Derek Ryan may sing about it in his new single, but the golden boy of Irish country is far from being ‘Down On His Uppers’. The phrase, originally used to describe people who had badly worn shoes, has been turned into a catchy song by the Carlow songwriter and lifted from his current number one album The Fire.

Derek, who has had one of his best years yet, fulfilling many career highs from The Rose of Tralee performance, to a sold out arena show at the Farmers Bash, continues to stay at the cutting edge of Irish country with his unique sound and song writing skills.

As well as recording his own songs he has also written the title track for Philomena Begley’s latest release amongst a host of other artists who have picked up on his material.

With Christmas and new year shows ahead and a new concert tour kicking off in Mid-January in his hometown of Carlow, it looks like business as usual for Derek in 2018 and another full year.