North Cork hopeful of finding its voice

There must be music in the air around north Cork to attract the kind of talent that makes it to the national final of The Voice Of Ireland, RTÉ’s singing competition now in its second year.

Three out of the four finalists in this year’s contest — Kelly Mongan, 19, Keith Hanley, 19, and Shannon Murphy, 18, — are from the region and live within 20km of each other.

The other finalist, Shane McLaughlin, 28, is from the other end of the country — Letterkenny, Co Donegal.