Pat Byrne Wins The Voice of Ireland

On a tense and frequently emotional final night, Carlow man Byrne – who was coached through the competition by former Blizzards frontman Bressie – prevailed, leaving the diminutive Richie Hayes in second place. Byrne performed Bruce Springsteen's 'The River', which had been his blind audition song, and carried the night with what was a fine performance of a characteristically big Springsteen opus.

First to be eliminated on the night was Jim Devine, who was coached by Westlife's Kian Egan. He was followed into the departure lounge by Vanessa Whelan, who was coached by Sharon Corr.

Richie Hayes performed an excellent version of 'What About Me?' – a track originally recorded by the Australian band Moving Pictures. The tension was extraordinary as the final results of the public vote were awaited – but it was the red-haired Byrne who came through in the end.

The affection which had built up during the competition between the finalists was obvious, despite the inevitability that three out of four would be disappointed.

"The process is a very strange one," an RTE insider commented. "I found it very draining because the emotions were so strong – but in the end the guy with the biggest voice, and with the most chance of becoming a bona fide star, won."

Pat Byrne was the favourite going into the final. His single 'What A Wonderful World' hit the Irish singles charts at No.3 this week – suggesting a groundswell of support that would be hard for the other finalists to match. Next in line in chart terms was Richie Hayes, whose single 'One Voice' was at No.23 – a gap in instant popularity that seemed too big to bridge on the night. And so it proved.

"There was a slight sense of anti-climax as a result," the RTE observer reflected. "But I still thought it was a very good end to what was a very popular programme for the station. I'd be very surprised if we didn't do it again next year."

While the big bad world of showbiz is a tough one, Byrne clearly has the potential to make a career in music. He started playing at the age of eight, when he joined a marching band and took up drums, and for the past five years has been earning his crust singing in pubs around the country.

"The competition was a real success for RTE on a number of levels," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes commented. "The viewership figures speak for themselves. But RTE did very well to get ahead of the BBC, who have only recently launched The Voice in the UK. Rather than being overshadowed by what is happening in Britain, the Irish programme set a very high standard for Tom Jones and co. to match.

"The choice of the judges and mentors here was also very good. They all did well, but Bressie in particular emerged as someone with real TV appeal. The programme has been hugely positive for him as an artist. His single 'Breaking My Fall' is still at No.21 this week after 10 weeks in the charts, and his album, Colourblind Stereo, is up to No.17 – so the record, which was originally released in the autumn last year, has had a whole new lease of life.

"We saw when he appeared at The Music Show in February that he had won over a whole new fanbase of teenage girls in particular as a result of his appearances on The Voice. Hopefully he can push on from here and become a major star."

Hopes will be high that the same will happen for Pat Byrne, who is on top of the world after his victory.

"It's a tough business," Niall Stokes said, "but he is in with a chance. He really is a very good singer and if he chooses the right material then the hits may follow. There are so many reasons to be cynical at the moment – but watching the final shakedown in The Voice you had to feel: wouldn't it be good to see all of these singers prosper. And, you know, it might just turn out that way."

The other major star to emerge from The Voice was Kathryn Thomas.

"She was really good," Stokes said. "It was a difficult programme to do, in that the presenter almost inevitably got sucked into the aspirations of the performers. But Kathryn showed a really genuine empathy with all of the contestants and she handled the whole thing really well. She has star quality herself – which was hugely important to creating the sense of excitement which is essential to a programme like this. She can be really proud of how she handled the whole thing."