Thursday, September 3, 2009
SHANE TIES THE KNOT
30 December 2003 – Westlife member Shane Filan and his new wife, Gillian Walsh, may be Sligo natives but their wedding was a real Mayo celebration. The celebrity couple chose Mayo’s Ballintubber Abbey and Ashford Castle as the venue for their special day but it’s not surprising when one considers their strong links with the country. The groom’s mother Mrs Mai Filan was a native of Kiltimagh. She was a member of the McNicholas family of Ballyglass, and her brother, Billy, still lives and farms at the original homestead.
Gillian Walsh’s Mayo connections are on her father’s side of the family. Father of the bride, Michael Walsh, hails from Corroy, Ballina. He is a son of the late Joe and Nelly Walsh and grew up in Derrygullinane, Corroy. He had three sisters – Mrs Josephine Sweeney, who lives in Knockmore, Mrs Phylis Monaghan, Curra-baggan, Knockmore and Mrs Kathleen Thornton, now living in Cork. Of course the other Mayo name of note on the wedding list was Westlife manager Louis Walsh, who also hails from Kiltimagh
Over 200 devoted Westlife fans waited outside the grounds of the historical Ballintubber Abbey on Sunday last to watch the happy couple arrive and depart from the ceremony. Afterwards over 350 guests accompanied the newlyweds to Ashford Castle in Cong for the lavish wedding reception.
Source: Western People
Westlife Singer Shane Filan Weds Childhood Sweetheart
29 December 2003: Westlife singer Shane Filan married his childhood sweetheart yesterday, and says he's "the luckiest guy in the world".
The Mandy star wed Gillian Walsh at Ballintubber Abbey, County Mayo, Ireland in a ceremony attended by Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and his four bandmates.
And nervous Shane joked with fellow Westlife stars Kian Egan and Mark Feehily when the bride arrived slightly late.
Shane says, "Looking at Gillian at the altar was the best moment of my life. I was welling up during the service.
"I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. It was great to go out there and wave to the fans and also see all our friends and family enjoying our big day.
"Gillian felt like a princess and looked like one too."
Source: contactmusic.com
Shane and Gillian Marry in Mayo
Westlife singer Shane Filan, wed his childhood sweetheart Gillian Walsh yesterday in a romantic ceremony in the 800 year old Ballintubber Abbey amongst their friends and family.
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Usually a Westlife wedding is a high tech security operation with Hello! or OK magazine trying to protect their photographic rights to the big day". Going against celebrity tradition Shane Filan instead wanted a special day for his true love Gillian and waved goodbye to the million euro offers from magazines and opting for a day open to family, friends and fans
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And it was such a better day for it… Shane and his bride openly posed for photographs as did their celebrity pals, everyone was in great form with the dedicated Westlife fans who made the trip to the wet Mayo village.
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Guests at the wedding included Ronan and Yvonne Keating, Kerry and Bryan McFadden, Louis Walsh, Bertie and Miriam Ahern, Nicky and Georgina Byrne, Kian Egan’s actress girlfriend Jodi Albert.
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Shane’s groomsmen included two of his bandmates Kian and Mark. The wedding reception was held in Ashford Castle.
29 December 2003. Source ShowBizIreland.com
Shane Ties The Knot With His Westwife
28 December 2003: Westlife star Shane Filan has broken the hearts of legions of female fans by finally marrying his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh.After shunning an exclusive magazine deal for photos of the big day, the couple braved the cold and rain to greet around 200 fans outside historic Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo.
Later, more than 350 guests - including Ronan Keating and Shane's fellow band members - travelled to the nearby Ashford Castle hotel to celebrate the marriage.
The happy couple both wore white outfits.
Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com
Shane popped the question while he and Gillian were on holiday together in Dubai last year.
The Westlifer's elder brother Finbar acted as best man at the ceremony in the abbey, which dates back to the 13th century.
Music at the wedding party was reportedly not provided by the Irish group. Instead, Shane was understood to have laid on another band, complete with its own DJ.
It was the first Westlife wedding since last summer when Nicky Byrne married Georgina, one of Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's two daughters, in a French village.
This time, there was no tie-up with a celebrity magazine that made the French wedding so controversial back home for the premier.
