By Emil Trahan, Connacht Tribune
FIVE of Galway’s brightest young musical talents will take part in the biggest television show of the year when they perform on the 42nd Late Late Toy Show this Friday night.
The trad trio of Kevin Brogan, Emma Crowley and Cathal Joyce were chosen from thousands of applicants for live auditions where they once again impressed to be selected for the show itself.
Cousins from Taylor’s Hill, Robbie Monaghan, 15, and Eoin Hardiman, 12, also made the final cut after the guitar-plyaing buskers were put forward by Robbie’s mother who saw their keen interest in performing.
Last year, over 1.57 million people watched the show in over 102 countries and 140.000 people applied to be in the 204-person audience.
All three of the trad music group are twelve years old, from Menlo village and they started playing together through the Lackagh Comhaltas who are known for promoting and preserving Irish traditional music.
In the band of talented musicians, Kevin plays the fiddle, Emma plays the accordion and Cathal plays the banjo as well as the mandolin.
Cathal revealed that they were selected for their ability to offer a unique twist to their brand of traditional music. “I suppose as well as playing the traditional tunes, we wanted to add in something else.
“For the audition we played a few traditional tunes but we linked them together with jingles like we played the Muppets theme song and little things like that,” Cathal added.
The wait for a response was nerve-wrecking for the group who were told they would receive a response two weeks after their audition.
“They rang us on the Monday which was exactly two weeks after the audition so we were kind of thinking that we mustn’t have gotten on the show because they haven’t rang us yet.
“Sure enough we got the call and it was very, very exciting I have to be honest,” Cathal said.
After being selected to join host Ryan Turbridy in his ninth Toy Show, they had to travel to Dublin three times for dry runs and they will have another two dress rehearsals to do – but Cathal and the group are living every minute of the experience!
“I’ve loved all of it – from the practising to the first recordings, to the rehearsals, it’s been great really,” Cathal said.
Over a million parents and their children will tune in to see musical performances as well as a host of new toys and games that will be on show that will be on the lists to Santa for many Irish boys and girls.
Cathal’s own favourite memory of the Toy Show was seeing a new toy on the television that he just had to have that Christmas.
“I remember about two or three years ago, there was a nerf gun out that I saw on the Toy Show and I was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw it and really, really wanted one after that.”!
The Late Late Toy Show is on RTÉ One at 9.35pm this Friday, December 1.
