By 
THERE was a strong turnout of talented performers who travelled to Galbally for the chance to secure a role in Country Girl, a new musical written by bestselling Tyrone author Emma Heatherington.
The auditions took place on last week at Galbally Community Centre, with performers from across the country taking part in the process, all being warmly welcomed by country music legend Philomena Begley.
Country Girl is, by Emma’s own admission, her most ambitious project to date and is due to have its first staging at The Market Place Theatre in Armagh City in November this year.
Emma is an internationally bestselling author of 15 novels, including the Amazon UK and USA Kindle hits The Legacy of Lucy Harte, Secrets in the Snow, The Promise, One More Day, and her newest release, This Christmas. Her novels, set in Ireland, intertwine life-affirming themes with heart-warming love stories.
Alongside local musicians, Emma has penned an all-original soundtrack based on Irish country music. The Dongahmore writer told the Tyrone Herald that the story of the musical is very much like one of her novels and centres around a love story between Rosie Ryan, a young pub landlady in rural Ireland, and Luke Adams, an international country music star whose arrival turns her life upside down.
While three characters are American, the rest of the cast will be local performers using their natural accents. The setting is deliberately non-specific, allowing audiences to imagine the story unfolding in any small village across Ireland.
Emma, who was diagnosed with incurable blood cancer two years ago, revealed that the news of her multiple myeloma gave her the motivation to finally bring this dream project to life.
She told the Tyrone Herald that she began working on the musical eight years ago, originally planning to use existing country songs.
“I love country music, and there has never really been an original play that uses Irish country songs throughout as part of the narrative,” Emma said. “I’ve written for the stage before, creating a pantomime in 2008, and that experience led me to start work on this musical.”
She added, “In early 2024, I was gearing up to produce Country Girl at the end of that year, but then my health took a turn for the worse and I had to press pause. In hindsight, everything happens for a reason.I now have the script written, the lyrics completed, a brilliant creative team around me, and a venue booked. We’re going for it, and it’s more exciting than I ever imagined.”
The show opens on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and will run for four nights at Armagh’s Market Place Theatre. Tickets are already selling quickly.