Source: news.sky.com
Shane and Gillian to marry
Popstar Shane Filan reaches high notes for a living, yet nothing could beat the high he got when girlfriend Gillian Walsh said yes to his proposal of marriage. The setting, on a Dubai beach on Christmas Day last was romantic and intimate. As Shane (25) proposed to his girlfriend of three years, the Filan family were busy getting ready for the festivities at home in Carraroe. A source close to the Filan family said: “We got all the family together for the announcement on Christmas Day. We are absolutely thrilled. Obviously we had no idea but we did expect it eventually”.
Wedding plans have not been finalised yet as the couple are still deciding where to tie the knot. The wedding will take place next year and is expected to be a big family affair. Shane isn’t the only family member who is planning to walk down the aisle. The source said: “Two of his siblings got engaged also, one in September and one in October. They will marry in 2004. It’s going to be a hectic time in the months ahead”. Shane’s older brother Liam got wed earlier this year. Shane and his wife-to-be, Gillian, were there. Gillian said: We went to Shane’s brother Liam’s wedding this year and it was lovely. We had a great day at it”.
Shane and Gillian, a native of Maugheraboy, have known each other since early childhood. One of the first productions the couple starred in was Grease when it was staged in Summerhill College five years ago. Grease saw three members of the cast come together and form Westlife. But it also started one of the biggest love stories in pop. Shane played Kenickie and Gillian played Frenchie in what became a hit, in more ways than one.
Gillian said: “I’ve known Shane since we were 10 years old. I’ve known him well for the past seven and we are going out together for the last three”. But the Westlife star is not the only part of this duo that has musical talents. “I’ve been singing and dancing from a very young age. I love it. I still dance but I leave the singing up to him”. Gillian graduated this year with a Business Studies degree from Sligo’s Institute of Technology. She is taking time out to consider her career and now plan her wedding. “I’m taking a bit of time out to decide what to do career wise. It’s also giving me a chance to spend more time with Shane”.
Gillian decided to take up some part-time work in Morgan on Castle Street, a clothes shop run by Shane and his older sister Mairead. “I love working here. It also gives Mairead (Shane’s sister) or any of the other girls a chance to take time off and I can stand in. “Me and my mum Rosaleen have bought a couple of things in there. Sligo needed a shop like it”. No doubt she will be calling in on the fashion house for some ideas for her big day.
Source: Sligo Weekender 31 December 2002
SHANE GETS SERIOUS AND A FERRARI
27 August 2002 – There may not be a wedding yet for Shane Filan, the lead singer with Ireland’s Westlife. But he is getting ready to make some serious moves on his long term girlfriend Gillian Walsh.
Speaking to ShowBiz Ireland recently at the Kerrygold Dublin show, Shane explained that marriage may still be a bit away for him but moving in together is just around the corner. “Myself and Gillian have no plans to marry just yet. But, I have just built a new house for my parents and I guess one for the two of us will be next on my list. It may have to wait for a while as I’ve just spent loads of money on a new car along with Nicky and Bryan from the band. We all got new Ferraris. They picked up theirs last month but I just picked up my new black Ferrari 575 Marenello”.
He went on, “Gillian and myself only flew in from Mexico, where we were on holiday for the past two weeks. We came back so I could watch my brother Liam. He is competing today in the jumps for the Horseshow. We have loads of horses down home in Sligo and my family are big in to jumping so it had been a family tradition of our for years, to come to the horseshow.
Source: www.ShowBizIreland.com
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
westlife
17-10-05 news EXCLUSIVE WITH PHOTOSWestlife Back Bigger & Better...
If you happened to catch The Late Late Show last Friday you probably realised that Irish boyband Westlife are making a comeback to pop charts and look set to dominate...
WESTLIFE @ THE LATE LATE SHOW
Since Brian McFadden walked out on Westlife many people thought it would be the end of the band but with a new album, Face to Face, a new single, You Raise Me Up, and a new eagerness for No. 1 records Shane, Nicky, Kian and Mark are going to be around for a while yet...
