January 2000 - Top Of The Pops - Happy Families
Westlife only trusted one mag to join them in their family homes, so here we are finding out who ran away, who gatecrashed a hotel dining room in his red sleeping suit and why Kian insisted his mum found out the number of ribs on a skelelton! It's a juicy read...
Introducing... the Egan Family
Kian's home is buzzing with life and most of it comes from his kid brother Colm who's tearing down the hallway, out into the front garden. back indoors and up the stairs like a playful puppy. Then there are his sisters, Femelir and Marielle (who loved Robbie Williams), his nephew Gavin and niece Riadh, not to mention the growing gaggle of fans waiting at the gate. Luckily Kian's friendly parents Patricia and Kevin provide a sense of calm in the siuation! Quick, while there's a quiet moment, tell us about your superstar son...
What was Kian like as a child?
Kian's mum, Patricia: He's always been a man of action.
Kian's dad, Kevin: And he's always been a leader . (Kevin shows us a picture of a bare-chested Kian in a dinghy with a few of his male relatives.) See, here he is in the front of the pack, leading again!
Patricia: He was an original child too. We have a school photo of Kian when he was eight clutching a toy Garfield. The teachers had never known a child to be pictured with their toy before!
When did he first show a love for music?
Kevin: When he got into guitars and heavy metal. There were occasions when we couldn't hear the TV and we had to ask Kian to turn it down.
Patricia: He was practising the guitar last night while his baby brother was in bed, It was a case of, "Kian, turn down that music!"
Does he sing in the bath?
Patricia: Well, he hates baths. He tends to take showers so we don't get any trouble in that respect!
Kevin: But while he was growing up, we'd hear him singing around and about the place. Especially Top Of The Pops songs.
What were Kian's hobbies as a kid?
Kevin: He loves playing golf and when they were younger I'd occasionally take Kian and his brother Tom for a game.
Patricia: He was always a great fella for dressing up. He had to dress as a skeleton for a school play and he said, "Now mummy, you have to find out exactly how many bones a skeleton has." I had to get a medical book out of the library, count the bones and put them in the correct places in the suit!
How much fan mail does Kian receive?
Kevin: We get plenty of fan mail every day and each time he comes home there are another 200 letters for him to open.They're from all over the world.
Patricia: At this stage the postman is making a joke at the Egan's door with the post again. We get lots of bulky items which don't fit through the letterbox like teddies and flowers and we've even had chocolates from Sweden but the funniest thing that arrived was a huge lolly pop the size of a saucer!
Has Kian always had girls knocking on your door?
Patricia: Not so much in when he was younger. Kian never liked girls as a child. Girls were literally taboo and he wouldn't sit beside a girl in class. It has changed though!
Can you remember hearing Westlife on the radio for the first time?
Kevin: It was absolutely fabulous, totally unbelievable, to hear my own lad on the radio and a new disc and all so we were absolutely delighted.
Patricia: I can remember it all went very quiet, you know, this feeling of anticipation, It felt like when I was a child waiting for Santa Claus to arrive at Christmas.
Kian can talk non-stop about his folks...
"I love my mum to bits just for being my mum. She's very supportive in everything I do and she got me into music in a big way. My dad's a great guy. He taught me how to play golf and he worked really hard to pay for things I wanted like my guitar. My dad's quiet and when he comes he likes to sit in front of the TV with the remote control, you know, be the man of the house! Mu mum's always in the kitchen running cround, tisying things up, just like any mum I suppose."
Introducing... the Feehily Family
Joining us for a strool in the woods are Mark's chatty family. There's parents Marie and Oliver. His little brother Barry who loveed riding the family horses Star, Freddy, Charlie and Jenny, and his even little brother who's crazy about football and supports Man Utd, much to Barry's disgust - he supports Liverpool. Oh, and not forgetting Snoopy the dog who loves having his ears rubbed and is very good at taking himself for a walk by holding his lead in his mouth! We send Mark off to throw sticks for Snoopy and settle down at the bench in the woodland clearing for a reveling chat!
So what was Mark like as a child?
Mark's dad, Oliver: He was a busy baby, always active and climbing everywhere. It was hard to keep him quiet and the only way we could make him sleep was to put the radio by his cot. I think that must have embedded the music in his mind!
