 Spotify and Twitter the whole lot, he's a say a lot of time and he sounds like a lot of artists during the lockdown and the discovery that he had a great talent for storytelling through his song so as a result of that in his own words the emotions poured out deep from inside and resulting on his debut album coming up very very shortly so we're looking forward to that. Anyway listen you're welcome in as I say Monday night kicking off the week as always and we're delighted to say we are welcoming to our studio here this evening. Lewis McTigert, Lewis hello to you. Hello, how are you doing? I am great, I really get assorted here now we get to make here. That's my fault. Top up there you see Lewis. That's perfect. Is it now? How's it going here now? No it's good. Listen you're very welcome, thanks for popping up. Oh thank you for having me. As I say you're, I'm not, I suppose it's wrong to say you're relatively new in the scene but you have, you're a professional singer now you know you're digging permanently. Yeah well like years ago I started off as a singer-songwriter and I did that for a long time and then like in the past I went back to uni and stuff to do a music degree and got into doing covers and then from that I started like you know working in pubs and stuff then I moved on to like cruise ships, Irish bars, ferries and stuff like that like you know. The cruise ships where they take you to Mediterranean stuff or? Everywhere like I've done the Mediterranean a few times the best one I ever did was it was a last minute job like a phone call can you join in a week. I went to Thailand, I went to Thailand and we travelled from Thailand to Europe if you know what I mean. Yes, yes. So we went through Dubai, India all these places end up in Greece I think we went to Singapore and this is in the space of two months. I'm telling you are they as good as they sound or you know as they're working you don't really appreciate it or what way is it for? It depends like the ship depends on the company like I worked for an American ship on that other name that was very it was like working class Americans. Yes. And I was like one of my friends said it's like McDonald's at sea. All right. Shipload of whole boys. And they just wanted like their music and you were just back right you were actually fighting with the casino the sound of the casino for like attention That's what we were told. It's not all glamorous. No, no, no. And is that still part of the plan you could go still you'd be interested in that kind of workers that are? I think so I did one there actually at the end of the lockdown as the lockdown was ending here I was one of the first ones back and it was good it was with the restrictions and stuff was hard kind of put me off so this year I'm going to do the album record an album yeah and I might I might go back you know because if the restrictions lift again it's a it can be a great life you know it's a great you say a lot you know what I mean of course I understand is right too but only listen we'd like to go straight on the song if you don't mind so you're right you're right a lot of songs yourself I have you as I always ask have you a back catalog or such I have a huge back catalog I have like I've forgotten more songs than I've wrote and get you here and where you're based on Derry you're from on a scale originally from a scale of a kind of in and out relationship with Derry okay I lived here in 2001 for a couple of years then I went to England then I came back and did me degree yeah then I went away traveling and then I came back here two months before lockdown started got a flat in a new car pressure on like a whole lot of people but only listen the first song you're going to do first loose it's called I used to dance right tell us a bit outside that song I wrote the song it was during that last lockdown there a it was I don't know if you seen it was a video of Marta Gonzalez she was a lady an elderly lady in a care home in Spain and it was kind of went viral for a while she was dancing along the Swan Lake and she had Alzheimer's she's passed away since unfortunately and I just seen the video one night I was actually about to go to bed it was like two in the morning and I just like watch this video and started crying you know and just wrote the song I must have been in about five or six minutes at the song wrote I didn't see that it's beautiful I'll post it on the facebook if you don't mind I might post my video too because my videos got the course a bit of it on you know and stuff isn't it remarkable where you get inspiration for a song like that's been really good for me because it's really give me a it's really inspired me to record more you know what I mean before I was kind of like it wasn't really inspired around that time and just that and the reaction I got a really good reaction on facebook and stuff that's great and it's had a great reaction so far like you know well listen we'll we'll check more but we'd love to hear this song this is Lewis McTigert and I used to dance I could hear them take a breath feel a heartbeat in their eyes I used to say the deepest ocean and all I had to give was a gift I never lived I used to cry some nights were long time but I would give my just to have them back again used to be someone was the toast of anastasia is in his thoughts he was always with me too I used to fly ocean to ocean and every step below was a price I had to pay I used to hurt some bones but that was my own sacrifice to live those to sort tell them my stroke beautiful absolutely beautiful god do you know that it's powerful I think because I got a the we inside and did first I can picture what you were saying beautiful absolutely beautiful ah your voice is in you've got a good range in your voice oh thank you are you trained you're singing we've had a training I got some training in uh in McGee college when I was doing me course I had a had a singing teacher and would you only got a couple of lessons as term and they and then I asked for somebody else I got like an opera teacher I was like and because it was in the choir too so it really helped you know so I use a bit of that what was the course you don't edit music course beam was in McGee in 2011 yeah as a mature student I went back you know when all right it was kind of that's a to do