WESTLIFE @ THE LATE LATE SHOW
Shane Filan is now a father, Nicky Byrne is hinting that Georgina and he may be following suit soon, Mark Feehily has come-out as gay and in a strong relationship, and Kian Egan is so in love with girlfriend Jodi Albert that we wouldn't be surprised if he proposed to her in the coming months...
NICKY & GEORGINA @ THE LATE LATE SHOW
And from what we witnessed from the Pat Kenny interview at the weekend the boys are very comfortable and confident with their position as the top boyband in the world, plus duets with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson coming up there is no doubt that they will break all records for the most No.1 records in history!
If you happened to catch The Late Late Show last Friday you probably realised that Irish boyband Westlife are making a comeback to pop charts and look set to dominate...
WESTLIFE @ THE LATE LATE SHOW
Since Brian McFadden walked out on Westlife many people thought it would be the end of the band but with a new album, Face to Face, a new single, You Raise Me Up, and a new eagerness for No. 1 records Shane, Nicky, Kian and Mark are going to be around for a while yet...
WESTLIFE @ THE LATE LATE SHOW
Shane Filan is now a father, Nicky Byrne is hinting that Georgina and he may be following suit soon, Mark Feehily has come-out as gay and in a strong relationship, and Kian Egan is so in love with girlfriend Jodi Albert that we wouldn't be surprised if he proposed to her in the coming months...
NICKY & GEORGINA @ THE LATE LATE SHOW
And from what we witnessed from the Pat Kenny interview at the weekend the boys are very comfortable and confident with their position as the top boyband in the world, plus duets with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson coming up there is no doubt that they will break all records for the most No.1 records in history!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
shane filan
SHANE FILAN!!
Shane Filan was born the baby of a family of seven to proud parents Peter and Mae on July 5th 1979, which means his big 21st is coming up this July!!!
He has always been interested in singing, ever since a young age, and has taken part in many musicals in Sligo. One of which was Grease (he performed in Grease at least twice) when Shane was just (bless him) 12 years old. He sang a duet with another girl, and ironically, was seen in the audience by a certain Mark Feehily who was very impressed!!!
Shane went on to Summerhill College Sligo, where he was the Captain of the Rugby Team, and very popular indeed. Since his family owned a stables, Shane was also mad into horses (if you get the official Westlife video it shows Shane in the stables). He was in the popgroup IOU who were the foundations to Westlife, and Walsh in the first place!! Shane went on after Summerhill College to its Thanks to his mother Mae that Westlife got in touch with Louis do an accounting course in Dublin, and left this once the great Westlife opportunity came along for IOU.
As well as the stables, Shane's family also run a cafe in Sligo town, the Carlton Cafe- which has to be the most publicised restaurant in the town at this stage, with girls travelling from all over just to see a part of the Westlife history!!
Out of everything, Shane hates Insects, and his favourite food is Spagetti!! (Easy to please!) His favourite football team are Liverpool, and his fave film is Titanic. Shane stands at a grand 5'9 tall.
In Westlife Shane tends to take the front seat, along with Mark, but that's not to say that the others don't get their solo spots.
I have met Shane tons of times at this stage,and I just want to let you all know that he is REALLY down to earth, and extremely friendly. He always makes time to say Hello to people who are waiting on him, and replies to most emails , even though he is so busy. I also know loads of people from Sligo , and they all think Shane is really sound. Sound, and gorgeous......mmmm-- perfect to take home to Mammy!
kian
Kian John Francis Egan was born on April 29th 1980. He was one of the founder/original members of Westlife, then known as IOU . (and before that as "6 as 1"!!!!!!)
Things with Westlife began to really take off during his Leaving Cert year, yet Kian stayed in School,- Summerhill College, to complete his exams.
Kian has been craving the limelight for years, and at the age of 16 became a strip-o-gram, though he claims to never have stripped past his underwear!!!
His hobbies include Snooker and Pitch and Putt. Kian has 3 brothers, and three sisters in his family, and his favouite food is Steak and Chips.
He supports Liverpool, and his music tastes are mainly chart stuff, such as BSB, Boyzone, and Five.
According to the others in the group, Kian is a real ladies man, and he has been caught out with a "Kiss and Tell" story or two to the news papers....something I'm sure didn't please their managers too much, as it meant him breaking their ridiculous rule of celibacy!!!
