X FACTOR STAR Mary Byrne was unveiled as Celebrity Bainisteoir for St Patrick’s GAA club in Tullow last Saturday.
The Dublin-born singer-songwriter, who shot to fame on the hit reality TV talent show in 2010, thrilled players, officials and hundreds of supporters when she arrived at club grounds.
The identity of the team manager had been a closely-kept secret but word quickly spread among excited onlookers as a car ferrying Mary drove through the club gates.
The former supermarket worker insisted that she would not sing but eventually relented and blasted out a couple of lines from the song that made her famous on X Factor – ‘This is a Man’s World’.
Mary also vowed revealed her wish to win the Celebrity Bainisteoir series with St Patrick’s GAA club, who are kindly sponsored by the Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa and Golf resort.
She was whisked into the club dressing rooms to meet the players after arriving at the grounds, before emerging to mingle with local people who had come out to greet her.
Mary, 52, joked: “I have to say I’m absolutely shaking – I went into the (dressing) room, met all these good-looking guys and my legs started to go. My heart started to pound and now I have to watch them all running around a pitch – I may be old but I’m not dead!”
Mary promised that she would do everything in her power to ensure that the team does well in the fifth series of the popular RTÉ TV show.
It’s a bit of craic but at the end of the day it’s serious enough. We want to win the whole thing.I think I’ve got a great bunch of lads here – I really do. They won’t win it because of me – they’ll win it because of their own confidence, skills and determination.