Mark's mum, Marie: He was always on the go and if you turned your back for a second he's be up on the table taking biscuits! But he was a brilliant young lad at school, very bright, very intelligent.
Did he every get into trouble?
Marie: Once, on holiday in Wales, we decided to have a nice, quiet dinner in the hotel while Mark was asleep upstairs. In the middle of our meal he woke up, turned the dustin upside down and appeared downstairs in the dining room wearing his red sleeping suit!
Can you remember his first musical performance?
Marie: Yes! On the last day of play school the teacher held a concert. All the other children sang their little nursey rhymes but Mark stood up and sang Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, We were so amazed but the music there was very, very early.
Did he show any other musical talents?
Oliver: Well, every evening you'd hear Mark walking down the road from school playing his little tin whistle. His music teacher taught him how and even now Mark might come up to you and play the tin whistle in your ear!
Did he ever sing in the bath?
Oliver: Oh yes. He locksthe bathroom door ans all you can hear is the singing. Sometimes you have to say,"Come on Mark. there's someone else waiting to use the bath," but he won't even hea. On occasions he even cleans the bath afterwards!
Marie: His brothers get a bit annoyed when they have to pick the bath towels up after him but they're very proud of Mark. (Barry and Colin both grin in unison to prove this fact!)
How do you feel when you see Mark on TV with Westlife?
Oliver: We tend to get very emotionala and a bit worked up but we're getting used to it. Mark's really done us proud.
Marie: We always get the call from Mark afterwards, "Well, how did it go?" I'll say, "You looked fine." I always reassure him.
Has Mark changed?
Marie: Not at all. He's such a cool person II don't think his type of personality can change.
Oliver: He will always ring two or three times a day and he still like to come out with his dad and the lads, Barry and Colin. We'll go see the horses or take a walk in the park just, as he says, "To chill out."
Marie: He still does his own ironing. I experienced that on his last break. He was getting ready to go out for the night and his black shirt wasn't ironed but he said, "Give it to me, mum. I'll do that." So he still partaked in a few household chores.
Mark tells us why his family is the best..!
"They've always been there for me right from the start and I love them to pieces. They're the nicest bunch of people in the world. My mum's such a bubbly person and she's always in a good mood. My dad is always going out of his way to help. They're both really good-natured people. My 'little' brother Colin is a happy-go-lucky young fella who doesn't have a care in the world, except when it comes to football, and Barry reminds so much of myself at his age cos I was really shy just like him."
Introducing.. the Filan Family
After meeting Shane's brothers Liam and Finbarr and his godson Killian (Finbarr's kid) up at the stables on the edge of town, we're famished! Heading for the Filans' famous Sligo restaurant seems like a good bet and as we plonk ourselves down at the best table in the house Shane's lovely mum and dad join us for a chinwag about their youngest son.
How long have you run the restaurant?
Shane's mum, Mae: About 32 years now.
Shane's dad, Peter: We came here straight after the honeymoon!
Mae: We've raised seven children here. Four boys and three girls and all the children have worked in the restaurant, Shane included. They all went to school of course then on to college but when they came home in the holidays they'd do their bit to help out.
How young was Shane when he first helped out?
Peter: Shane's worked here with us since he was about five up until just two years ago. When he was really young he'd run messages but when he was older he worked every night until two in the morning. Even now that he's in Westlife, if he comes home he's standing here behind the chip counter the same as ever.
Is Shane a good worker?
Mae: Shane's a good worker at times although when he was younger he'd often prefer to go out and play football. He's come in for a short while and help us when we're really busy.
Peter: He's clear the tables and take the money mostly. I think he's a better waiter then he is a cook. He's fabulous on tables. Fabulous!
Mae: Oh, Shane's a good cook! His best dish is spaghetti bolognaise but his faourite thing to eat is a big fry-up for his breakfast.
You have shelves full of trophies upstairs. Do they all belong to Shane?
Mae: Well, they;re mostly from the showjumping contests which the four boys won, including Shane, the boys were very much into showjumping while Shane's sisters all did Irish dancing. They used to travel all over the country for comptetions.
What else was Shane interested in as a child?
Mae: He was into football and rugby, he'd play all the different sports but he was into kick boxing in a big way and when he was right he won a kick boxing contest.