that because you think of you know you think of university and stuff like from my perspective like the horse you know it's hard studying and stuff like that but that'd be lovely it'd be nice course to be involved in brilliant court like that was for me it was very like a community within that's what was the best thing about it was like that you had the choir and then everybody's in the choir we had like we had like people like like retired people you just come in from outside and be in the choir it was open to the community as well so you made like friends from everywhere and stuff and we we've sang in storm out and stuff as well all right that's great the the song where you record it have you out on single or it's released in single it's on all the platforms on very good spotifying all where did you record it yourself oh no with Peter Daherty he's a he's a fella from Strabat I know Peter yeah karma 45 I haven't I a long time ago I remember hope well and it goes great uh but who else did Peter you record was it Paul Tolley still familiar don't Paul Tolley's to you yeah very good he's he's a brilliant songwriter himself so he's like so easy to work with I great very good well listen to tell you we're going to get another song but what I'm going to do is take a quick hour break we're going to get a football update if you just tuned in Highland Radio on uh Monday night and uh we're joined in studio by Lewis McTaggart we'll be back after this there are many reasons people are switching to clear mobile this April serious deal simple as customer service is a one great coverage there you go unlimited calls tech everything you need to get your outdoor spaces ready for summer Foyz stock all the leading paint brands and wallpapers all available for nationwide delivery from garden sheds and furniture to outdoor dining and decking the Foyz and company team will guide you through the process of selecting the right paint for your indoor or outdoor space book your free online or in-store color consultation today at Foyz.ie Thin Harps on Highland in association with B&S Credit Union Ballad Buffet where the renovate loan can help you turn your dreams to reality don't delay get your loan today visit B&S.ie.ie or free phone 1800 290 390 B&S Credit Union Limited is regulated by the central bank of Ireland yes they welcome back 25 minutes after eight o'clock and live Premier Division football this evening Thin Harps taking on drawing to United and we joined Chris just after kickoff after eight o'clock and we go for further updates Chris any change the score yes good timing we're halfway through the first half and Thin Harps have just equalized in this game that's producing more and more drama as it develops it was Drauta who took the lead after just five minutes Darren Eugent doing the spade work on the right side of the box and he found James Clark in space and the latter drilling the ball past Gavin Mulraney making his debut in the Harps goal the ball just squeezing inside the post so that was a great start for the visitors who of course in their side include former Thin Harps captain Keith Callan there hasn't been too much between the sides since then but just before you join us Thin Harps equalizing and it was the American Eric McWoods getting on the score sheet the keeper for draw to Sam Long initially made a decent save but then the ball fell to Yoyo Madi he found McWoods and he planted it into the back of the net so excitement levels rise here at Thin Park it's all square in this game by the way at in Bellfield UCD taking on Derry City this evening that game at a 745 start so they've about six minutes left to the break there it's currently UCD 0 Derry City 0 but here at Thin Park 23 minutes now on the clock and it's all square Thin Harps one truly noted one back to you thank you very much indeed Chris will have updates as the match goes on Thin Harps on Highland in association with B&S Credit Union Ballet Buffet who make online banking easy pay your bills transfer money pay your balances and don't forget to download the app register now at bnscu.ie forward slash register B&S Credit Union Limited is regulated by the central bank of Ireland yeah welcome back there we go 26 minutes after eight o'clock and as they lose my target in studio and just performed his first song I used to dance absolutely beautiful Liz are you working on an album with the limit I am yeah I'm working with Peter on album we've done three or four tracks now so it was like like I was saying I got like really inspired by I used to dance to get back in the studio and for something I always wanted to do was do me and that song sort of just brought back your whole songwriting ability did it or your mindset it brought back me kind of drive because I always write but it made me look back at stuff I've wrote and go right this is actually good you know what I mean and you know I always ask singers this as well do you know when you're when you are a singer songwriter and you have a back catalog of music do you bring back songs that you've written before and sort of juggle about with them or you get maybe you get a different inspiration for them or you ever get sometimes yeah it's Peter really has inspired me because the song I'm going to play it was going to be my next single okay it was one that he because it's another thing me and Peter we met when I was a junior and he sang in a band and he said he always said this one song I wrote was like oh it's such a good song and he I remember we did I used to dance and he says remember that song yes like years later let's do that next like I just registered in his head obviously very good well this next song you say is it's called beat of the drum and it's based on from what I remember I wrote it after a dream it was a girl was singing this had a dream a girl was singing a song called beat of the drum then I wrote a song called beat of drum with nothing like that then I wrote another song which was totally nothing like that okay this is this song it was kind of a dream to me but listen we're looking forward to hear it it's called beat of a drum beat of drum to the beat of the drum my heart goes back to the beat of the drum my heart it goes oh see's got a heart a great song indeed that'll be on your album I take it now it's going to be the next single too so