X-Factor presenter lines
Wednesday April 30 2008
out for Harriers fundraiser
Motorists on the Barntown Road did a double take last Wednesday morning when they spotted the X-Factor and Big Brother presenter, Dermot O'Leary horsing around at the Pikeman sculpture.
At one stage, O'Leary whose parents are from Wexford, was seen running along the grass chased by someone in an over-sized Wexford hurler puppet costume. Bizarre.
A few minutes later, he donned a Wexford jersey and posed for a photograph with the silent Pikemen. Click, click.
O'Leary whose father, Seán played senior hurling with the Faythe Harriers before emigrating to England many years ago, returned to his homeland to help the club promote a big fundraising venture.
The Harriers are staging a 100km Pikeman Challenge walk around County Wexford in August, in the style of fundraising walks organised in locations abroad by big charities.
The club was searching for a celebrity to endorse the event and chairman, Willie Murphy came up with the idea of writing to Dermot's dad, Seán.
Dermot's mother, Maria (nee Browne of Corish Park) is Willie's godmother although the O'Leary family left Wexford when Willie was about five.The word came back that Dermot would be delighted to get involved and last week, during a charity visit to Belfast and Dublin, he made an enthusiastic detour to Wexford. He stayed with his aunt, Angela in Mulgannon on Tuesday night before meeting up with Faythe Harriers reps at the Pikemen sculpture on Wednesday morning for a promotional photo shoot.
Out at the Pikemen, the X-Factor presenter whose face is known to millions of people, said he was really pleased to have been asked to get involved in the Harriers venture. Growing up in England, it was more important to the family that they were from Wexford than from Ireland, he said. When clubmen, Willie Murphy and Joe Hore presented him with two Harriers jerseys, one each for himself and his dad, he was genuinely thrilled. It was something he had wanted for years.
Later, Willie brought him to Ned Buggy's sports shop where he bought him two Wexford jerseys on behalf of the club. Dermot signed the shop visitors book.
You couldn't meet a more down-to-earth fella', said Willie. I had him in the car and I said to myself, this fella is an international celebrity but you'd never think it'.
The Pikeman Challenge which was dreamed up by Joe Hore, will be officially launched in the Talbot Hotel on May 8.
Maria Pepper.