Peter: We had plenty of Bruce WIllis videos on the go!
Has Shane always shown a love for singing?
Peter: When he started to talk he was singing! Sometimes he was supposed to be studying but you'd hear him singing away!
Mae: When he was four he made himself a little mike. Here it is! (Holds up a six-inch long, mike shaped object covered in black sticky tape!) His first ever mike.
You've stilll got it?
Mae: We've kept it all the time. I'm not sure why but there's something special about it. He used to sing Billy Joels songs into it and later on when he was seven he graduated to singing Michael Jackson songs and we bought him a proper mike.
Did you know he was going to be a star one day?
Mae: I always knew he'd do something, whether it was acting or singing, but I never dreamt it would come so quickly.
Peter: He always took part of a lot of shows when he was at school and we'd go along and watch him every time. We always sat near enough the front row. That's when Shane got to know Kian.
Mae: They did a production of Grease together in the secondary school. Shane played Danny, the lead part. John Travolta played that part in the film.
And Shane and Kina became life-long friends from then on...
Yes. They started to meet up after school and became great friends. I remember they used to sing Boyzone and Backstreet Boys songs together. I twas funny because they decided to sing two Backstreet Boys songs during the interim of the Grease production at school. It's from there that they started off with the band.
Shane wants to say a huge thanks to his parents...
"My mum is the whole reason I'm doing this job. She's supported me throughout my life and guided me like a mum should. My dad's the same and we sometimes have private man to man chats. I'd like to say thank you to my parents for bringing me up the right way. They're the best."
Introducing... the Byrne Family
The kettle's permanently on the boil and the dining room table is piled high with tasty biscuits. You certainly get a warm welcome at Nicky's house which is much needed on this chilly winter/s morning. Gathered in teh tidy front rooom are Nicky's mum Yvonne and his dad Nicky, snr, who married when Yvonne was just 19. There's also his 23-year-old sister Gilliam who works for Ryan Air but used to be a hairdresses and sute brother Adam, nine, who loved getting free CDs and PlayStation games from his famous sibling.
What was Nicky like was a wee nipper?
Nicky's mum, Yvonne: He tened to be shy and he liked to go to bed early but he was always a very happy child.
And as he grew older?
Yvonne: From the age of about six he was a charmer with the teachers and he always had them under his thumb. He was popular with everyone at school and he got a few fair Valentine's cards from the girls.
Can you remember his first day at school?
Yvonne: The night before he was due at schiool he got knocked down outside the house, We had to get an ambulance to take him to the hospital. He had three stitches to the forehead and he wasn't allowed to go to school for a week so as you can imagine, for once, he was a bit apprehensive that first day.
Was he always a big worrier?
Yvonne@ Oh yes. He'd worry if I wan't in when he got back from school and if I nipped to a neighbour's house he's come looking for me. He hasn't changed and it took him a while to settle down his new lifestyle. He still phones me every day.
Can you remember the first time he kicked a football?
Nicky's dad, Nicky snr: Yes. It was out in the front garden when he was about two years old. From then on we started going to the park to kick the ball around.
Was he as keen on music as he was on football?
Yvonne: No. When he was 15 he really didn't like music and he didn't want to sing in his exams but the music teacher Mrs Murphy was having none of it and thankfully he passed with honours!
So it's all thanks to Mrs Murphy?
Yvonne: We probably owe her a lot cos I think she brought ot seomthing that we certainly didn't see. When Frank Sinatra was in town Nicky invited Mrs Murphy to go with him, His charm started at a very early age!
What are Nicky's favourtie hobbies?
Nciky, snr: He loves snooker but his mate Shaun keeps beating him and he's crazy about fishing. We once went out, me and my battered old rod held together with elastic bands and Nciky with his fancy new fishing rod. I caught seven macerel and he caught nothing!
Has he always had a thing for fashion?
Yvonne: Big time. From his earliest days he had to have the best designer tracksuits. His hair was always gelled and from very young he would have had a spike at the front.
Does Nicky get lonely being away from home so much?
Yvonne: Well, on his first night away I got back from my shopping trip to find that Nicky had been on the phone. I should have been at home o take his call so I rang him immediately. He was very upset. Reality had set in and he'd had a cry which upset everybody at home.
