Latest news with #ToyShow
Extra.ie
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
WATCH: Young busker wins Wexford's heart at Fleadh Cheoil
On the bustling streets of Wexford during this year's Fleadh Cheoil, a young boy named Séamie Seán has captured the hearts of locals and visitors alike. With nothing but his trusty fiddle and an infectious smile, Séamie's soulful tunes echoed through the air, drawing crowds and earning applause wherever he played. A video of his street performance, shared by TG4, quickly went viral, and it's easy to see why. On the bustling streets of Wexford during this year's Fleadh Cheoil, a young boy named Séamie Seán has captured the hearts of locals and visitors alike. Pic: TikTok/TG4 Beyond his undeniable talent, Seamie's story of saving up for a new suit has left audiences truly smitten with the young busker. Séamie Seán Ó Branáin first went viral earlier in the week during a brief backstage interview with the Irish language broadcaster. The young lad explained with a shy grin that he was down in Wexford because 'his mommy said he could busk,' and he was determined to save up for a new suit. His charming interview was quickly followed by a heartfelt sing-song performance of The Nightingale, which captured the attention of viewers far and wide. Since then, TG4 has caught up with Séamie again on the streets of Wexford, where he treated the crowd to a soulful rendition of The Parting Glass. Though his suit remains a goal yet to be reached, Séamie's music and spirit continue to win over hearts everywhere. 'What a great little fella.. representing all that is good about our country,' one user praised. 'He's a great little lad,' another penned. 'I would die for Séamie Seán,' a third shared. Safe to say we'll be seeing a lot more of Séamie and his budding suit collection in years to come. Who's got the number for the Toy Show?
Scottish Sun
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Social media scammers set up accounts targeting Harry Potter stars
Bogus pages have popped up after Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin was announced as the boy wizard Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHAMEFUL scammers have set up a string of fake social media accounts pretending to be Harry Potter star Dominic McLaughlin, we can reveal. Bogus pages - claiming to be run by his parents - have popped up weeks after it emerged the Scots kid actor will appear in HBO's TV adaptation of the famous book series. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Scammers have set up a number of accounts in the child actor's name 4 It comes after Dominic McLaughlin was announced as star of the HBO series 4 The series is set to be released late next year 4 Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, and Alastair Stout will be in the main roles Dominic, from Glasgow, beat thousands of others for the boy wizard lead role. But weeks after he was announced as playing Harry Potter, online weirdos have now taken advantage of his rising public profile by impersonating him on the internet. PR consultant Mark Borkowski warned the young actor's team should jump into action and protect him. He said: 'The issue is that, particularly when you get thrust into the public arena these days, you become public property very quickly. 'And getting this break is going to be enormous. But, as we've seen in the past with other young stars, it's also a bit of a curse. 'The younger you are, obviously there's rules and regulations, but the badlands of the internet don't sort of grip the same principles. 'There's a huge Harry Potter fan base, as we know, and there's been a lot of expectation for this latest version of it. 'It will all come down to protecting him because of his age and allowing him to grow up against a backdrop of a huge amount of attention on him, both on and offline. And that is incredibly difficult to manage.' One Instagram account in Dominic's name has dozens of photos of the actor, and hundreds of followers. A bio says: 'Young actor. Playing Harry Potter in HBO's new series. Account managed by parents.' Toy Show star lands major role in Harry Potter A string of posts claim to be documenting his journey with the account boasting of 'bringing my best to Harry Potter', 'another change to make a bit of magic happen' and thanking fans for their support. Another 'parent managed account' in Dominic's name has links to channel HBO and streaming platform Stream On MAX. Alex Dowal, of the Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, warned most social media operators are struggling to take down fake profiles. He said: 'It's not actually a crime to set up a profile in someone's name. 'It goes against the terms and conditions of Facebook and Instagram. Unfortunately, the scale of policing that is virtually non-existent. 'It becomes a crime if you are seeking to benefit from pretending to be someone else. 'It probably wouldn't take long before some fake endorsements using his profile come out. That would consitute fraud.' We told how the cast were revealed by Warner Bros last month with film bosses pledging a 'faithful adaptation' of the books by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. Earlier this week, the writer said she had read the first two episodes, adding: 'They are so, so, so good.' A spokeswoman for Warner Bros Discovery said: 'We won't be commenting at this time.'