does your next single as well uh if uh if people want to get in touch with you or contact you what platforms are you on I'm mostly on Facebook and Instagram but mostly Facebook under are you on Twitter as well Twitter as well yeah give me a bit of a headache but I I know but they're out there to be taken advantage of I don't your music not on Spotify or it is yeah I've got a used to dancers on Spotify Apple mute all then sold it's all released and I've got a YouTube channel that's actually got quite a good few videos on it too your own YouTube channel very good see I really like about I know I know financial there's not on Spotify but I can get some music out there to a wider audience throughout the world you know and I know singers that have taken advantage of that you know it's such good come here what was I going to say uh your um because you're the fact that you're a full-time musician that the uh the pandemic hit you hard I have no doubt it did it was really uh don't like it too deep but like no I know but in general just you know it was like it was it was a slog mentally you know it wasn't just financially it was just suddenly you're not doing anything you're not doing what you enjoy you know what I mean from two or three nights a week maybe or whatever uh to none you know that's the way it was did you did you uh did it encourage any song written at the time I was kind of in a weird place I was writing a lot of stuff about a gear too deep into like but like uh so it was writing loads but my confidence just went way down you know and and it was just like I didn't even I didn't even really look for a job or anything like that you know what I was doing I started doing weekly uh gigs on facebook uh and did things like that I got some work I do some work in care homes as well okay you know oh very good yes very different charities and stuff they got me some online work and that how do you find the online thing because it's been a major thing for a lot of artists and I think it's I don't know I don't know I never asked anybody what they made financially it doesn't know my business but yeah yeah I think for the for sanity I think it helped a lot of people you know I know a lot of people got up because it just you know having just stopped yeah you know it's it's I always you know I was always very conscious and always concerned about singers and all how they were you know how they cope with it because as I said we you know this is a part of anything for me so I had other things all but for the likes of yourself and all you know it's a major major thing you know there have to be effects for a long time you know how it could be well for me I found like it was just I was playing mostly to me friends you know I was having a few beers it was like the closest thing to a night out you know and I really started to look forward to it right okay you know and it was just like they would tip me a few bits and all I seemed had a few savings from the boat okay so I was able to get by okay I know what you mean you know but it was just like a way to connect with me mate I hadn't seen it no I know I hadn't met them you know you know you remember you weren't allowed to go see people no you weren't going to be you know it was like crazy it was but already listen you have the plans now say everything bounce now what going forward what's your kind of goals now is the the main goal is to get that album out and like a gig regularly as a covers act yeah I love that and I'm so grateful that it's on your own on my own yeah yeah and I and I do I still love it but I would like to do more of my own music of course original stuff you know well there's no reason why you can't lose because you know you're buckling and even that two songs are amazing oh thank you well done on that and now we look forward to now you mentioned you mentioned the video is up for that I can dance I used to dance I used to dance a bigger part and I was Gavin Kelly done that for me tell you we don't get them welcome to get our friend of ours he's brilliant because he was doing stuff he was so industrious over lockdown because he was like recording songs and his own place and then doing the videos and that's why he says I just want a video like yours in your front room he was in his living room we did the video yeah and he was spectacular like he's usually talented isn't he oh he really really is but right they say well we look forward to the album we really do and as I say it's not easy to get these things sorted and get them out there and a bit of publicity will help you but um if uh you know when you're out and about and you're doing your own your your own solo slot who uh what line of genre are you you know who inspired you basically a singer wise oh singer wise would my main one would be Jeff Buckley Jeff Buckley because he like he uh has got that really high falsetto uh and years ago when I started because I could write songs before I could sing I wasn't that one I wasn't a good singer okay I was like 16 or so and people are like you're dreadful but I heard honestly and I heard Jeff Buckley and because he had such a high voice I just practiced and practiced and practiced until like I had that same range as him or not I don't have the same range as Jeff Buckley yeah but that falsetto thing and I just if it's the it's funny thing with the voice I think it's a 50 percent of wanting something so bad yeah but you do it and also that proves that you can actually train yourself to do things you know what I mean so obviously then would you agree that the the course that you've done then uh give you confidence as well as strangey oh yeah vocally totally did you recommend that course to people oh god I I I always said that it was like like I said it was like a community it was like a family a lot of people used to just hang around in the in the the building you know just for a bit of fun and stuff and chatter lectures and stuff like that and chat with each other was it the real community anything you know you know it's great I'm just fascinated always with this uh these musical courses that are available I meet so many young people who tell you about them and things that you know and then the nursing home we'll get we'll get a wee talk about that in a minute we're going to take a quick outbreak and we'll go