Celebrity Bainnisteor

[Barney]

Saw this post on anfearrua.com by An Fear Rua himself so I presume its a press release, and not a joke.

Eight celebrities have swapped their glamorous lifestyles for the raw passion of a GAA training ground.

The contestants of the new reality television show, `Celebrity Bainisteoir`, were revealed today as they took control of their local football clubs.

Top model Glenda Gilson, celebrity solicitor Gerald Kean, journalist Nell McCafferty, comedian Jon Kenny, television presenter Baz Ashmawy, politician Mary O'Rourke, bookmaker Ivan Yates and former Rose of Tralee Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain have taken the reigns of an intermediate club football team in their home county.

Officially sanctioned by the GAA, the tournament will feature four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final, which is to be played on May 9 at Parnell Park in Dublin.

The show will hit our screens on RTÉ One starting Sunday, March 23.

Glenda, who has one of Ireland's most photographed faces, has stepped off the red carpet and on to the pitch at Crumlin GAA Club in Dublin.

She said her new role – which she started just over a months ago – was her most daunting ever.

"The first day of the training session I nearly started crying," she said.

"I wasn't able for it at all and felt I was like a schoolgirl on a street corner trying to be cool in front of boys.

"It's been the most daunting experience of my life.

"I've never felt so sick in my stomach as I have going out on to every training session with 25 to 30 lads and training them.

"The crew and producers were telling me I had to be harder on them, and I found it quite hard to be tough, but I have to say as the weeks have gone on I've been able to give them a bit more lip."

Gerald travels home to Mayfield in Cork, with Nell training St Mary's Faughanvale, Derry, and Jon leading the way at Galtee Gaels, Limerick.

Wicklow man Baz will manage a team at Ballymanus, while Mary – Fianna Fáil TD for Longford-Westmeath – will give the orders at Maryland.

Ivan, a former Fine Gael politician, goes home to Taghmon-Camross GAA Club, Wexford, and Aoibhinn, a regular on The Panel, goes to Kiltimagh GAA Club, Mayo.

Although Glenda admitted she hope's the coverage will enhance her career prospects as a television presenter, she said she took the challenge because it was very different than anything she's done before.

"We have a really good team with great players so I hope to god we'll win," she added.

"Our first game is Gerald Keane's team at Mayfield and we're definitely going to kick their ass."

Each of the Bainisteoiri will have an experienced mentor on hand to help them train and manage their team.

But the celebs – who will battle it out for title of `Celebrity Bainisteoir 2008` - will be responsible for team training, tactics, and picking the teams.

Producer Jean Devlin, of Animo Television, said the show was about showcasing and celebrating the passion, skill and commitment of grassroots GAA.

"But we're having a bit fun with it by throwing celebrities into the mix," he added.

"At its heart it's a uniquely Irish family entertainment programme.

"For the clubs it's a rare chance to showcase club football to a national audience in an entertainment programme, while for the celebrities it's a chance to learn a brand new skill."

[lfdown2]

aye know a lad on the team from derry, they also hav a gaa mentor (ie well know face in the gaa) cant mind who they got

[Hardy]

I think it's time for a new "reality TV" show. Celebrity Cull. They seem to be reproducing every sphere of activity as tacky TV entertainment featuring annoying bastards who are famous either just for being famous or for being useless. Well, in real life, any species that gets either too numerous or just too damn annoying for the rest of the population gets culled. Either automatically, by nature, or deliberately, by the people who know it's necessary.

So for this new show (maybe I'm a Celebrity – Take Me Out is a better name) select about a dozen capable marksmen, arm them well and let then compete for "celebrity" kills. The staging will be easy enough. Just hang around the four or five bars or clubs in Dublin where these creatures congregate (lacking, as they do, the wit to be original enough to find their own places of entertainment) and it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel. A few random rallies with a Kalashnikov outside Annabel's at 2 a.m. would take out large numbers of their breeding population with zero chance of damage to normal useful members of the public, who are elsewhere doing, well ... normal useful things.

I'd watch that.

With a bit of luck, most of them would be eliminated. Hopefully, those that weren't would be driven out of sight, at least for a while, assuming they have sense enough to be afraid. If it meant we never heard the word "celebrity" for even six months, I would take that as a win. Unfortunately, it's probably more likely that the marksmen would become "celebrities" themselves ...

[feetofflames]

I agree Hardy its also obvious that these guys would be getting paid for their time as bainsteoir.  So lets have a pop.

[AbbeySider]

Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain is coaching Kiltimagh in the competition.

I heard that they never had bigger numbers at training.   
They even have lads coming out of retirement     

[ziggysego]

Read about this in the Irish News this morning. Sounds like it could be a laugh. 

[Declan]

Surely if they were imposed by the CB or central council the players should withdraw their services

[Shamrock Shore]

A few random rallies with a Kalashnikov outside Annabel's at 2 a.m

Unfortunately, Hardy, this place is long closed.

Lillies is the place to be with the sniper. Top of my list:

1. That De Burgh wan
2. Gavin Friday and Guggi and the other Bono-hanger-oners (including Bono)
3. Gerard Keane
4. Barry Egan

In fact make them all joint 1st. Bastards.

[Hardy]

Sorry SS - not up to date on the spots. I don't hold with your sniper idea though. Too inefficient. You need to take them out in large numbers otherwise you'd be at it for months, there's so many of the hoors. What about booby-trapped mojitas? Or give one of them a bomb with "Prada" or something written on it - they'd carry that anywhere. It could be detonated by speech recognition. At the first "mwa-mwa" as they air kiss each other - kaboom!

[Uladh]

I don't know any ofthe people n your list but whoever came up with the idea should be shot with a ball of their own dung.

i have a novel idea to reach a gaa audience... show some f**king national league games during the week!

[Donagh]

"Nell McCafferty"

That teams going to be some craic. Won't win anything and they're be more pints and points, but'll be some craic... 

[MaroonAndWhite]

"Our first game is Gerald Keane's team at Mayfield and we're definitely going to kick their ass." - Good girl Glenda, her team talks will be so, like totally, kick ass  And Aoibheann, oh I dont envy her tryin to tame the Kiltimagh boys 

Gerald Kean is from Mayfield  He's hardly a relation of the bould Roy

[Jinxy]

The lovely Aoibheann can take me for training anytime she likes.

[Puckoon]

What the fcuk is a celebrity solicitor? Are we that stuck for celebrities?

[AZOffaly]

BC1 is a celebrity solicitor