Marty enjoys the party as he dances with the stars

He may have come second last in the judges’ scores; he may have been up against a world champion and a rugby grand slam winner — but this year’s Dancing With the Stars is already shaping up to be a Marty party.

When show host Amanda Byram put it to GAA correspondent Marty Morrissey after his first dance that he was “truly off the sidelines and truly in the action” he replied bashfully “well for about three weeks”. That is because there is no eliminations for the first fortnight.

But the chants of “Marty, Marty” when he finished his maiden routine with dance partner Ksenia Zsikhotska appeared to show that, as with Kerry footballer Aidan O’Mahony winning without being the best dancer last year, the luck of the GAA has an input and Marty could escape elimination for most of the next 12 weeks.