Kian is really sound, and can be a messer, or sometimes very serious. (see my interview with Westlife) but nothing will take from the fact that he is a lovely guy!!!!!
mark feehily
Mark lovers have been here
Mark Patrick Michael Feehily is from Sligo, in the North West of Ireland, home to three fifths of Westlife. He was one of the original members of the band, having come from the IOU line up.
A Cancerian, Mark was born on June 26th 1980. He joined Westlife before he finished school, but like the sensible boy he is, he stayed in his school, Summerhill College to complete his final exams!! According to Mark, if he wasn't in Westlife, he'd probably have repeated his exams, because he wasn't happy with the results. Poor Baby! Somehow I don't think the Leaving Cert is going to make much difference to his life from here on!!!! Career wise, he would like to have been a teacher or work with computers.
Mark's hobbies include Tennis (anyone West of the Shannon who plays tennis seems to know him really well) and also Football and Snooker.
His Ideal girl would have a good personality, be "deadly craic" but serious when she needs to be. (I can do that...........hint hint!) His Ideal date would be to go to a nice restaurant, followed by a nightclub........how sweet!!
Mark has two brothers in his family, Barry and Colm, both younger than him. His favourite football team are Liverpool, and he is into Comedy Films.
Mark's musical tastes vary from R n B to the Verve.... and Mark has a bit of an obsession with MARIAH CAREY!!!!
Apparently Mark is the shy one of the band, well I can't say that I find him shy!! He is so friendly and easy to talk to, one of those people who it seems like you've known them for ever!!!!
He has a deep soulful voice, easily the most recognisable in Westlife, and stunning good looks, complemented by his deep sky blue eyes. Mark Feehily is the meaning of the word " babe".!!!!!!
***** Goss from an old school friend of Mark's*****When Mark was in school he used to mess in class a lot, and when his teacher asked him what he wanted to do with his life, he would say, "I'm going to sing, sir" His teacher didn't believe him, and told him not to be stupid.... how wrong he was!!!!
westlife interview
WESTLIFE @ IRISH POP ONLINE-----LINKS!!! Click on the Member you want to read about, or the info you want to find out!!
| : Dedicated to the Tall, Dark and Handsome Mr. Mark Feehily !! Pictures and goss about the one and only Kian Egan. Bryan's page! Shane's page!!! : All about the Tall, Dark and Handsome Mr Filan. Nicky's page!! : Where you can choose the next band you want to read about! AN *EXCLUSIVE* Interview with Westlife : live from Backstage at the Cork Beat, 30th August 1998. READ IT!!!!!! A factfile on Each of the Gorgeous Guys! : Find out all the facts here!! An Introduction to Westlife: Ireland's favourite guys. All The Latest news on Westlife! : Where will they be next? How IOU were Formed...: .... and some little facts that I learnt from guys who were in Mark and Kians class last year! Where to Find the lads! : Tv appearances, magazines, Concerts -- The lot!!! The Lyrics to their Songs!!!: "Swear it again", and "Flying Without Wings" My Review of their Appearance in GALWAY 27/3/99: (This was printed in the Galway paper--The CITY TRIBUNE--(yay!) Be Like KIAN EGAN and MARK FEEHILY !!!!! Sign my Guestbook!!! : As signed by Kian Egan and Mark Feehily from Westlife, All of Area 4, Graham from Dove, Keith (ex-OTT) and 2fm Djs! : Read the newspaper article here! A review of Westlife's trip home to a HEROES Welcome, and a Civic Award.: (15th August 1999)
Read a review of the fabulous Westlife album, OUT NOW!!: A Review of the concert Westlife headlined, in aid of the Turkey Earthquake disaster.: Read all about the MTV select party, (11/11/99) Starring WESTLIFE!! : Westlife meet the Queen!!!!! : Westlife are CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE!!!!: The forthcoming Westlife single is revealed!!!: Shane, Kian and Mark have all signed my guestbook.... read their messages here!!!: Westlife will be headlining the CHILDLINE CONCERT on Feb 13th....read about it here!!!: |
Since 25-11-98
Northsiders, eastsiders, Southsiders, and of course...WESTSIDERS have been here! (excuse the lame attempt at a joke, please!)
