MORE THAN one thousand people gathered in Dublin's docklands yesterday afternoon to watch a hundred Irish X Factorhopefuls audition for their chance to follow in Jedward's footsteps.
Those who had made it through the first round of open auditions in Croke Park in May were put through their paces before X Factorjudges Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and guest judge US singer Katy Perry, in two separate shows yesterday at Dublin's new Convention Centre.
Some fans queued from the early hours to ensure their place in the audience, with entrance allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Gillian O’Sullivan arrived from Cork with three friends and was relieved to make it into the “priority” queue. A big fan of the show, she said she was as good as “divorced from September to Christmas”, such is her devotion to the ITV annual talent search, won last year by Joe McElderry.
Dubliners Helena Hennessy and Tara Morrison were happy to wait for several hours in the rain to get into the show.
“It was really annoying because we couldn’t vote for Jedward last year,” said Morrison (16), who was hopeful that the fact that auditions were taking place in Dublin for the first time might signal a change in the rules, which currently do not allow votes from the Republic of Ireland.
So, is it the chance to see home-grown talent on the cusp of stardom or to get a glimpse of Cole, Cowell and company that attracts two teenagers to the docklands in the rain?
The girls appeared astonished at the question: "It's the hype! It's the X Factor!"
For Taleesha Clarke and her three friends, the 6.30am start and trip down from Derry was a wasted exercise. Despite the fact that they had tickets for the show, they were denied access as it was oversubscribed.
Clarke said the event had been planned for over a month, with hotel rooms booked and paid for, and said she was “devastated” to miss the show.
Many of those who were denied entrance remained to line the streets and wait for a glimpse of the show’s judges, with Perry arriving first vowing “to find someone in Dublin who’s going to change the world”.
She was followed by Cheryl Cole and then the show’s creator Simon Cowell.
Louis Walsh was last to arrive and emerged to greet the assembled crowd, only to retire back inside his vehicle and make a second, even bigger entrance, moments later.