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Monaghan's Fixed Penalty wins Stars of Our Bars 2011

20-June-2011

The Vintners' Federation of Ireland ("VFI") Stars of our Bars National Final, in association with Smithwick's, was held on Friday night and Fixed Penalty, representing Adamson’s Bar, Clones, Co. Monaghan was named the VFI Stars of our Bars Winner 2011, beating off 15 other acts to take the title.

After a great night’s entertainment, Fixed Penalty were awarded €7,500 after giving two show stopping performances at the National Final on Friday, 17th June at the Portlaoise Heritage Hotel in Portlaoise, Co. Laois.

Second place was awarded to Gavin Strappe and Niall Preston, representing The Village Inn, Moyglass, Co. Tipperary who took home €3,000 while Macey South, representing Corrigan’s Corner House, Banagher, Co. Offaly came third and won €1,500.

The eagerly anticipated National Final, which was hosted brilliantly by Marty Whelan, was alive with excitement and support from a huge gathering of friends and family from all acts. In total nearly 500 packed out the Portlaoise Heritage and the 16 acts made sure they were rocked from start to finish!

Each act performed twice with the support of the live band and gave the judges a very hard task. RTE’s Dermot McEvoy, classical violinist Cora Venus Lunny and Newstalk’s Tom Dunne had the unenviable task of picking the winner.

In it's second year, the VFI Stars of our Bars’ pub talent competition began in January 2011 in over 300 pubs in 25 counties across the country.  Over 4,000 acts took part and pubs ran heats to whittle down the numbers. Finalists were then chosen from each participating county and were put forward to the Regional Finals in May. The lucky finalists who made it through the County and the Regional Finals, made up the final sixteen acts for the Stars of our Bars National Final.

The sixteen acts and the pubs they represented are as follows:-

• Gavin Strappe & Niall Preston representing The Village Inn, Moyglass, Co. Tipperary
• The Beard of Zeus representing Tess Burke’s, Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary
• Roisin Walsh representing Sarsfield’s Bar, Drogheda, Co. Louth
• Fixed Penalty representing Adamson’s Bar, Clones, Co. Monaghan
• Lisa Ryan representing The Geraldine Bar, Limerick City
• Karen Gould representing The Swanky Bar, Tarbert, Co. Kerry
• The Knox Sisters representing The Black Cat, Kilkenny City
• Susan Hickey representing Bishopstown Bar, Bishopstown, Co. Cork
• Tom Kirwan representing Ryan’s Bar, Kilkenny City
• Adrian Kenny representing Top of the Hill, Gurranabraher, Co. Cork
• Ahren Branley representing Yeat’s Lounge, Rathcormac, Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo
• Static Movement representing Jackson’s Niteclub, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal
• Derek Ellard representing Murty Rabbitts, Galway City
• Macey South representing Corrigan’s The Corner House, Banagher, Co. Offaly
• Rachel Goode representing The Usual Bar, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
• Amy Penston representing Sally O’Brien’s, Arklow, Co. Wicklow