Country music show celebrates 21 years

THIS Thursday night will mark 21 years of Mike Gardiner’s County Corner – the ever-popular country music programme on Clare FM that started the week the radio station first broadcast to the people of Clare.
It’s a big celebration for the show’s presenter, Ennis man Mike Gardiner, who has grown and developed the show since 1989. “I started in Clare FM the weekend after the station started and I’ve been there ever since. The show was originally called County, Irish and Oldies. I had worked for some time in a pirate radio station in County Limerick called Galtee Radio, with a country and folk show, so that was the kind of show I was taken on by Clare FM to present. It was seen at the beginning as a temporary filler but 21 years on I’m still here. The name changed many years ago to Country Corner and it’s purely country music that I play – Irish country, American country, country music from the UK and in more recent years country music from Europe. In those days, people knew very little about country music so it was seen as a filler but over the years country music has developed die-hard fans. For many years the show went out every Saturday and Sunday morning from 9am to 1pm but nowadays it’s an hour shorter,” Mike explained.
Over the years, Gardiner has played and toured as a keyboard player with the Sharon Turley Band, Tony Stephens and his own band, Reunion.
“Reunion had a number of different line-ups over the years with various local musicians and we toured a fair bit from Cork up to Mayo from the mid-’90s to about 2005.
“These days, I’m in a band called Champagne, with Cleo Meaney, a singer from Ennis, Terry Moran from Shannon and Russell Clarke from Limerick. We play about once a week, mainly local performances. We play everything from Shakira to Big Tom, taking in Abba, Blondie and anything that’s in the charts,” he said.
Strangely enough, country music is not Mike’s favourite kind of music and he would choose to go to a rock ’n’ roll concert over a country music concert any day. “But I’ve become a country music fanatic and learned so much about it over the years. There’s lots I love about country music but I can’t say it grabbed me at the start like rock ’n’ roll did. I really like country music now and that’s why I continue to play it. But I equally like other kinds of music. Given the choice, I’d choose Neil Diamond or the Rolling Stones. I’m not a die-hard country music fan. But what I’ve found with country music is that there’s no in-between with country music, someone either loves it or hate it. Then again, that can be said about any kind of music. Fans of country music are very loyal, something I’ve also found about the show,” Mike commented.
Many of the listeners tell him that they grew up with Country Corner. “They tell me that as children it was inflicted on them every Saturday and Sunday morning by their parents but as adults now themselves they also listen. The appeal of the show is that it’s a request show and the listeners can get their favourite songs played. I try to anticipate what people might ask me to play on a given show and bring in tracks with me all the time. Most of the time I guess correctly what people may want from show to show and I suppose that comes with doing it for so long,” he added.
He acknowledges that he loves the presenting the show. “In all the 21 years, I’ve only missed one day, apart from holidays. I worked in the stores in Aer Rianta for 20 years previously but I tell you, they felt a lot longer than the past 21 years with the show. I’m very comfortable in the presenter’s chair now. It’s a very personal medium. Many people go into a room on their own and relax listening to the show. It’s their time out and they trust me with it. The show is a very personal one because people often request a particular song on a particular day for a reason close to their heart, so they’re often sharing something that’s important to them with me. I think people like Country Corner because it’s still fresh and I feel that’s because I still bring an enthusiasm to the programme. It wouldn’t be possible to continue to show without all of the loyal listeners. I’m at the stage now that when I take a weekend off, I’m lost and don’t know what to do with myself,” he added.
“It’s been great too getting to talk to so many country music stars. It’s a real pleasure and most of them have great stories to tell and have wonderful experiences to share. Over the years, I’ve interviewed Hal Ketchum and Garth Brooks. There are some great country performers out there, including on the Irish scene – Daniel O’Donnell, Declan Nerney, Mike Denver, Jim Buckley and Mick Flavin. Like many others, I love George Jones and regard him as probably the greatest country singer.”
The celebration for 21 years of Country Corner is being held in The West County Hotel this Thursday night at 8.30pm. “This is part of the overall celebrations to mark 21 years of Clare FM but given that the show is the longest-running on the station, it’s a big night for all involved. It’s also an opportunity to bring some of the musicians who I play on the show to the people of Clare. There will be eight musicians performing on the night – Declan Nerney, Mick Flavin, Dave Lawlor, Marty Daniels, PJ Murrihy, Linda Welby, Michael and Philomena O’Brien and James Kilbane. This will be an opportunity for all to celebrate 21 years of the show and Clare FM with us and to enjoy some great music and take to the dance floor,” he explained.
Mike will compere the night with the flair and enthusiasm he has brought to the Clare FM airwaves every Saturday and Sunday morning for the past 21 years.