Dolly Parton, Daniel O'Donnell and Nathan Carter to feature on country music special of The Late Late Show

An all-star special episode of The Late Late Show dedicated to country music has been announced for this Friday.

Speaking on his RTÉ Radio 1 show yesterday, Late Late's host Ryan Tubridy revealed that both homegrown and international stars of the genre will be part of the broadcast, which airs on Friday December 11 at 9:35pm on RTÉ One.

Dolly Parton will be headlining the episode, promoting her new holiday album A Holly Dolly Christmas, which is set to make its debut on the Official Irish Albums Chart later this week.

Irish music legends Daniel O'Donnell, Sandy Kelly and Philomena Begley will be part of the special, as will honorary Irishman Nathan Carter, whose retrospective album Anniversary Collection: The Best Of The First 10 Years made its debut on the Official Irish Albums Chart last week. No solo artist had as many Number 1 albums as Nathan in Ireland during the 2010s decade.

The Saturdays' Una Healy will also feature following her foray into country music in recent years, and there'll also be an appearance from The Three Amigos.

"I'm very excited about this," Ryan told listeners. "I know it's only Monday, but this Friday we have Dolly Parton on The Late Late Show. We're going to make it a big country special with all our friends. I just think it's going to be absolutely gorgeous.

"If you want a country music special in your own room this Friday night, you don't need to be streaming anything."

The Late Late Show has had a big impact on the Official Irish Charts in recent weeks. Following the Toy Show two weeks ago, performer Dermot Kennedy made history as the first Irish act to ever replace themselves at Number 1 on the Official Irish Singles Chart.

© IRMA