Rossmore has had a very full and entertaining year but last Saturday night’s Stars in their Eyes surpassed all previous events when eleven acts performed to a packed clubhouse with music and laughter of the highest standard. Compere for the night was Vincent Gilhawley and he performed the role of “Matthew Kelly” to perfection. Vincent kept the audience engrossed and made all the contestants feel at ease with his well worked interviews with all the performers. Three judges added to the occasion as Mackey Rooney, Canon Macartan McQuaid and Noeleen O’Gorman gave their expert analysis of the performances. The audience each had a vote they could cast for their favourite act.
First up was Michael Lawless who performed as Dickie Rock with a great rendition of Candy Store on the Corner, next up was Ann McKenna and Gerthrude Meehan whose performance of the Abba classic Dancing Queen in their sparkling costumes, third out was Pauline Leonard who took on the role of Imelda May singing Kensington Fair to the acclaim of the audience, next up Stephen Corley strummed his guitar to a classic Animals song from the sixties, Karen Heffernan’s take off of eighties icon Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart brought the house down such was its likeness to the real person. This was followed by a spectacular take off of the Monkeys smash hit “I’m a Believer” as Barry McGuinness gave a fantastic performance.
Number seven was Deborah McKenna who chose to play Dolores Keane and she gave a brilliant performance of “Caledonia” as the audience joined in the chorus. What followed was a hilarious performance of the Laughing Policeman in full uniform by Theresa Mullany. Johnny Cash was next up as Joe McKenna dressed in the black outfit of his idol gave a superb performance of the classic “Fulsom Prison Blue’s”. Darren McGill showed that as well a being an accomplished golfer he is a fine performer as he gave a fine performance as Liam Gallagher of “Oasis” Wonderwall. The final act of the night saw Mary Kehoe give a quiet wonderful performance of the Patsy Cline classic “crazy”. Eleven great performances and then compere Vincent Gilhawley called on the judges and the audience to cast their votes.
Captain John Heffernan then addressed the audience and he pointed out that this night was about fun and enjoyment for everyone and there was no doubt the acts had all surpassed all expectations as each one gave a brilliant performance. The night was not about winning but we would recognise the efforts by presenting some prizes to the contestants. The captain thanked all who took part and made this such a memorable occasion and the show would certainly go down as one of his year as captain. He also paid special thanks to Tommy Flack and Caroline for the music and for preparing the backing music and the rehersals.
Compere Vincent Gilhawley called all to order as he announced the results. In third place was Theresa Mullany for her performance as the Laughing Policeman which certainly caught the imagination of the crowd. In second place we had Karen Heffernan who had given a very special and superb performance of Bonnie Tyler’s classic Total Eclipse of the Heart. The winner on the night was announced as Barry McGuinness for his spectacular performance of the Monkeys “I’m a Believer” and he brought the house down with a brilliant reprise of his act. Barry spoke of his delight in taking part in a great show and how delighted he was to win and how he really enjoyed the nights entertainment. A special thanks to all the fantastic acts who took part and gave of their time to provide a great night’s entertainment