A NEW Country song celebrating hard-working farmers everywhere is proving a hit in Co. Fermanagh.
'God Bless The Farmers', by Donegal Country singer David James, has amassed hundreds of thousands of plays since being released at the start of this month.
The song, which was originally penned by Porter Wagoner, tells the story of a young farmer and his wife in Ozark, Missouri.
"I couldn’t help but think, 'Isn’t this also the story of so many young couples in rural Ireland?'," said David, who is managed by John Farry.
"Those couples have embraced the rural way of life by working hard on the farm, the daily struggles that they face, but most of all, their love of the land.
"I was raised on a farm also, so this song has connected with me in so many ways."
He added: "I am currently working on a new album, and God Bless The Farmers is the new single taken from the forthcoming album."
And since its release, the song has proven popular in Fermanagh. A jiving video featuring the track, which was released by local dance company Modern Country Moves, has amassed more than 200,000 views.
The video features Bellanaleck farmer Neville Hicks and was shot on his farm.
"It was just a bit of harmless fun!" said Neville. "It was only done on the spur of the moment; there was no script or anything written out. It came about randomly!
"I am a part of Modern Country Moves, and they approached me saying that they might do a video on the farm.
"I thought nothing more about it, and it just happened! There was no script, it just happened, and everyone who saw it seemed to like it."
Neville hopes that the video will inject some positivity into the farming community.
"You have to have the odd bit of fun when you are farming!" he added.
"Farming can be a lonely enough life, and that's really why I got involved in dancing over a year ago.
"It's a bit of craic, and the video sums the whole thing up. The folks at Modern Country Moves are an amazing group of people!"
'Modern Country Moves' is ran by Tina McGurran, and the video was edited by Niall Greene.
'God Bless The Farmers' can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/5n9ya26k.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here