Lookalike mayor driven potty over Harry

AS THE world awaits tonight’s launch of the latest Harry Potter book, wizard fans in the town of Athlone are perhaps the luckiest children in Ireland — their mayor is a complete ringer for Harry Potter.

Athlone Mayor Paul Hogan, 24, says he is told “everywhere I go” that he is a doppelganger for Daniel Radcliffe, who has played Harry in all six films to date.

“I can’t see the resemblance myself, but everywhere I go people say it to me. But I’m not Harry Potter, trust me. Ironically, I socialise in a bar called Potter’s here in Athlone, and there are even pictures of Harry Potter and me side-by-side on the wall there,” said Sinn Féin’s Hogan.

“Sometimes you see children pointing at me in the town, and then I hear parents telling them I’m not Harry Potter. I’m just a politician trying to do my best for my town.”

Hogan — one of the youngest mayors in the country — says he hasn’t seen any of the Harry Potter films to date, or read any of the books, but hopes to go to his local cinema to cast an eye on Order of the Phoenix .

“It makes a change to be called Harry Potter – for years, because of the name Paul Hogan, I had the nickname Crocodile Dundee,” joked Paul.

“And it goes without saying that I would be very happy to welcome Daniel Radcliffe and any of the other Harry Potter stars to Athlone if they wanted to come and visit our town,” he added.

Tonight, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be launched amid massive worldwide interest.

See tomorrow’s Irish Examiner for pictures of the fans and Monday’s Irish Examiner for a review of the book.