On this site you will find not only all the information you ever needed to know about Westlife, but EXCLUSIVE Photographs, and 'le piece de resistence'.....
********AN EXCLUSIVE WESTLIFE INTERVIEW!!!!**************
If you think you've read EVERYTHING there is to read about the lads-- well think again!!!
You will not be able to read this anywhere else-- it is 100 % EXCLUSIVE!!! I caught up with the lads backstage at the 2fm Kit Kat Beat On The Street in Cork , August 1998, and if you're interested in finding out how many drinks it takes to get them drunk, or whether or not they would lie to get their way with the opposite sex(and much more)!!!!!! then, CLICK HERE!!!
At the Moment, Westlife are in the States , filming the video to their Forth coming single "Fool Again". This is from their debut self entitled album, WESTLIFE. Read a quick review of the album on the review page!! The Double A side single of "Seasons in the Sun" and "I had a Dream" held the prestigious CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE spot in the Charts in Ireland and in the UK, and stayed there in Ireland for 5 weeks,and in England for 4 weeks. This is an amazing acheivement for a band, but it also notched up a few more record breaking events for Westlife!!,
For the release of their second single "If I let you go", Westlife made public appearances in Sligo and Dublin. I went along to the Sligo signing, read all about it HERE!
If this is the first time you've ever heard of Westlife, (where have you been? Jupiter?) then Click here for a quick introduction to the guys, ......or HERE to learn the History of the band, and how they all got together.
If you like this Website, please BOOKMARK it, and show us your appreciation in the guestbook!!!! Mark and Kian have!!!!
Click here to SIGN/VIEW THE GUESTBOOK!!!!! As signed by Shane, Mark and Kian!!! Check it out!!
This picture was taken in Galway during a signing for Swear It Again, on March 27th 1999. I think its cool, because Shane is looking at Kian putting his fingers up behind my head (I cut my self from the photo) but he doesn't realise Kian is doing the same to him!!)
Feehily happy to be a gay role
Irish boy band Westlife, from left, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan and Kian Egan.
Westlife singer Mark Feehily says he doesn't mind being a gay role model but worries he may say the wrong thing.
Feehily came out as gay at the end of last year, and the 25-year-old Irish singer is now dating former V band member Kevin McDaid.
"If somebody does come out that is in the public eye then they are going to represent [all homosexuals]," he said.
"I don't know that I necessarily like it too much because, knowing me, I would probably say the wrong thing.
"But in that sense all I can do is try and share what I have learnt through my experience."
Westlife arrived in Australia last week, their first trip since 1999, to promote their latest album Face to Face.
The group - Feehily, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Shane Filan - has had 13 No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom, with songs such as You Raise Me Up, Flying Without Wings, Against All Odds and Unbreakable.
Despite being in a boy band with the majority of fans being women and young girls, Feehily said there had been no negative reaction to his coming out.
"I am so much happier now and I think our fans can see that," he said.
"Through the years of getting to the point where I wanted to come out, I had to go through every kind of emotion, but I can honestly say that the day before I came out, I didn't care what the reaction was going to be.
"That was the hardest point to get to."
Feehily said he did not intend on getting married any time soon but was happy to know he could in Britain with the recent introduction of the country's Civil Partnership Act.
"I think it is fantastic that gay people can now get the same benefits as a straight couple," said Feehily, whose partner is travelling with him in Australia.
"It is not something I am looking into at the moment."
Meanwhile, Byrne said the band was still friendly with ex-Westlife member Brian McFadden, who is dating Delta Goodrem.
This month marks the two-year anniversary since McFadden left the group to pursue a solo career.
"With no disrespect to him [McFadden], we kind of got rid of the person who didn't want to be part of it," said Byrne.
"Brian was always the person who never really wanted to put the real workload into it and that was always going to be a problem."