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘It was a well-kept secret' – Saoirse Ruane's mum makes major career venture in honour of late daughter
SAOIRSE Ruane's mum has embarked on a major career move in memory of her beloved daughter. The Ruane family was left heartbroken after 12-year-old Saoirse tragically in March 2024 following a long battle with cancer. Advertisement 3 Roseanna Ruane has launched a collection with BPerfect in memory of her daughter Credit: Brian McEvoy 3 Saoirse sadly passed away in March 2024 3 The collection includes beauty essentials, each one named in honour of Saoirse Credit: Brian McEvoy The young girl when she appeared on the Toy Show during the Covid-19 in 2020, aged 8, to speak about her fight with cancer. Saoirse's mother, Roseanna, has made sure to keep her daughter's memory alive on Now, just over a year on from Saoirse's passing, Roseanna has teamed up with BPerfect Cosmetics to launch a new line named the Saoirse and Mamma Collection. All proceeds from the collection will be donated to two charities chosen by Saoirse's family, described as ones that are "close to their hearts". Advertisement read more on saoirse ruane The launch was announced on BPerfect's They wrote: "This collection is a tribute to Saoirse Ruane - a little girl who inspired a nation with her strength, her smile, and her unstoppable spirit." The collection includes beauty essentials, each one named in honour of Saoirse, and "every product has been thoughtfully designed to reflect the colours she loved and the joy she brought to the world". Roseanna spoke to Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN The proud mum opened up about how much her life has changed, saying: "I think for me, all I've wanted to do is to be kept busy. It doesn't work for me to sit and have time to think, so I'm very grateful to be busy." She added: " Whether it's creating content, my new role in radio which I absolutely adore and is the highlight of my week because it connects me with an audience and it's bringing me back to playing music I love, pure nostalgia, and then this has been in the pipeline for about 10 to 12 months. Saoirse Ruane's mum opens up on grief in the household Speaking about the collection, Roseanna admitted: "This [collab with BPerfect] was such a well-kept secret, and I was bursting to tell someone and I couldn't. There are just many strings to my bow now. "I put my hand to anything and I feel I'm flapping around in the sky and I haven't found my landing spot yet and I'm just dipping my toe into different things to see what it would feel like." Advertisement Speaking about the incredible new roles she has taken on, Roseanna continued: "I never said I see myself in radio, I never said I see myself collabing and bringing out a makeup palette, but I really do see now that the world is my oyster. "What I'm trying to do is honour my daughter and remember her name, and I suppose live life the way I want to live it now. Her passing has brought me such an appreciation for life, and it's made me want to live it on my terms, and it's made me very grateful." IN MEMORY At the launch, Roseanna also shared that the makeup line is "a piece of my heart" and something that has "helped turn my grief into something good". She added that it's "not just makeup but memory and mission, bottled and shared". Advertisement She paid a touching tribute to her daughter, opening up about the life lessons Saoirse left behind. Roseanna said: "Saoirse gave love freely and she continues to guide me every single day. One of the things I've come to hold most sacred on this journey is time. "I want to say this to you all tonight, time is so important, we are all running the rat race. "Time is something to be grateful for, time allows us to make precious memories, time allows us to reflect and grow, and time allows us all to make a difference. But time is also something that Saoirse ran out of and that truth is something that I carry every day. It's why I wake up every morning and practice gratitude, even on the hardest days." Advertisement
Irish Examiner
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Gareth O'Callaghan: It's been two years since Tubridy was thrown to the lions. Is it time for RTÉ to ask him back?
