Singers sisters wow audiences on family talent show

TWO talented Clare sisters are among a select bunch of family-based groups who will compete for the title of Ireland’s most entertaining family on a new TG4 series called Feis and Blood.
Alicia Eccles and Nicola Cusack, have sang together since they were small children and come from a musical family, with their Dad Chris (Eccles) and mother Lydia also involved in the music scene locally. Chris has had some of his music played on Clare FM over the years, and on Radio Corca Baiscinn, where he also presents from time to time. He is also a keyboard player. Lydia is a member of the Kilkee Church Choir.
The sisters perform as Ali and Nicole. Ali (24) lives in Kilkee, a few doors away from her parents, and has worked for a number of years as a nanny for children. She is currently in the process of setting up a small creche. Nicola (31) is currently a stay-at-home mum, and is expecting her third child in July. She is married to Paul Cusack, who is well-known through Ennis Musical Society, and they have two daughters, Louise, aged nine and Amy, aged two.
The production company behind the new television series, Adare Production, spotted videos of Ali and Nicole on youtube and contacted them to see if they would be interested in entering the competition.
“We have always sang together, but we don’t do public performances really at all, unless we’re at a party or function and are asked to sing. We have put a number of videos up on youtube, so that’s our main medium at the moment. We hadn’t ever considered entering any competition, but we just decided that this would be a fun thing to do, so we went for it,” Nicola said.
The first show in the series featuring the Clare sisters has already been recorded and is due to be broadcast on TG4 during the month of February. “Our first show has been recorded already and we really enjoyed it. We will appear in that show with seven other performers. It was a wonderful experience to be involved in the recording and it will be funny to see it on television. We haven’t actually been told when it will be television, but it will be during February. There will be a number of rounds after that before the final, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens. We aren’t in a position to reveal how far we go yet. It will be a judge only vote, but we’d love to have the Clare audience behind us,” Nicola added.
Both of the girls sing and write songs, and Nicola described their style as folk-pop songs. Anyone who wants to see the girls perform before their TG4 appearance should check out youtube where videos of their songs are listed under AliNicole10.
The TG4 programme, Feis and Blood is searching for Ireland’s most entertaining family. “From The Clancy Brothers to Crystal Swing, the Irish family has entertained us throughout the decades. Talented Irish families have excelled in their particular genres, whether it’s the pop music of The Corrs or the sean-nós dancing of The Cunninghams. Now it’s time to find a brand new family that will entertain the nation.
Over 13 episodes, TG4’s new show Feis and Blood, will set out to find a new super-star family,” a spokeswoman for Adare Productions said.
The series will be hosted by Síle Seoige, with each family facing three judges in the quest to become TG4’s most talented family.
The judges keeping an eye on the proceedings are Aonghus McAnally, Sibéal Davitt and Pádraig O Sé. All three judges are experts in the field of entertainment, but will they see eye to eye with such a variety of styles and talents on display?
The first programme in the series will be shown this Sunday, January 30 at 7.30pm.