Dunfanaghy singer Chelsea Evans in the Grand Final of TG4’s Glór Tire

Glór Tíre season 20 may be heading for the finish line, and the pressure may be mounting as the Grand Final approaches, but Chelsea Evans is enjoying every single moment of it.

“I’d love to go back and do it all again! I don’t want it to end,” she declares as she prepares for that Grand Final appearance, to be broadcast on TG4 on Tuesday week.

Chelsea, from Dunfanaghy, has described her Glór Tíre journey as “surreal” and “overwhelming”, but also “the best experience and hopefully it’s not over yet”.

The young singer, who only turned 20 last month, but who already has an album and two EPs to her name, has impressed with her performances of songs by Lisa McHugh and Brett Young, while her version of Wynn Stweart’s ‘Play Me the Waltz of the Angles’ on last week’s edition, showcased a truly natural Country voice.

Chelsea is thrilled at the support she has received since first appearing on Glór Tíre in March, and she is especially grateful for the support from her native county.

“From the show with Jim Devine, myself, and Gerard Gormley aired, the response was something you could never have imagined,” she says. “The show aired at half-nine and two minutes later my phone was popping. It was crazy! People’s well-wishes, and words of support and encouragement - that just means so much. It was so overwhelming. I was wondering, ‘How am I going to get through all these messages?’

“And oh, Donegal! I wouldn’t want to be from anywhere else. The communities, no matter where you’re from in Donegal, they just get out and support you. It makes you proud to be from Donegal.”

Chelsea has what it takes to be a real contender for Glór Tire 2024, but no matter what happens next week, this experience will stand to the young singer.

“Glór Tíre is beneficial for everyone as it really does help your name get out there, and hopefully it’s the same for me,” she says. “You’re getting to do what you love to do, you’re getting the opportunity to be in a studio. It’s a fantastic platform I’d recommend any singer to try. It’s an amazing opportunity you’ll never get again.”

The Glór Tire Grand Final is on TG4 on Tuesday 23 April at 9.30pm and will be presented by Aoife Ní Thuairisg. The judges will be RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta’s Jó Ní Chéide and Caitriona Ní Shuilleabháin, with guest judge, Eddie Rowley (Sunday World).