TV Talent show mogul Simon Cowell has announced that Ireland’s Got Talent will go ahead and auditions could take place as early as this summer.
The Talent series has been incredibly successful and lucrative in more than 50 counties including the UK, America, Canada, Australia and India. Cowell is now looking to take the show to Ireland after pressure from his long-time friend Louis Walsh.
The two men have a history of working together on talent shows, most notably The X Factor.
Walsh has been pushing Cowell to take the Got Talent show to Ireland for years. When asked if it would happen, Cowell said: “It should be, it better be… because that was the promise I made Louis.”
Walsh has said that he would want the show to be hosted by a fresh face to Irish television: “If Simon brought Talent here, would I go for it? If I had control and if it was going to be fun and different I would.
“It would have to be fun and there would have to be the right people. Without the right people there is no point in doing it. You see the same tired old faces on RTE all the time so this would have to be new.”
The 63-year-old Mayo native has great experience in the music industry, having managed Irish boybands Boyzone and Westlife in the 1990s and 2000s. Both groups were hugely successful and sold millions of records around the world.
Walsh believes that Ireland is full of talented performers that could make the show a success. His international profile would also make it easier to attract established stars to take on the roles of judges and make guest appearances.