It’s a wonderful world for Pat after Voice win

The voice of Ireland belongs to Carlow singer Pat Byrne.

So said the voters who decided the winner of last night’s final in The Voice of Ireland television contest.

The support ensured Byrne won a coveted record contract with Universal Music.

Flanked by his mentor, Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin, Byrne immediately praised his family and supporters who helped propel him to success in the inaugural singers’ competition.

He then waved goodbye to the RTÉ show that broadcast his talent into homes around the country with his version of the classic What a Wonderful World.

“Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me and to every one in Carlow and Borris and the other contestants,” he said, before he was mobbed by family and friends in the middle of the stage.

The 22-year-old defeated the three other finalists after making his last pitch for support by returning to the song that first attracted the attention of the show’s judges — The River by Bruce Springsteen.

The folk-rocker was joined for that performance by his voice coach.

Bressie said it was nerve-wracking waiting to see if the singer — who he has been coaching for the past four months — had done enough.

“I never felt like that before,” he said.

Byrne is involved in youth work in Carlow and has been a pub performer for the past five years. He first took up the guitar at the age of 14.

The final round of voting whittled the event down to the top two contestants, Byrne and Richie Hayes.

Hayes, like the two other defeated singers, remained remarkably unphased when presenter Kathryn Thomas informed him that he had got close to winning but would leave empty handed.

Before the final two Jim Devine and Vanessa Whelan had both left the Helix stage in Dublin.

All four singers had initially battled to prominence by singing before a blind judging panel of Westlife’s Kian Egan, singer Brian Kennedy, Sharon Corr of the Corrs and Bressie.

Each of the judges had an act in last night’s final.

However, Byrne’s appeal had already been flagged this week when he took the No 1 spot on the Irish iTunes download chart.