Three of Ireland’s greatest Country n’ Western music legends are to be honoured this month when their life stories are handed over to the Cork County and City archives in Blackpool for posterity.

Hot Country TV presenter Hugh O’Brien will present copies of shows featuring the late Donal Ring, Joe ‘Mac’ McCarthy and Art Supple to the archives on Thursday, February 23, at 2pm.

Joe Mac, Art Supple, Donal Ring Jnr, Eilish O’Sullivan, and Mick Ring, are to attend in person, said Mr O’Brien. The idea of preserving the life stories of the three entertainers came from Cork City and County Archivist Brian McGee.

A native of Blarney, céilí star Donal Ring died in March last year after a lifetime entertaining crowd in dance halls and theatres both at home and abroad.

“It goes through from when he was born, up to the day before he died,” said Mr O’Brien. “I asked him, ‘what does he intend to do when he meets God’? He gave a very good answer to it.” Donal responded that “he hoped there would be a Céilí on, and that he would ask God to dance the haymaker jig and he would play for Him.”

Joe Mac continues to play on an almost nightly basis at venues around Cork city and county.

Art Supple, from Gortroe in east Cork, became a household name all over Ireland and toured in Europe, America, and Canada, in a career spanning the decades. The lead singer with the Victors Showband, Mr Supple continues to sing and entertain in his 80s.

Separately, the Silver Springs Hotel in Cork will host a night of entertainment in honour of Joe Mac and Mr Supple on May 23, in a production concert featuring Keith and Lorraine McDonald and the Conquerors singing the hits of the Dixies and Art Supple, with cover versions of songs by Brendan Bowyer, Eileen Reid, and Butch Moore.

“For the last 20 minutes, I was going to bring up Joe and Art. I will do a presentation with them of Galway Irish Crystal,” added Mr O’Brien.