DOWNINGS singer Shane McLaughlin has thanked the people of Donegal for helping him get to the last ten on RTE’s The Voice of Ireland at the weekend.
Now he’s hoping to go even further.
In this article for Donegal Daily, Shane writes:
There was a big build up going into Sunday night. I was really unwell and fighting laryngitis. I was asking myself a lot of questions. Was my voice going to hold out? Was I going to make it to the last 10? It was all very intense! It was make or break for me and I was not going to let my County and my fans down. Then I got in my zone, drank some water with honey and lemon, and just went for it. I thought my voice was going to go during the song but thank God it held out. Then came the comments from the coaches. Bressie was fair but harsh in the fact that he claims that I have no chance of winning it (Donegal proved the pundits wrong in recent memory too if I’m not mistaken). As for Sharon and Jamelia, they are very tactical. Sharon said I had improved and then awarded the same score as before. Jamelia said I posed too much. Was she even watching the performance? And is the show not about the ‘voice’?
The group performance was amazing. We had so much fun. It was great performing with Kian and the others. Kian kept telling me to “rock it man” so I did. He really got behind me, which was a great confidence boost after a tough week. I pushed for that particular song, and it was great that we got to perform it together. I was nervous waiting for the results, I knew before the show that Kelly would take it. She has a massive national following and had a great performance. When her name was called out and we had to come back out on stage for the wildcard I whispered to Kian: “you can help me pack for Donegal”. When my name came out I was over the moon and bursting with emotion. I wanted to dive off the stage!
I can’t thank enough all those who have supported me this far. It is overwhelming. I feel so proud to be a part of this, proud to be a Donegal man and proud to be the only one to keep the flag north of Dublin flying. Thank you my supporters from the bottom of my heart, as the voting by the coaches has become more tactical. I’d like at this opportunity to thank our amazing Donegal Media, from print, to internet, to the radio. All we are missing is Donegal TV now. A huge thank you also goes to my sponsors who have helped me get this far. I would also like to wish Grainne Gavigan all the best on Glor Tire. I honestly know how your feeling so go out enjoy it and bring the house down.
If anyone is interested in helping out with my campaign, it would mean so much to me. To help, leave your details on my music page “Shane Mc Laughlin music” on facebook or alternatively by calling Dessie on 0877920724. Let me say again. Thank you all. Let’s keep the momentum going. Many of you have been asking the following questions: [Am I on next Sunday? Yes!] [What is the format of next week’s show? All judges can vote, so watch out for tactics. All of you can vote!] [What window of time have we for voting next week? 15m!] [How often can you vote? As often as you like in those few minutes!] [Can you make it through to the final 6? NO!!! But WE can.]