The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, in conjunction with Smithwicks, is giving the Irish public the chance to showcase their talent in the Stars Of Our Bars pub talent competition.
Entrants stand the chance to win a prize fund of €50,000. The Stars Of Our Bars county heats will begin this month and continue until the end of March.
The competition will be running in 400 pubs outside of Dublin. Each pub will have the chance to run up to eight competition heats and finalists will be chosen from each participating county to be put forward to the provincial finals in April.
The Co Galway pubs taking part are: Joe’s Bar, Society Street, Ballinasloe; The Beautiful Bird. Laurencetown; Jordan’s Bar, Clarinbridge; Regan’s, Clonboo; Padraicins, Furbo; Murty Rabbitts, Forster Street; Hanley Oaks Hotel, Bishop O’Donnell Road; The Amber House Hotel, Merlin Park; The Quays, Quay Street; Wards Hotel, Salthill; Oakland Hotel, Glenamaddy; The Welcome Inn, Glenamaddy; McCarthy’s Kilbeacanty; and Devlin’s Bar, Loughrea.
Those who make it through the county and provincial stages of the competition will then take part in the Grand Final in May.
Entry to the competition is free and aspiring entertainers can enter through their nearest participating pub. The prizes for the pub finals are at the discretion of the publicans. The prize for the county winner will be €1,000. The prize for the All-Ireland winner will be €7,500. Two acts will be chosen at the county finals to go forward to the provincial stages. All contestants must be over 18 years of age.
“We are delighted to be bringing a new and exciting talent competition to pubs across the country,” said former mayor of Galway and now VFI president Val Hanley. “What better than a talent competition to kick off the New Year and bring a bit of excitement to communities nationwide.”
