Nicky Byrne
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne, Jr (born 9 October 1978 in Dublin) is a singer-songwriter, radio presenter and former footballer. From 1998 until 2012 he was the oldest member of Irish
pop
band
, Westlife
.
Before his music career, he played professional football and represented Republic of Ireland
at several underage levels. Since then he has had a successful international radio career. His wife is the daughter of former Irish Taoiseach
, Bertie Ahern
, and they have twin sons.
and St. Kevins Boys in North Dublin. He became a professional football player, and joined Leeds United
as a goalkeeper in 1995, and was a squad member of the FA Youth Cup
winning team of 1997
He played for Leeds for two years, leaving when his contract expired in June 1997. He played in a reserve game for Scarborough F.C. and in a trial game with Cambridge United before returning to join Dublin club Shelbourne
. He then signed for Cobh Ramblers
playing 11 games, then St. Francis F.C.
, all in Ireland's League of Ireland
.
On 14 May 2009 Nicky was a substitute for a Liverpool F.C.
Legends XI that played against an All Star XI in a Hillsborough Memorial match to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster
. All the proceeds from the match went to the Marina Dalglish appeal.
He represented the Republic of Ireland
at U15, U16 and U18 levels. He is a fan of Celtic FC, and on 9 August 2011 played in a Celtic Legends XI at Celtic Park in front of a 54,000 crowd against a Manchester Utd Legends team.
manager Louis Walsh
, who approached him to join his new venture, Westlife. Byrne joined Westlife along with Kian Egan
, Mark Feehily
, Shane Filan
and Brian McFadden
. The band's name had to be changed to Westlife after it was discovered a number of bands already had the name Westside.
Byrne revealed in Westlife: Our Story that he had wanted to change the name of the band to West High; but the others preferred Westlife.
His first album with Westlife was released in November, 1999, titled Westlife. With Westlife, Byrne has had fourteen UK number ones and seven number one albums in the UK, and sold forty million records worldwide.
Byrne also had a number one single in Ireland in 2002, alongside the Republic of Ireland national football team
and Dustin the Turkey
with the Irish 2002 FIFA World Cup
anthem, "Here Come The Good Times (Ireland)".
Byrne has also co-written a few songs, along with the other band members, including:
Byrne is also currently one of the board of directors of Clikthrough, a video interactive site.
in 2010. Listeners tuned in from as far and wide as Mexico
, Chile
, England
, Scotland
, Philippines
and Indonesia
. The fourth and final edition of the programme, broadcast on February 14, 2010, was a top-ten international trend on Twitter
.
FM104
offered him a job in 2011.
He co-hosted on BBC Radio2 in London with Paddy Kielty on 18 November 2011 as part of Children in Need charity day.
He has spoken of his desire for a role on The X Factor.
, County Wicklow
. The civil ceremony was followed on 9 August by a church blessing at the Roman Catholic Church of St Pierre et St Paul in Gallardon, Eure-et-Loir
, France
and a reception at the nearby 16th century Château d'Esclimont.
Georgina gave birth to fraternal twin sons, Jay and Rocco, on 20 April 2007, six weeks premature. The children were christened on 15 July 2007 in the Saint Sylvester Roman Catholic Church in Malahide
, County Dublin
.
Godparents for the children are Nicky's sister Gillian Byrne and her husband Mark Gallagher and Georgina's sister Cecelia Ahern
and Nicky's brother Adam McGarry Byrne.
Nicky's father, Nikki Byrne Sr., died on November 3, 2009, from a suspected heart attack. Westlife's promotional tour of the UK was cancelled as Nicky flew to Dublin to be with his family. Byrne Sr. sang part-time on Dublin's cabaret and karaoke scene and was presented with a Harley-Davidson
motorbike by his son on his sixtieth birthday party the year before his death.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
.
Before his music career, he played professional football and represented Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
at several underage levels. Since then he has had a successful international radio career. His wife is the daughter of former Irish Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
, and they have twin sons.
Football career
Byrne was a footballer who played for Home FarmHome Farm F.C.
Home Farm Football Club is an Irish football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. Originally founded in 1928, the club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra...
and St. Kevins Boys in North Dublin. He became a professional football player, and joined Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
as a goalkeeper in 1995, and was a squad member of the FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
winning team of 1997
He played for Leeds for two years, leaving when his contract expired in June 1997. He played in a reserve game for Scarborough F.C. and in a trial game with Cambridge United before returning to join Dublin club Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
. He then signed for Cobh Ramblers
Cobh Ramblers F.C.
Cobh Ramblers Football Club . is an Irish football club playing in the A Championship, the third tier of Irish football. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the league in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colman's Park...
playing 11 games, then St. Francis F.C.
St. Francis F.C.
St Francis F.C. is a football club from Dublin, Ireland. Founded in The Liberties, St. Francis currently play in John Hyland Park Baldonnel, close to Clondalkin, a suburb in west Dublin. They played in the League of Ireland from the 1996/97 season until the end of the 2000/01 season. They...
, all in Ireland's League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
.
On 14 May 2009 Nicky was a substitute for a Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
Legends XI that played against an All Star XI in a Hillsborough Memorial match to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
. All the proceeds from the match went to the Marina Dalglish appeal.
