By Amy Marshall. Warrnambool Standard 27th Apr. 2005 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2005 All rights reserved
As the Koroit Irish Festival grows up so does its defining event - the Australian Danny Boy Championship. Organisers have changed the format. Replacing Friday night pub heats where contestants are judged into the final by crowd applause, heats will run on the day of the festival with a judging panel. The six finalists will sing their wee little Irish hearts out for the prize on Saturday night. Singer Sue Foley said that it was probably a good thing the competition was more professional. "It (judging by applause) has produced some interesting results over the years", Foley said. "The locals get a bit more of a run because they have their pals in the crowd". Clapping and wolf whistling haven't been completely dismissed as a legitimate form of judging and are still required for the most popular audience vote.
The national competition has been a feature of the festival for the last 5 years and grown from one section to four, attracted a sponsor and now offers $1000 in prize money. Past Australian Danny Boy champion Peter McElgunn will compere the heats while Richard Zeigeler should provide a few laughs when he comperes the finals. The first heat will be on Saturday at 11.30 am at Mulligans Bar (Village Store) and the second will be at 2.30 pm at the Commercial Hotel. From there 6 finalists will be selected for the open section and 2 each for the junior and instrumental sections. Finalists will meet at the Koroit Theatre at 7.30 pm on Saturday for an 8 pm start. Admission for the finals is $12.00.
Danny Boy is thought to date back to the 17th century and has been performed by Elvis Presley, Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton.
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