X-Factor, what a success

Posted on 6th Jun 2007 by Anthony

Bud has the X Factor

Brendan "Bud" Kearney confounded the bookies to scoop the X Factor title in a packed Ballyholland Harps Social Club on Friday night past. In the month long build up to the event local personalities such as Aidy McAteer singing "Footloose" and even Damien Dixon as a Mexican version of Elvis were being touted as runaway favourites but on the night Bud delivered a flawless performance as Robbie Williams singing "Angels". He will now go on to represent the Harps in a grand final to be held in the Canal Court on November 1st. He will be accompanied on the night by the aforementioned Aidy Mac who was runner up.

400 tickets were sold for the Ballyholland event and there was still people paying in at the door on the night to hear acts as diverse as Dean Martin (aka Stephen McClelland), Roger Daltrey (aka Paul McAteer) and U2/Green Day (Graham Rice).

The local female population was also very well represented on the night by Siobhán McGivern and her backing singers performing a very polished "Nolans" routine and by a top quality rendition of "Show me Heaven" from Shirley Keenan. The Camogs were as usual well to the fore with Kate O'Connor, Lillian Tinnelly and Catherine McManus making up two thirds of the Bay City Rollers along with Petey Keenan who for some reason kept speaking in a Pakistani accent when interviewed by Fear a' Tí Cathal McGovern.

Finally there were two male double acts on the night who both insisted on wearing skirts, both for entirely different reasons….the O'Hare Brothers from the 'bridge were dressed in kilts as the Proclaimers who sang about "walking 500 miles" and frankly most of the crowd were wishing they did!!!! (joke lads)

Then the last act of the night featured two of our county team's finest dressed as hookers for a rendition of Queen's "I Want to Break Free." Ronan Murtagh and Paul Murphy rounded off the night's performances in fine fashion, fake boobs and all.

A huge amount of credit for the success on the night must go to Ronan Murtagh and his team mates on the Ballyholland Senior Panel who took it upon themselves to organise the event and do the bar along with the usual bar crew and boy were they needed!!! They also sold tickets, worked as escorts, bouncers and glass collectors on the night and what a night it was!

From the moment the Murtagh School of Irish Dancers hit the floor to deliver a stunning routine until the last pint was downed in the wee small hours the place was buzzing. Big screens in both halls enabled punters who couldn't see the stage to follow the action and a sound system which must have been borrowed from Slane Castle relayed the music and the deliberations of the judges on the night. Shane Mulholland as Simon Cowell pulled no punches, Siobhán O'Hare as Sharon Osbourne fluttered the eyelids at the right times and flirted outrageously while Yogi as Randy Jackson was ….well he was just Yogi……smart assed comments all around…... speaking of smart assed comments big Cathal had the crowd in stitches as usual……however it wouldn't have happened without the superb X Factor crew who worked tirelessly for over a month on rehearsals, setting up interviews, posting videos on the internet (go to Youtube.com and type in Ballyholland) etc, etc, etc….so to Pat, Paul and all the rest of the crew a big thank you from everyone at the Harps…roll on 1st November!!!

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