He represented the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
at U15, U16 and U18 levels. He is a fan of Celtic FC, and on 9 August 2011 played in a Celtic Legends XI at Celtic Park in front of a 54,000 crowd against a Manchester Utd Legends team.
Music career
In June 1998, Byrne attended an audition for new Irish boyband, where he was spotted by BoyzoneBoyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
manager Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
, who approached him to join his new venture, Westlife. Byrne joined Westlife along with Kian Egan
Kian Egan
Kian John Francis Kelly Egan was a member of the Irish boyband, Westlife and coach on The Voice of Ireland.-Music career:*Main article: Westlife...
, Mark Feehily
Mark Feehily
Markus Michael Patrick Feehily is one of the lead singers of the Irish boyband Westlife.-Early life:Feehily was born in Sligo, Ireland, to Marie Verdon and Oliver Feehily. He has two younger brothers, Barry and Colin .-Career:Feehily rose to fame as one of the two lead singers of the boyband...
, Shane Filan
Shane Filan
Shane Steven Filan was one of the lead singers in the Irish pop band Westlife. Filan is one of the five original Westlife members, along with other current members Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne and former member Brian McFadden....
and Brian McFadden
Brian McFadden
Brian Nicholas McFadden , is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the Irish boyband Westlife...
. The band's name had to be changed to Westlife after it was discovered a number of bands already had the name Westside.
Byrne revealed in Westlife: Our Story that he had wanted to change the name of the band to West High; but the others preferred Westlife.
His first album with Westlife was released in November, 1999, titled Westlife. With Westlife, Byrne has had fourteen UK number ones and seven number one albums in the UK, and sold forty million records worldwide.
Byrne also had a number one single in Ireland in 2002, alongside the Republic of Ireland national football team
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
and Dustin the Turkey
Dustin the Turkey
Dustin the Turkey is a puppet, "television presenter" and star of RTÉ television's The Den since 1989. A turkey with a strong Dublin accent, Dustin is voiced by John Morrison, brother of Ciaran Morrison who was one of the creators of Zig and Zag. Dustin first appeared on The Den with Zig and Zag in...
with the Irish 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
anthem, "Here Come The Good Times (Ireland)".
Byrne has also co-written a few songs, along with the other band members, including:
- "Nothing Is Impossible"
- "Don't Let Me Go"
- "When You Come Around"
- "Imaginary Diva"
- "Reason For Living"
- "Crying Girl"
- "You Don't Know"
- "Never Knew I Was Losing You"
- "Where We Belong"
- "Singing Forever"
- "I Won't Let You Down"
- "You See Friends (I See Lovers)"
- "I'm Missing Loving You"
- "When It Comes to Love"
- "Too Hard to Say Goodbye"
Byrne is also currently one of the board of directors of Clikthrough, a video interactive site.
Presenting career
Byrne presented several editions of the Celebrity Sunday radio programme on RTÉ 2fmRTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's second national radio station. It broadcasts popular music programming aimed at a young Irish audience.- History :...
in 2010. Listeners tuned in from as far and wide as Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The fourth and final edition of the programme, broadcast on February 14, 2010, was a top-ten international trend on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
FM104
FM104
FM104 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcast across Dublin, Ireland, on the frequency 104.4 MHz. It is operated by Capital Radio Productions Limited , and is a subsidiary of UTV Radio. The station broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland...
offered him a job in 2011.
He co-hosted on BBC Radio2 in London with Paddy Kielty on 18 November 2011 as part of Children in Need charity day.
He has spoken of his desire for a role on The X Factor.
Family
Byrne married his childhood sweetheart Georgina Ahern, on 5 August 2003 at the Wicklow Registry Office, WicklowWicklow
Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...
, County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
. The civil ceremony was followed on 9 August by a church blessing at the Roman Catholic Church of St Pierre et St Paul in Gallardon, Eure-et-Loir
Eure-et-Loir
Eure-et-Loir is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers.-History:Eure-et-Loir is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 pursuant to the Act of December 22, 1789...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and a reception at the nearby 16th century Château d'Esclimont.
Georgina gave birth to fraternal twin sons, Jay and Rocco, on 20 April 2007, six weeks premature. The children were christened on 15 July 2007 in the Saint Sylvester Roman Catholic Church in Malahide
Malahide
Malahide is a coastal suburban town, near Dublin city, located in the administrative county of Fingal, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. It has a village-like centre and extensive residential areas to the south, west and northwest.-Name:...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
.
Godparents for the children are Nicky's sister Gillian Byrne and her husband Mark Gallagher and Georgina's sister Cecelia Ahern
Cecelia Ahern
Cecelia Ahern is an Irish novelist, since 2004. In addition to publishing several novels, she has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies, for which all her royalties go to charity.Ahern also created and produced the ABC comedy Samantha Who? starring Christina Applegate...
and Nicky's brother Adam McGarry Byrne.
Nicky's father, Nikki Byrne Sr., died on November 3, 2009, from a suspected heart attack. Westlife's promotional tour of the UK was cancelled as Nicky flew to Dublin to be with his family. Byrne Sr. sang part-time on Dublin's cabaret and karaoke scene and was presented with a Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
motorbike by his son on his sixtieth birthday party the year before his death.