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Bryan McFadden's Profile:
Name: Bryan Nicholas McFadden
Nickname: Macker (Bry)
Date of birth: 12th April 1980
Age: 19
Height: 6ft (182,5 cm)
Eye colour: Blue
Lives: Artane - Dublin
Starsign: Aries
Family: Mum Mairead, dad Brendan, sister Susan
Pet: A dog called Chip
Hobbies: Singing, Dancing, Music, Football
Previous Jobs: Bingo Caller, Security at McDonald's
Likes: Music, females and spending money
Dislikes: School, Reading, Writing, other people's sadness -
he wants everybody to be happy!
Fave Food: A fry up from "the Carlton Cafe" in Sligo
Fave Football Team: Manchester United
Fave Film: Grease & Titanic
Fave actor/actress: Leonardo DiCaprio & Jennifer Lopez
Fave music: Everything
Fave song: "Something Stupid" by Frank Sinatra
Ideal girl: Beautiful eyes, lips, hair
Describes himself as: Sensetive, shy, humerous
Rule of Life: "Live life today and deal with tomorrow
when it comes!"
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
westlife
Cian John Francis Egan, more commonly known as Kian Egan (born April 29, 1980) is one of four (previously five) members of Irish boy band Westlife. Kian was born in Sligo, Ireland to parents Patricia and Kevin. He has three brothers; Tom, Gavin and Colm, and three sisters; Marielle, Vivienne and Fenella. He attended Summerhill College secondary school in Sligo. He plays many instruments inside and outside the group, including the piano and guitar and was a former member of Sligo punk rock group Skrod. He was also in a pop group called IOU with fellow Westlife members Shane Filan and Mark Feehily as well as Graham Keighron, Michael "Miggles" Garrett and Derrick Lacey. Kian Egan`s credits in the band include writing songs such as Don`t Let Me Go and When You Come Around.Kian is currently engaged to marry ex-member of Girl Thing and former Hollyoaks actress Jodi Albert with the wedding planned in 2009. They have opened their own juice bar in Sligo, known as the Monkey Tree. His widely publicised marriage proposal to her was made public on 12th February`s issue of OK..
Snapshot
Name
Kian Egan (Kian John Francis Egan)
Age
29
Height
5' 10" (178 cm)
Build
Average
Eye Color
Blue
Hair Color
Blonde
Date of Birth
April 29, 1980
Birthplace
Sligo, Ireland
Star Sign
Taurus
Nationality
Irish
Ethnicity
White
Religion
Roman Catholic
University
Summerhill College
Occupation
Singer
Celebrity Index
Ki
Claim to Fame
Westlife
Monday, July 20, 2009
Nicolas Bernard James Adam Byrne
Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne (born 9 October 1978 in Dublin) is the oldest member of the popular Irish pop band, Westlife
Before joining Sligo based band IOU, Byrne was a footballer who played for Home Farm F.C. and St. Clemintines Boys F.C. in North Dublin.[1] He became a professional football player, and joined Leeds United as a goalkeeper in 1995, and was a squad member of the FA Youth Cup winning team of 1997[2]
He played for Leeds for two years, leaving when his contract expired in June, 1997. He played in a reserve game for Scarborough F.C. and in a trial game with Cambridge United before returning to join Dublin club Shelbourne. He then signed for Cobh Ramblers, then St. Francis F.C., all in Ireland's Eircom league.[3]
On the 14/5/09 Nicky was a substitute for a Liverpool FC Legends XI that played against an All Star XI in a Hillsborough Memorial match to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. All the proceeds from the match went to the Marina Dalglish appeal.
In 1997, he attended an audition for a new Irish boyband, where he was spotted by Boyzone manager Louis Walsh, and Walsh approached him to join his new venture, Westlife. He joined Westlife along with Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Brian McFadden.
His first album with Westlife was released in November, 1999, titled Westlife. With Westlife, Byrne has had 14 UK number ones and 7 number one albums in the UK, and sold 40 million records worldwide.[4]
Couple Profile | ||||||
| First married Georgina Ahern in a civil ceremony in Dublin, Ireland on August 5, 2003; then in a church ceremony in France on August 9, 2003.
