Biography

b. Drumlish, Co. Longford, Eire. Raised on a farm in North Longford, as a youth Nerney was influenced by artists on record and those he saw live. The former included the Beatles, Duane Eddy, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones, while among the latter were Philomena Begley, the Capitol Showband and Joe Dolan. Nerney bought a guitar and taught himself to play from records and by the age of 16 he was playing with the Hi-Lo’s, a local showband. While studying at St. Mel’s College, Longford, he sang with Gene Stuart And The Homesteaders, later singing in his distinctive falsetto style with Brian Coll And The Buckaroos. Nerney continued to move between bands before opting for a solo career. This was in the late 80s and he subsequently proved to be very popular as a live concert performer in his native land and also in the USA. He is also a successful recording artist. Songs in Nerney’s repertoire, some of which he composed, often in collaboration with Henry McMahon, include ‘Anna From Fermanagh’, ‘Blue Side Of Lonesome’, ‘I Don’t Need A Picture’, ‘Lovely Derry On The Banks Of The Foyle’, ‘Come With Me Molly’, ‘Just Call Me Lonesome From Now On’, ‘Barry And Dunne’, ‘Among The Wicklow Hills’ and ‘Good Night And God Bless’, the latter a song with which he ends almost all of his live shows.