Watch: Christmas comes early for Elf Factor at Fota Island

Ho ho hold on. It’s still September, but Christmas was very much in the air over the weekend as gangs of mainly teenage girls got into full festive spirit at the Elf Factor auditions.

Hundreds of hopefuls lined up in their festive garb hoping to earn a role as an elf in the ‘Beyond’ Fota Island resort Christmas Experience.

Hayley O’Connell, 16, from Ballincollig, said she was a real candy cane Christmas person, addicted to all the trimmings and trappings of the season. A jitterbugging-to-Jingle-Bells-type Christmas gets under way at her house months before the big day.