Veteran country singer "Big Tom" McBride from Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, was recovering yesterday at Monaghan General Hospital after a heart attack.
He took ill at the weekend, after attending a tribute show at the Iontas Theatre in Castleblayney. The showband star was a guest at the concert, which featured a new play written by Monaghan writer John McArdle based on one of the songs made famous by the singer, Four Country Roads.
The play is described as a tribute to the singer and his songs and, according to the author, is "a revision of what he has meant to emigrants and those who stayed at home!"
During the production, McBride was given a standing ovation. He took ill in the early hours of the following morning and was rushed to hospital, where he received emergency treatment before being taken by ambulance to the Mater hospital in Dublin.
The singer underwent surgery and was transferred back to Monaghan hospital on Monday.
A source close to his family said yesterday: "We were all very shocked by the singer's sudden illness, and thankfully, there were medical people on hand, in time, at the Monaghan hospital to save his life.
"Everyone is now praying that 'Big Tom' will make a full recovery, and will soon be well and fit to return to the road for yet another tour with his band, The Mainliners."
Last year, the singer shut down his pub, The Log Cabin, at Market Square, Castleblayney, named after one of his hits. Recently, he has been spending most of his spare time on his farm, beside the village of Oram.