'Until someone is prepared to lay out the systemic problem, we will simply go through cycles of finding corruption, finding a scapegoat, eliminating the scapegoat, and relaxing until we find the next scandal.' I'm not a fan of American politician Newt Gingrich; but as I read these words of his, I'm reminded of where I was this week two years ago when Ryan Tubridy's stellar career as Ireland's leading broadcaster started to come apart in what was a bolt out of the blue. Barely a month before, a day ahead of his final Late Late Show, he told fans: 'Tomorrow night is going to be a night of endings for sure, but beginnings for definite.' In hindsight, some might have called his words prophetic, others foreboding; but it seems certain he knew nothing about what was careering down the tracks. It would take a long hot summer before RTÉ's director general Kevin Bakhurst finally announced on August 18 that Tubridy would not be returning to his radio show, after a two-month controversy that became the most damaging crisis the broadcaster has ever faced in its almost 100-year history. It was an inglorious sacking, painfully drawn out, and made worse the previous month by the performances of some politicians on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) with their humiliation of Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly during live Oireachtas TV sessions, the first of which had more than nine million minutes of online viewing. No doubt it's a date that's etched forever in his memory, the day his career slipped from his grip and his life changed — Tuesday, July 11, 2023, when he was thrown to the lions in Leinster House, a place that's not always known for its moral compass. For the first time in its history, this online streaming channel, which most viewers to the event had never heard of, had bigger audiences than the annual Toy Show. Pubs across the country showed the televised meetings on their big screens, while clips from earlier sessions were viewed millions of times on TikTok. 'This is my first rodeo being in the public eye,' Tubridy told PAC that day. 'My name has been desperately sullied, I think my reputation has been sullied.' Strong words not used lightly, which led this writer to suspect he was being scapegoated as a result of a gargantuan cover-up — one that, it turned out, had been simmering for years. No doubt Tuesday, July 11, 2023, is a date that's etched forever in Ryan Tubridy's memory, the day his career slipped from his grip and his life changed. File photo: Oireachtas TV In the words of American diplomat Madeleine Albright, 'the cover-up, more than the initial wrongdoing, is what is most likely to bring you down.' And it did, royally. It was a scandal waiting to happen, and it was allowed to happen, not just by successive RTÉ managements, but by governments who ignored the warning signs for years. Looking back at the cast of characters who testified at the hearings, the only one thrown under the bus was Tubridy. That tells its own story. It wasn't until Grant Thornton's report was published in August two years ago that the facts became clear amidst all the convoluted evidence divulged by both sides. But by then, one man's reputation had been badly harmed. It found that RTÉ had intentionally understated Tubridy's annual salary by €120,000 across the three years from 2017-2019 by driving down payments made to him to under €500,000. In total, Tubridy was overpaid by €345,000. This conclusion cleared him of blame, which appeared at one point to be piled high and deep against him. RTÉ essentially disregarded its own payroll system so as to undervalue Tubridy's salary. Payroll software at the broadcaster clearly showed he was paid more than the €500,000 over each of the three years. According to the report, Tubridy was also entitled to a €120,000 bonus, which he chose to waive. Hindsight can be merciless. What remains foremost in public memory two years later is the side deal with Renault, which RTÉ footed the bill for. Pubs across the country showed the televised meetings on their big screens from Oireachtas TV of RTE's star presenter Ryan Tubridy. File photo: Oireachtas TV In 2020, Tubridy was paid by RTÉ in a sponsorship deal brokered by him, his agent and the broadcaster worth €225,000, in return for taking part in three corporate events for the car dealer, of which only one took place. He hasn't repaid the outstanding €150,000. Last weekend, media minister Patrick O'Donovan encouraged Tubridy to hand back the money, 'so we can move on from it,' he said. Ryan Tubridy has clearly moved on from it. He now lives in London, recently got engaged, and carving out a career for himself in radio, having been left with little choice but to leave the country, censured as the poster boy of a scandal he didn't cause. He became the fall guy as accountancy practices that had been going on for years in RTÉ finally became public. Was there any need for the public humiliation and the verbal flogging that Ryan Tubridy was subjected to two years ago? Did it serve any purpose, apart from dividing a national audience? If anything, it laid bare the banjaxed business model of RTÉ. The station posted a €9.1million loss in 2023 when its licence revenue took a massive hit as a result of the scandal, which it likely will never recover from. Its business model has never worked, so how can it hope to be self-sufficient? Government handouts are RTÉ's only hope of surviving, but for how long more? I suspect Kevin Bakhurst is keeping a close eye on the BBC, whose charter comes up for renewal in two years; when the network will have to prove its fitness in negotiations in order to take on the next 10 years of public service