Offaly Bar Stars win place in final

Offaly band Macey South will tonight (Friday) pull out all the stops for the national final of the 'Stars of our Bars' competition, and a chance to win €50,000, after coming out victorious in last Friday's regional final in Carlow. Representing Corrigan's Corner House in Banagher, Macey South will now go up in front of DJ and Something Happens front man Tom Dunne in the Heritage Hotel in Portlaoise in a bid to become Smithwick's Stars of our Bars Champion 2011. A gruelling six months of work has gone into the Stars in our Bars competition so far, involving 4,000 performers and 500 pubs. Sixteen acts are set to perform tonight, to a judging panel of Tom Dunne and RTÉ head of music Dermot McEvoy. Offaly's Macey South will be joined in tonight's event by two finalists from Tipperary, Kilkenny, Cork and Galway and one from Louth, Monaghan, Limerick, Kerry, Sligo, Donegal and Wicklow. Audience members are welcome, with tickets available from the Heritage Hotel of the Vintner's Federation of Ireland on 01 4923400.