Navan bluesman goes in search of first love

The life and times of Navan blusman Paddy Smith will be featured in a new documentary that will be aired on Virgin Media One on Monday next, the 28th September, 10pm.

The documentary, which is part of the 'First Love' series, follows Smith in Ireland. It also films him as he returns to Sacramento in the US where he lived for a number of years.

In the city he is filmed meeting his son and ex-wife who he hadn't seen in 12 years. He also gives an in-depth interview of his life and the documentary shows him performing a gig.

'First Love' is a new TV series to Virgin Media, and its aim is to help people find their first loves. Some of the applicants they've had so far have included a man looking for a women he met in the 1960s, and they found her living 10 minutes away from him!

Smith is widely renowned as a talented blues harmonica player who has played gigs in Meath and beyond in Smithy's Blues Band and brought out a number of accomplished albums including 'Let Those Blues In' and 'Paddy Smith Live in New York.'

He grew up in Navan and met the woman who was to become his wife. They travelled to the US and settled down with Paddy landing a job as a school caretaker. It was challenging but rewarding job he liked.

However his growing addiction to alcohol caused an increasing number of problems for him and his family.

He split from his wife and eventually moved to Chicago where he lived on the streets for a time and played in the famous House of Blues.

He eventually returned home to Ireland, went off alcohol and started to rebuild his life. A documentary was made of his life, 'Let Those Blues In,' a few years ago.

Now another programme is about to be aired documenting his extraordinary life.