It was the karaoke that got Nicky to stardom, isn't it?
Nicky, snr: Yes. When Nicky came back from Leeds he asked me to help him with a karaoke business, We did very well. We got gigs all over Dublin, that's here he met Bryan.
So he was a born performer all along?
Nicky's sister, Gill: Not always! I remember once at the karaoke competition wehen Nicky was shaking. His hands, his legs, his voice... you couldn't even hear the ong properly. A year later we saw him with Westlife, and there he was singing to 10,000 girls, not a bother on him!
Nicky can't stop raving about his folks:
"I was very, very lucky to have the best childhood ever. I never went without anything. My parents are great people. Dad's really easy-giong and mum's the biggest worrier. She's always on the ohone to me!"
Introducing... the McFadden Family
We settle down at the McFadden's kitchen table while Bryan's mum Mairead makes us a welcoming cuppa. Dad, Brendan, who works in the sales, pulls a chair and Bryan's 16-year-old sister Susan, who's a star in her own right when it comes to dance and drama, joins us. Running our feet is Bryan's dog Chip who barks non-stop if he's shut upstairs in the bedroomfor too long! Thankfully he's keeping quiet for now as we find out all the goos on the McFadden's famous son.
What was Bryan like as a child?
Bryan's mum, Mairead: He was a wild boy, always into everything, climbing trees and counter tops. I never had a problem with him but he was a typical cheeky boy and very loveable.
Bryan's already told us a few of his naughty things he got up to...
Mairead: When he was three he ran away from me in the shopping centre. I was heavily pregnant with his sister Susan so I was out here (indicates a huge hump on her belly). He knew I couldn't run fast and he just kept looking back and laughting at me. The more he ran the more he laughed. Luckily I eventually caught im and grabbed him by his hair!
Did he ever pull that stunt again?
Mairead: Oh yes! He ran away again when he was eight. We'd had a row over something so he took an empty suitcase and left the house. I followed him from a distance and watched him syop and turn back home. He didn't have enough money for the bus!
What were Bryan's favourite hobbies?
Bryan's dad, Brendan: Football and Rocky films.
Mairead: We taped Rocky on to cassette for him and he watched it again and again until is disintegrated!
Brendan: Thing is, we only had one TV at the time and there were days when we wanted to watch something else! We used to call him Rocky Balboa and he used to pretend to box with me.
Mairead: Guess who won?
What else did he love and hate as a child?
Brendan: He used to love Fawlty Towers.
Mairead: He used to hate mincemeat. He was actually sick after eating it when he was younger and he hasn't touched it since. Other than that he has a horse of an appetite and he was always in the fridge.
Brendan: He loved riding the tractor.
Mairead: Yes, my sister has a farm in County Leitram in the north west of Ireland. Bryan used to love going down there every summer and he would actually drive the tractor himself around the fields.
And this naughty streak didn't disappear?
Mairead: Oh no. I remember when he needed to get a suit for a stage production of Grease. Now, Brendan has a lot of suits so I said to Bryan, "Go up to Daddy's wardrobe and see if you can find one to wear."
Brendan: Thing is, I'd only just bought myself a new one.
Mairead: So we went along the opening night and Bryan steps onto the stage wearing Brendan's brand new suit!
Brendan: I said, "Oh! Isn't that a lovely suit he's wearing?!" I'd never worn the thing myself!
What are your favourite family holiday memories?
Brendan: When we went to the seaside Bryan would headto a place called Harry's Hole where there was a big drop into the sea. He'd jump off, not afraid of a thing.
Mairead: But he'd never tell me cos he knew I wouldn't let him go. Bryan fears absolutely nothing.
Did Bryan sing and dance around the house?
Mairead: Absolutely. Since he's left home the house is so quiet. Both Bryan and Susan would put on their tap ahoes and dance away on the hearth all day along. The poor neighbours would be listening to their tap, tap, tapping but he loved it!
Bryan's just mad about his family...
"I love my family. My mam is crazy! She's really, really funny and she's got loads of energy. She's very special. My dad is very quiet when you first meet him but when you get to know him you'll find out he loves a good joke. He's also a very kind man. My little sister is a sweetheart and I love her to bits. She's very quiet and shy and she's a lovely girl."