A Galwaywoman wows the judges with her performance on RTE singing show The Voice this weekend.
Ciara Monaghan qualified for the show after being picked as a wildcard entry by judges on 2FM. The 18-year-old student did not have enough confidence to apply to the main casting auditions for The Voice and her friends encouraged her to enter via the radio route. Judge and DJ Jenny Greene was bowled over by her talent and convinced the other judges Ruth Scott and Keith Walsh to let her progress to the TV show.
Ms Monaghan, who is from Ballinasloe, is undoubtedly a very talented singer. She also plays guitar, and in her spare time sings at her local church with a folk choir. Both sides of the teenager’s family have produced a number of musicians, and she knew from the age of five that singing was a passion she wished to pursue.
On Sunday night’s show, the teenager will sing ‘From Eden’ by Hozier, and while it cannot be revealed if she makes it through to the next round, it is safe to say the judges which include Bressie, Kian Egan of Westlife, and Una Foden from The Saturdays, are bound to be suitably impressed.
She says she was very nervous singing in front of the big names. “I was terrified going on, shaking like a leaf to put it mildly. It is so nerve-wracking because you are wondering will they turn, won’t they? Then you are fearful of the kind of feedback they give you afterwards, praying it will be positive. You are thinking all this and trying to sing at the same time. They were all very nice and it is very important to take their comments on board.’’
It is very difficult for contestants to keep it under wraps if they progress in the competition, and this is something which the Ballinasloe woman says she found challenging. “I am doing a PLC course in Moate and I missed a lot of time because of The Voice auditions, classmates were asking me the reason so eventually I had to tell them I was taking part in the show, but they would have to wait and see if I made it through.”
Ms Monaghan says it was always her hope that Bressie would turn his chair around for her, as her is her favourite judge, but we will have to wait until Sunday evening to find out if that is the case.
