When a talented schoolboy performed his grandmother's favourite song for her on YouTube, he never could have guessed that this act of kindness would lead to a major recording contract.

But this is exactly what happened when 11-year-old Cormac Thompson from Darwen performed Irish classic Danny Boy for his beloved grandmother Colleen, who lives in County Down, Northern Ireland and who he had been unable to visit because of coronavirus restrictions.

The recording proved so popular that young Cormac has now been signed by world famous Decca Records, with an album planned for the Christmas period.

Cormac said: “It was very exciting, it came out of nowhere, nothing was expected and then we started preparing as soon as we found out!”

Cormac is now label mates with stars like Alfie Boe, Katherine Jenkins and Andrea Bocelli and is working on his album at Decca’s Metropolis Studios where acts from Queen to U2 and Adele have worked.

Proud mum Alison, who along with husband Anthony has been thrilled by Cormac’s success said: “This all started when my mother unfortunately broke her iPad when she was sleeping and that was how we used to talk to her and how Cormac would sing for her.

“So we were in a situation where we had to think about different ways to share the songs and that’s how we came to upload them to YouTube.”

She added: “It’s been the right place and the right time for us, we know lockdown has been hard for so many people, but we’ve been really lucky.”

The album’s songs include a number of Christmas classics, contemporary hits and Irish staples including family favourite Danny Boy.

Grandmother Colleen said: “I could never have imagined that his little piece, sung for me, would have led to this amazing opportunity.

“My husband and I are so very proud of Cormac, and we hope that his singing will give much pleasure. We also hope that it will help to shed a little light during these dark times we are all having to endure.”

Hear My Voice will be released on December 4 2020.