Nicky was born Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne on October 9th, 1978 to proud parents Yvonne and Nicky. His Irish name is Nucal O`Byrne. He was born in Dublin as the middle child, having an older sister, Gillian and a younger brother, Adam. From the age of 7 he played for local, successful Dublin side Home Farm Football Club. he played as a goalkeeper, and when he was in his early teens he won the Young European Keeper of the Year. He met Georgina Ahern at high school. They got together after three years of shying away from each other and staring across classrooms into each other`s eyes. Nicky`s best friend, Colm `Cos` Costello, got the two together, and they`ve been together ever since. That was 1995! At age 15, he was signed up by Leeds United as a goalkeeper. He grew homesick, and missed his family and girlfriend. His then manager, George Graham, decided two years later, that Nicky was too short, and unless he grew a few inches he would terminate his contract. Unfortunately for Nicky, he didn`t grow, and his contract with Leeds was terminated after 2 years. When he returned home, he retook his Leaving Certificate (GCSEs) at Plunkett College. He then set up a karaoke business with his father called `Father and Son`, and they toured local pubs doing Boyzone songs. The Westlife audition came to Nicky`s attention through his Aunty, but he was pessimistic about the idea. His girlfriend persuaded him to go, telling him she had confidence in him. He decided to go, but didn`t tell anyone he was going. It was only when his face was seen in then paper that people found out. He was in the paper because he was up against another blonde for the only place in the band left. that other blonde was Brian McFadden. Eventually the pair of them got into the band, and Westlife was born. Westlife`s debut single was released in May 1999, Swear It Again, and started off a string of 7 consecutive number ones, ending with My Love in 2001. All four of their albums reached the top spot, and they have the Guinness World Record for the first boyband in history to have five consecutive number ones from their debut. | ||||||
Children | ||
Mark Michael Patrick Feehily
Mark Michael Patrick Feehily (born 28 May 1980 in Sligo, Ireland), better known as Mark Feehily, is a member of the popular Irish vocal pop group, Westlife. He has two younger brothers named Barry (born 1985) and Colin (born 1989). His parents are Marie and Oliver Feehily. In Westlife...
He has two younger brothers named Barry (born 1985) and Colin (born 1989). His parents are Marie and Oliver Feehily. [1]
In Westlife's music, Mark is distinctive for his rich, soulful voice, which is prominently featured in all of Westlife's songs. In Westlife he shares all lead vocals with Shane Filan.
Before Westlife Mark and Shane Filan came from the band IOU where he had partly written the band's songs, Everlasting Love and Together Girl Forever.
Feehily publicly came out as gay in the UK tabloid The Sun, and announced his long-term relationship with Kevin McDaid, a member of the now-defunct British boy band V.[3][4] In an interview he said, "My life has got umpteen times better. My sexuality doesn't define me as a person, but it's a huge part of anyone to be open about it. It's changed my life totally as I feel so much happier and at ease. It's the best thing I've ever done." Unlike his band mates, for years Feehily did not discuss his private life. His manager Louis Walsh was unaware of Feehily's sexuality when he picked him for the band.[5]
The pair have been dating since January 2005 after having met at a cheerios childline concert in Ireland. In yet another interview, Feehily told the Sydney Morning Herald that despite the fact that the majority of Westlife's fans are female, there had really been no negative reaction. "I am so much happier now and I think our fans can see that," he said. "Through the years of getting to the point where I wanted to come out, I had to go through every kind of emotion, but I can honestly say that the day before I came out, I didn't care what the reaction was going to be. That was the hardest point to get to."
Feehily said that while he did not intend on getting married right away, he is happy to know he could form a civil partnership in Britain with the recent passing of the Civil Partnership Act.[6] They both say that when the time is right, they will look into having a civil partnership ceremony.
In December 2007, Mark and Kevin appeared on the cover of Attitude magazine. They also did a joint interview. In this interview, Mark stated that he wants to grow old with Kevin, and that the pair believe that they will be together forever.
