Brunker to battle it out for GAA title

FORMER Miss Ireland and social columnist Amanda Brunker will no doubt be hitting a few high notes when she joins seven other celebrities taking the reins of GAA teams for the hit RTÉ series Celebrity Bainisteoir.

The fearless Dublin mother of two, who will take charge of a football team from Aughrim GAA Club in Wicklow, made a brief but much criticised debut appearance as a singer at Oxegen recently.

“If fear was to win, we’d never get out of bed,” she said afterwards.

Recording for the show’s fourth series has just begun and there is an interesting mix of celebrities taking the reigns of eight established intermediate teams, all determined to bring home the Celebrity Bainisteoir Cup for their club and county.

Gillian Quinn, wife of former footballer and current Sunderland chairman, Niall Quinn, takes on Ballyporeen in Tipperary and will no doubt be hoping for a few tips from her other half.

Former soccer international Tony Cascarino takes on a team from Killeshin in Co Laois and the London-born ex-striker will have to familiarise himself with a new set of football rules.

Former Green TD Paul Gogarty, best remembered for his foul-mouthed out- burst in the Dáil, will manage Seamus Ó Máille GAA Club, Oughterard, Co Galway. No doubt RTÉ will have their beeper at the ready when he comes under pressure.

Mr Gogarty said he got a great reception when he met his team recently.

“I’m from Lucan in Dublin but my granny was from Roundstone in Connemara,” he said.

Other celebrities taking part are comedian P J Gallagher, managing a team from St Patrick’s in Donabate, Co Dublin.

RTÉ reporter Brenda Donohue will manage a team from Kilcullen, Co Kildare, while singer Tommy Flemming will manage St Patrick’s, Dromard, Sligo.

Former Eurovision singer and MEP, Dana, will manage a team from St Michael’s, Lissan, Co Derry.

The tournament is officially sanctioned by the GAA. A draw took place in Croke Park in Dublin recently when GAA president Christy Cooney announced which teams and bainisteoirí would be playing against each other in the opening quarter-final round.

Celebrity Bainisteoir, co-produced by Animo TV and Kite Entertainment for RTÉ, will be on screens in September.

The previous series attracted 400,000 viewers each week, with more than 500,000 tuning in for the final when Crystal Swing’s Derek Burke took the title and Kerry’s Castleisland Desmonds took the cup.

Mentoring the bainisteorí are former Dublin footballer Ciaran Whelan and former manager of Limerick and Laois, Liam Kearns.