for an update for the football and then we'll come back and we'll have another song if you don't mind thank you very much most people say that Donegal is the coolest place in the planet but up here we know that sometimes it can be the coldest. Charles Bonner & Sons Ballet Buffet is the one stop shop for all your heating needs we have a huge range of multi-fuel and wood pellet stoves and ranges spare parts for all major stove and range brands plumbing and bathroom wear all at exceptional prices so visit our showrooms where our friendly and experienced team will be ready to help you Charles Bonner & Sons Ballet Buffet in the Stovestore.ie where you can always do a good deal better for confirmation and first communion see the great selection of suits casual wear and footwear at Watson menswear letterkenny top brands including 1880 club, Lyle and Scott, Fara and Diesel also Tommy Bowe footwear and all at great prices whatever the fit whatever the style confirmation and first communions are covered for less at Watson menswear open seven days a week on main street letterkenny and at Watson menswear.com also great end of sale bargains still available. Finn Harps on Highland in association with BNS Credit Union Ballet Buffet open to anyone living or working in the Finn Valley area stay local borrow local spend local why not join today visit BNSCU.ie or free phone 1800 290 390 BNS Credit Union Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Yes indeed welcome back last time we were at Finn Park it was a score of pace 1h at 23 minutes and for the latest we go Chris Ashmore. Yes 37 minutes on the clock and a decent game here in the drizzle at Finn Park it's Finn Harps one, Drota United one but chances coming thick and fast at both ends and this tie really in the balance it was Drota who got the lead after just five minutes Darren Nugent doing the spade work on the right side of the box and he found James Clark who drilled the ball between debutant goalkeeper Gavin Mulraney and the post to give the visitors an early lead. But Harps coming back into the game they drew level in the 22nd minute goalkeeper Sam Long did well to block an initial shot from Yoyo Maddie but the ball spun back into the path of the ladder and he truly found the supporting Eric McWoods who crashed the ball into the net. McWoods has certainly looked sharp in attack for Harps tonight and has had a couple of other half chances at the other end while Mulraney made a very good save to deny a stinging shot from Dale Rooney and we've also seen Barry McNamee having a good opportunity as well as Rob Sleven. As I say a decent match it really could go anyway we have 38 minutes on the clock it's still one a piece and Harps have a chance the flag is up and as it happens Yoyo Maddie's shot was saved. Just before I hand back to you let me just tell you that at half time in Dublin in the other game on in the Premier Division today it's ECD nil, Derry City nil but here in Ballet Buffet six minutes to go to the break all square. Finn Harps won, Drawdy United won. Thanks very much Dick Chris Sam we'll be back for a half time update very shortly. Finn Harps on Highland in association with BNS Credit Union Ballet Buffet whether renovate loan can help you turn your dreams to reality don't delay get your loan today visit bnscu.ie or free phone 1800 290 390 BNS Credit Union Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Welcome back indeed and our studio guest this evening is Lewis McTigert and he has played two original songs which we are looking forward to being part of his debut album debut album okay and well he no time on it this not really well Peter's actually a school teacher so we're going to hit the ground run in the summer oh well that's good enough that's good enough right your final song for sure going to do first this evening I'm going to a weaver's enough brown eyed girl lovely and say like I heard this one night it was driving home it's a girl I think she's called Sarah Jones an American country singer and she her version was like on piano and stuff and I love this version because I do this used to do this on the cruise ships you know oh a different version the funny you can do different you know different versions of a song come out and totally miles away from the original I heard that song I didn't know what song it was you know for about 10 or two minutes and for some reason it sounds better you know but listen when you're ready in your own time thank you hey where did we go days when the rain came I missed him a class absolutely brilliant and you know that's a different song to me it's a totally different song you just you made it your own there that's me I love that you know that's where they've been included in the novel van might want to cut off remember to cut that's a good idea it's beautiful absolutely beautiful I can just imagine I've been sung at the right place as we just hold a crowd together the the pleasure's been ours thank you very much indeed gigging where where can people catch you or the next while at this weekend I'm playing in Dunlow in McCafferty's all right I'm making my debut there good man and I think I'm up the town dairy and saturday I can't think of you're somewhere somewhere you just head out because I don't know best all right and if people want to get in touch obviously you through your facebook page it's your main thing yeah and youtube too is your youtube channel you put the link up just won't you because I genuinely want to have a look at that video you have a unique voice and a lovely voice and and as I say you can when you take a song it takes a lot of confidence to take a song like that and twist it under your own and it's brilliant I really really enjoyed that we really look forward to the album okay it's like this is the good thing about this now because now we're back on on night's hearing radio and stuff it's lovely that there's new music coming and it's just nice and I'm not saying everything's in an evil even caila game but it's just nice that we're back getting music and musicians are making music and they've got the buzz again so it's long way to last because we just love our musicians here Lewis McTaggart the pleasure's been ours thank you very much indeed well done do you suffer from high cholesterol men of all symptoms digestive issues and