Philomena Begley

Philomena Begley (born 20 October 1942) is a country music singer from Northern Ireland, widely regarded as "Ireland’s Queen of Country". She rose to prominence in 1975 with her chart-topping version of "Blanket on the Ground", which outsold Billie Jo Spears’ original in Ireland. Over the course of her career, Begley has toured internationally, recorded numerous duets with Ray Lynam, and performed at venues including the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall. In 2020, she became the first recipient inducted into the ICMA Hall of Fame.