Sacred Heart School girl has talent

Sacred Heart School girl has real talent


Áine Ryan
aineryan@mayonews.ie

‘DREAMER’ was the title of her self-penned song, and it seems that already the dreams of Maria Kelly, a Fifth Year student at the Sacred Heart Secondary School, Westport, are being fulfilled. Unsurprisingly, she told The Mayo News yesterday that she is still in shock after beating off 3,000 other entrants in the All-Ireland Schools Talent Search, held in the Helix, Dublin, at the weekend.
“Not in a million years did I think I would win the competition. There were ten people in the final and they were all so talented. I was speaking to one of the judges afterwards, Lucia Evans – she won the Eurostar competition a few years ago. She told me it was ‘a beautiful performance’ and she loved the fact that it was my own song. She also said she would like to hear me recorded,” Maria Kelly said.
Maria’s journey to the final started last September when she entered the popular competition alongside 3,000 other entrants. After winning the Mayo final, she went forward to the Connacht/Ulster heat and the semi-final. Then, along with the nine other finalists, she sang to a packed auditorium last Saturday night, for judges Keith Duffy, Paul Walsh, Lucia Evans and Michael O’Halloran. The adjudication system, based on the Eurovision points system, included an audience vote.  
Maria was presented with her award, on behalf of Childline, the beneficiary of this year’s competition, by Minister for State Frances Fitzgerald.
Speaking yesterday, Ms Anne Murphy, the Principal of the Sacred Heart School, said: “We are all delighted with Maria’s wonderful achievement. She is an extremely talented but modest young woman who deserves to have won this award. We in the Sacred Heart School are very proud of her today.”
Maria is the daughter of Norann and John Kelly of Tubber Hill, Westport. They were in the Helix, along with a large number of other local supporters at the weekend. The show will be televised on St Patrick’s Day at 3.55pm on RTÉ 2.

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