auditions mary byrne new susan boyle subo x factor

i liked last weeks x factor auditions show, and thought exactly the same thing that a lot have thought since the last episode of x factor that mary byrne could be the new susan boyle or subo for short, wonder what mary could be called to have a shortened stage name like susan boyles subo?.

mary byrne or maby?, does that rhyme at all?.

well mary byrne sung a big tom jones song that was said by simon cowell the best audition so far in the new series of x factor.

it was one of those big ballad big voice type songs and really went down well with the irish crowd, so another new favourite at this stage of the competition must be mary byrne.

the judges had a difficult time in ireland, with the lack of stand out auditions but there was a few good stand out auditions that just about saved the day over in ireland.

The X Factor: Mary Byrne's X Factor Audition (Full Version) - itv.com/xfactor



subo susan boyle



mary byrne

Chapter 75: A Decade of Publishing?

While I was home yesterday, enjoying a planned, post-birthday day off, an unexpected package arrived. I didn't recognize the sender, which was based in Michigan, and I assumed it was a birthday gift that someone had neglected to mention.

But when I opened the box, I realized that this was something different -- albeit not at all inappropriate for the time. Inside, tucked within poppable blister wrap, was Ireland and the Americas, the three-volume encyclopedia of all things Irish-American. Aside from arriving the day after St. Patrick's Day, why is this significant? Because three of the entries were written by me!

While it often takes years between a finished draft and actual publication of a novel, that is certainly the case with encyclopedias, which need to be fact-checked and carefully scrutinized. After all, they'll sit on library shelves for decades. I wrote these entries at least three years ago -- it may have even been in late 2004.

I was originally asked to write about the Irish-American influence on baseball. For those who aren't aware, Irish Americans (and several American Irish) were the first superstars of baseball. Michael "King" Kelly was once the wealthiest player in the game (making less than what many of today's superstars make per inning), and there was a reason why it was Mighty Casey who was playing for Mudville in Ernest Thayer's famous poem. It's the same reason "Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake." These guys were Irish.

Alas, Mighty Casey eventually struck out, but not before the Irish Americans started to dominate the managerial ranks. I wrote another entry about Irish-American managers, and one about Ned Hanlon. Hanlon was both a successful manager and credited with several innovations that fans take for granted today. I offered to write about Hanlon's proteges, John McGraw and Connie Mack, but they were already written.

But back to my original point, this has been a wonderful week already. I've marked another decade of life with a newly published work, and before the next ten years are out I hopefully will have a couple novels published. And soon the 2008 baseball season will begin. I can hardly wait!

St. Patrick's Day – Celebrating the Green

Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner (or is that the corner pub?), here’s a wee bit of background on the holiday itself, for the ‘intellectually curious’ out there. It’s from the History Channel’s website.

St. Patrick is believed to have driven the snakes from Ireland. Once a pagan himself, St. Patrick is one of Christianity's most widely known figures.

The modern secular holiday is based on the original Christian saint's feast day also thought to be the date of the saint's death. In 1737, Irish immigrants to the United States began observing the holiday publicly in Boston and held the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City in 1766.

Today, the tradition continues with people from all walks and heritages by wearing green, eating Irish food, and attending parades. St. Patrick's Day is bursting with folklore; from the shamrock to the leprechaun and to pinching those that are not wearing green. Read more…

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Remember to wear the green yourself this year, with fun costumes, hats, and other accessories from anniescostumes.com.

Chapter 66.65: A Different Kind of Monument

Although I love Dublin, it's been more than a decade since I last visited. In my absence, the city has erected a monument on O'Connell Street, which is the main drag of the capital city, and a road I walked almost daily when I went to school at Trinity.

I didn't know about the monument until I read the piece in Slate. But now I have one more reason to return. It sounds very interesting and is essentially nothing at the same time -- like a Beckett play. Has anyone out there seen the Dublin Spire? Please share your thoughts. Cool? Overhyped? Mysterious? Stupid? What say you?

Chapter 53.22: Winter Night

At some point soon -- either today or tomorrow, I've heard disputing reports -- winter begins. I believe it's today at 7:22 a.m. Regardless, the winter solstice is the shortest day (or the longest night depending on your perspective) of the year. Since I was curious, I poked around and found this site, which I find interesting. It talks about the solstice but also goes into some detail about Newgrange in Ireland. It's an incredible place to see, though I prefer a spring day when the weather's warmer.

Enjoy your winter, friends and readers. May the days grow longer.