LAST UPDATE | 17 Apr

JESSIE SLUDDS HAS won The Late Late Show Opening Act competition and a booked a slot as the support act for country music star Shania Twain at her Irish tour stop in Limerick’s Thomond Park this July.

Sludds has also bagged the opportunity to perform on the Late Late Show Country Music Special next October.

Five finalists competed tonight live on The Late Late Show, performing renditions of country classics.

Paddy Treacy from Fermanagh, Jesse Sludds from Wexford, Caitlin Mackin from Armagh, Midnight in Vegas, a girlband with members from Dublin, Waterford and Essex and Ryan Phoenix from Cork competed in tonight’s final.

Midnight in Vegas gave an energetic performance of Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan and Paddy Treacy played Stop the World and Let Me Off by Carl Belew.

Jessie Sludds performed Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, Caitlin Mackin played Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show and Ryan Phoenix played Gath Brooks’ classic Friends in Low Places.  

Judging was carried out by two juries made up of leading music industry and country music experts. The industry panel gave their top preference to Sludds but the country experts went for Mackin, which left the two acts tied ahead of the public vote announcement. 

The public voted via text message and Treacy came out on top there, but it wasn’t enough to top Sludds, who was crowned the winner. 

The panel included Irish country music icons Una Healy and Sandy Kelly, UK artist Ben Earle, who is one half of successful country duo The Shires, and Irish radio broadcaster Tom Dunne.

Una Healy picked Midnight in Vegas while Sandy Kelly decided to pick two, opting for Midnight in Vegas and Jessie Sludds.

Ben Earler of The Shires went for Jessie Sludds too, as did radio broadcaster Tom Dunne.

The Late Late Show also paid tribute to the late Moya Brennan, whose funeral was held today in St Patrick’s Church in Meenaveal in the parish of Gaoth Dobhair.

With reporting from David Mac Redmond