broadcasting. RTÉ has always fancied itself as a BBC-type replica with the additional benefit of commercial revenue income. BBC's charter comprises a trio of core objectives: the pursuit of truth with no agenda, an emphasis on its native culture and storytelling, and a mission to bring people together – not unlike RTÉ. But has RTÉ not failed in two of these objectives in the light of what happened two years ago? RTÉ has a serious public service broadcasting remit, which is becoming more and more difficult to commit to in the modern climate of content-rich competitors with very deep pockets. In television land, new content is king. Repeating old programmes in order to fill a television schedule is one sure way to drive away viewers. It's difficult not to feel a sense of fatalism about RTÉ's future. Its treatment of a presenter who is still loved the length and breadth of Ireland, along with its handling of the payment scandal, was a devastating error of judgement. RTÉ's director general said there was a 'moral' case for Tubridy to return the money. Considering the scandal was of their own making, with disclosures of indefensible accounting and governance practices, and a propensity for decades of lavish corporate hospitality, RTÉ should be careful about highlighting what they regard as other people's morals. Ryan Tubridy at the official launch of Joe Duffy's autobiography 'Just Joe' in Dublin in 2011. File photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Grant Thornton's report absolved Ryan Tubridy of any blame. Whether he should return the remainder of the private sponsorship fee he received is a matter for him to decide. Unfortunately, the role that one individual found himself unwittingly cast into as the controversy unfolded two years ago, and how that role was sensationalised to the point where he was unjustly made out to be the villain, continues to overshadow the reality of a much greater scandal in which many of those responsible will never be punished. Two years on, the least RTÉ could do is offer Ryan Tubridy his job back. Maybe then, in the minister's own words, we can move on from it. Read More Gareth O'Callaghan: Unanswered questions haunt Philip Cairns case decades later
The Irish Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Nathan Carter ‘devastated' as he leads tributes to ‘beautiful' mum-of-two following sudden death
NATHAN Carter has led heartfelt tributes following the sudden death of a mum-of-two who has been remembered as "a beautiful person inside and out". Christine O'Gorman, originally from Bulgaden in Co Advertisement 3 Christine O'Gorman sadly passed away 'unexpectedly at home' Credit: 3 Nathan Carter paid tribute to Christine Credit: Getty Images - Getty 3 The talented photographer was married to musician John Byrne Credit: Facebook/@JohnByrn Band The talented photographer was married to musician, composer and arranger John Byrne. Byrne has worked alongside many music legends including He's also a long-time collaborator of country star The singer posted an emotional message where he described the mum-of-two as "lovely" and "talented". Advertisement READ MORE ON NATHAN CARTER He wrote: "Deepest sympathies to our friend & work colleague John Byrne, his children Aaron & Caelainn & all of their extended family on the very sudden passing of their beloved Christine. "I had the pleasure of working with Christine in the past. She was a lovely person and an extremely talented photographer. "Myself, band & crew are devastated to hear of this heartbreaking news and our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. May Christine R.I.P." Christine's untimely death has left her loved ones heartbroken with many tributes pouring in for the Offaly-based photographer. Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN A close friend said: "My deepest condolences to John, Aaron, Caelainn, Pat and Anne; your family and friends on the sad passing of Christine. In school Christine was kind, considerate and a person of wonderful abilities. May she rest in peace." Another added: "Sincere condolences to John, Aaron, Caelainn, Christine's family and all who knew and loved her. I've such fond memories of Christine in school and after, always up for a chat and a laugh. You're in our thoughts x." RTE Late Late Show viewers all praise Toy Show star as he returns with 'brilliant' performance alongside Nathan Carter A third tribute read: "Oh Anne and family I'm so very sorry to hear such sad news, Christine was a beautiful person inside and out my her very gentle soul rest in peace." A fourth wrote: "So, so sorry to hear the passing of Christine . A beautiful young girl taken way to soon. Our deepest sympathy to Ann, Dave, Pat, and to all Christine's extended family. May she rest in eternal peace - Aidan & Shirley Fitzgerald Kilfinane." Advertisement Another added: "So sad to hear the news of Christine's passing. What a beautiful woman gone too soon. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this time x." 'GONE TOO SOON' Christine will repose at her home on Sunday from 2pm until 6pm. Her removal will take place on Monday morning at 10.30am to St. Colman's Church in Mucklagh, with Funeral Mass at 11am. Following the mass, she will be brough to Newlands Cross Crematorium in Advertisement Christine will be sadly missed and always remembered by her heartbroken family, husband John, children Aaron and Caelainn, parents Pat and Anne, stepparent's Dave (Lawlor) and Sarah. She is also deeply mourned by her sister Rachael, brothers Darren, Cian, Kristian and Joshua, sisters in law Margaret, Jamie and Holly, her aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, relatives and many many friends.
