern Ireland
21st-century women singers from Northern Ireland