Mark and Kevin also own a pet pug called Saffy
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shane steven filan
shane Steven Filan (born July 5, 1979) is the lead singer of Irish pop band Westlife. Filan is one of the four (formerly five) original Westlife members, along with other current members Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne. Filan was born on July 5, 1979 to Peter and Mae Filan, and grew up in Sligo, a small town in the northwest of Ireland. The youngest of seven children, he has three brothers and three sisters: Finbarr, Peter Jr, Yvonne, Liam, Denise and Mairead. His parents owned a diner in Sligo named Carlton Cafe located on Castle Street and Shane used to work there as a waiter from a very early age. Filan attended Summerhill College, a Catholic school, with Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. All three of them participated in a school production of Grease when they were about 12. The Hawkswell Theatre became a significant part of their careers, and as a big fan of Michael Jackson, Filan taught himself how to moonwalk. [edit]Musical career Main article: Westlife Before Westlife, Egan and Feehily were with Filan in a band known as I.O.U. with other Sligonians Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron and Michael "Miggles" Garrett. In 1997, he attended an audition for a new Irish boyband, where he was spotted by Boyzone manager Louis Walsh, and Walsh approached him to join his new venture, Westlife. The three Sligonans joined the band along with Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden. Filan, along with Mark Feehily, is the main lead singer (first voice) in Westlife. Their first album was released in November, 1999, titled Westlife. With Westlife, Filan has received twenty-eight platinum discs and sold 36 million records worldwide.[1] Filan has also co-written a few songs, along with the other band members, including: Fragile Heart Bop Bop Baby (Became a hit single and made it into #5 in U.K. singles charts) I Wanna Grow Old With You Don`t Say It`s Too Late Love Crime How Does It Feel Crying Girl Reason For Living Miss You When I`m Dreaming He has also written songs for other artists, (together with his former bandmate McFadden): Listen Girl sung by John Ostberg Let Me Be the One sung by Simon Casey (the song written by only Shane himself) Sei Parte Ormai Di Me sung by Il Divo [2] Filan`s recent appearance when he becomes Walsh`s guest judge in the groups category of The X Factor. Among the four guest judges, he is the only guy. Filan married his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh (Kian`s cousin) on Sunday December 28, 2003 at Ballintubber Abbey, followed by a reception at Ashford Castle, Ireland.[3] Gillian gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Nicole Rose, at Sligo General Hospital on 23 July 2005, and to a baby boy called Patrick Michael Filan, born at Sligo General Hospital on September 15, 2008. Shane likes to play golf in his spare time, but loves horses much more. He and his family own more than 70 of them, and used to compete at horse tournaments. All of Shane`s horses are named Carlton something (e.g. Carlton Flight, Carlton Clover Association of Ireland] A massive Manchester United fan, Filan and bandmate Nicky Byrne proudly wore their Man Utd scarfs as they were half time guests at Old Trafford for the game between United and Bolton Wanderers He and his eldest brother, Finbarr, have a company called Shafin Developments Ltd. They are hoping to expand its portfolio with the proposed construction of 63 luxury apartments at the rear of Lisroyan Ho
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westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop band formed on July 3, 1998. The group's original lineup comprised, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Bryan McFadden. The band is the only act in UK history to have their first seven singles go straight in at Number 1, and they have gone on to sell over 40 million albums worldwide.[1]
They were signed on by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. In 2008, they were declared as Ireland's 9th richest celebrities under 30 years old and 13th in general. They garnered 14 number one singles in the United Kingdom, the third-highest in UK history, tying with Cliff Richard and trailing behind only Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The band has also won numerous awards such as the "Best Irish Pop Act" at the annual Ireland Meteor Awards and is the only band to win the ITV "Record of the Year" award in the UK four times in a row.[2] The band has also broken a few top records, including "Music artist with most consecutive number 1's in the UK" and the "Biggest selling arena act in the UK". In 2009, a poll from a highly rated newspaper in the UK saw Westlife rated the second biggest musical band ever in the UK with 39% of the vote. They were beaten, just, by the 60s band The Beatles who scored 46% of the vote.
Over years of their career, Westlife's music has evolved from teen pop to a pop sound, with an emphasis on ballads. All of the band members are songwriters, although most of their hits have been composed by external writers, most prominently Steve Mac and Wayne Hector. On July 3rd 2008, Westlife marked their 10th anniversary with a spectacular concert in Croke Park, Dublin which saw more than 82,000 fans attending the special occasion. Music Week revealed on their website that Westlife is the official 3rd top touring act within the years 2005-2008. While, as 7th top touring act of 2008.
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