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Bad Pennies prove to be a sound musical investment

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Paul Quinn, Shane Dwane and Anthony Hehir of The Bad Pennies pictured with Clare FM’s General Manager Susan Murphy and Chairman of St Francis Credit Union Ennis (Sponsors) Michael O’Doherty.
ENNIS band The Bad Pennies have scooped top prize in Clare FMs Clare’s Got Talent.
The three-piece group is made up of friends Shane Dwane (22), Anthony Hehir (19) and Paul Quinn (22).
General manager of Clare FM, Susan Murphy said that there was never any doubt that Clare’s got talent, but that the quality of that talent left a packed audience in Glor in awe at the final of the countywide talent show on Sunday last.
Eight talented acts battled it out for the overall prize with The Bad Pennies from Ennis emerging victorious at the end of the competition.
The group paid tribute to the music project at Clare Youth Centre for giving them their first start. For the final they performed a medley of songs including Proud Mary and Brown Eyed Girl. The group hope to invest their prize money in new equipment.
Ms Murphy said that that the entire competition had been an unprecedented success.
“We have all been astounded with the really high level of talent we have seen. I hope that the whole competition has helped to boost the confidence of the performers and encourage them to continue with their chosen act and I have no doubt that we haven’t heard the last of them.
“It was a particularly difficult task for our three judges Tracy Crawford, Nigel Bridge and Brian Flynn, who carried out their duties with total professionalism and integrity. The audience on each night have been fantastic and incredibly supportive of all the acts. It would have been easier to get a ticket for the All-Ireland then for the final night as it was a sell out once the tickets went on sale,” she said.
Nigel Bridge who was one of the judges spoke about their difficult task in choosing a winner.
“It was certainly challenging as the standard was so high, what won us over with The Bad Pennies was not only their talent but their wonderful interaction with the audience, as they have real stage presence.
“On behalf of my fellow judges I would like to wish the boys every luck in the world and congratulate everybody involved. Everyone who performed on stage was a winner in our eyes. It has been a truly wonderful experience and very encouraging to see such talent of all age groups emerging in the county,” he said.
The other seven acts who performed on stage for the final were Trad in Motion (Lissycasey), Davie Keenan (Clarecastle), Marie Keane (Ennis), The Maids of Tulla, Chill (Ennis), Seoidín (Newmarket-on-Fergus) and Socks in the Frying Pan (Ennis).
The audience were treated to a special performance by Arcana (formally Macnas) on arrival, as well as a limousine entrance by the judges televised on to specially erected screens.   
John Drummey of HD Events, who have been in partnership with Clare FM and have been responsible for staging and producing the shows said “The final was everything we’d hoped for and more, I am delighted for The Bad Pennies and hope that they invest in their talent, because there should be big things ahead for them,” he said.
Since its launch in January, the event attracted interest from hundreds of people with a variety of acts. Nearly 350 acts auditioned, with 40 going through to semi-final stage and eight acts were picked to perform in the final. DVDs of all the semi-finals and the final are available from Cosmo Video Productions on 087 9242621 or info@cosmovideoproductions,ie.

 

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