This song had captivated me since the day I first heard it.  I know I have always avoided listening to songs that give me an eerie feeling, but this song conveys a very melancholic feeling… It’s just so hard not to fall in love with it!  Ronan Keating’s voice suits this song perfectly!  Well, to begin with, I have always loved Irish music.  I like the sound of the bagpipe (I’m not sure if it’s a bagpipe, though) and the echo effect, and not to mention the drums, they effectively make the listener feel the emotion of the song.  I love how the sounds were arranged!  So perfect!

On the side note, as much as this song captivates me, I can’t understand why anyone would want to play this on their wedding.  Then again, to each his/her own.

Here is a video by amethyst2001 from youtube using the song.

In industria muzicala putem clasifica melodiile in functie de mesajul transmis de acestea.Si am realizat o astfel de impartire:
-melodii despre bani;
-melodii dedicate copiilor;
-melodii de dragoste.

Ultima diviziune se poate clasifica si ea la randul ei.Exista melodii dedicate despartirilor,altele impacarii si altele dedicate iubirilor neimplinite,cele duse la extrema,cele imposibile si totusi posibile,de ura,durere,suparare,iertare etc.

Unele tii se potrivesc de minune,iar altele mai ca iti vine sa le decupezi si sa mai adaugi de la tine niste versuri ca totul sa se muleze dupa bunul tau plac.Am descoprit melodia care ma caracterizeaza la capitolul asta.Si este o melodie destul de banala,dar cu un mesaj destul de patrunzator pentru mine.Este vorba despre

Si nu stiu sigur ce ma face sa cred asta.Piesa este destul de veche,dar in momentul in care o ascult ma poarta cu gandul departe,acolo unde mi-as dori sa fiu.
Voi aveti o melodie a voastra la capitolul “melodii de dragoste”?

Ayer por la noche, mientras estaba envuelta en una manta como una croqueta, sentada delante de mi ordenador, me tope con el nuevo disco de Ronan Keating en el Spotify, “Winter song“. La verdad es que hacía tiempo que no escuchaba nada de él y  no se si será el invierno o momentos melancólicos que a veces se apoderan de mi persona, pero me ha gustado bastante.

Siempre hay sensaciones, pensamientos, partículas de energía que te rozan dependiendo del tipo de música que escuchas y por supuesto dependiendo del momento anímico en el que estás sientes unas cosas u otras. Personalmente estoy en un momento de cambios, de decisiones, una de esas épocas en las que no estás segura de hacia donde irá tu vida, pero por encima de todo estoy segura de que irá bien!!!

Asi que aqui os dejo con Winter Song de Ronan Keating, para que sintáis lo que queráis al escucharla, para que riáis, lloréis o simplemente os dejéis caer en el sofá con los ojos cerrados y vuestra imaginación os lleve a donde quiera.

I still believe in summer days.
The seasons always change
And life will find a way.

Is love alive?

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
Cause youre not where you belong;
Inside my arms.

Ronan Keating – Winter Song

“Winter Songs” es el nuevo disco del Irlandés Ronan Keating, mejor conocido por su canción “When You Say Nothing at All” del Soundtrack de la peli Nothing Hill.

Este disco esta compuesto por 12 canciones tradicionales de esta época del año, y la verdad puedo decir que es un disco que no solamente puedes escuchar en navidad, sino en todas ocasiones.

Con canciones como “Silent Night” y “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, el clasico de Joni Mitchell “River”, y el cover de Sugarland “Stay”, se ha posicionado como uno de los mejores discos navideños, llegando al NUMERO 5 del Billboard en Inglaterra e Irlanda.

Sin duda una excelente opción.

Tracklisting:

1. “Winter Song” (original version by Sara Bareilles)
2. “Stay” (original version by Sugarland)
3. “Scars” (new song by Ronan Keating)
4. “Homeward Bound” (original version by Simon & Garfunkel)
5. “River” (original version by Joni Mitchell)
6. “It’s Only Christmas” (new song by Ronan Keating)
7. “Little Drummer Boy” (Trad., includes backing vocals by Stephen Gately)
8. “Ring Them Bells” (original version by Bob Dylan)
9. “Caledonia” (original version by Dougie MacLean)
10. “Silent Night” (Trad.)
11. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas“(Trad.)
12. “I Won’t Last a Day Without You” (original version by Paul Williams)

by Tripatini staff

A 1990’s Irish boy band formed from a newspaper addy, this quintet of lads had a string of hits that shot them to pop phenom-hood not just in Ireland but also the U.K., Down Under, and parts of continental Europe. After a seven-year hiatus, Boyzone reunited in 2007 and is well into a comeback, including a new album in 2010, with suave blond Ronan Keating singing lead. But they were slammed into the world media spotlight in a more tragic way last month by the death of band member Stephen Gately — also known for his London musical stage career — of apparently natural causes but under still not completely clear circumstances while vacationing with his partner on Spain’s island of Majorca. Released a year ago, “Love You Anyway” is the group’s first new tune in eight years, an addition to their greatest-hits album <i>Back Together Again…No Matter What.</i> In this video, shot against a downtown New York City backdrop, complete with classic hot-dog stand and an old-timey — and no longer in service — Yellow Cab, Gately’s the bloke propped up against the wall early on and the squirmy one at the end. Our deepest sympathies to the partner, family, and fellow band members of this talented and personable young man.<br>

♥13♥

బోదిల్

“You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself” Ricky Nelson, ‘The Garden Party’.

Last night I took my Dad – or rather he took me – to the O2 to see Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam. Billed as Cat’s (let’s call him that to ease confusion) first gig in Ireland the concert promised a trip down memory lane for the oldies in the crowd. Indeed, as we observed, the crowd was composed mainly of people in their 40s and older. Though it might be wrong to assume, there was definitely an air of expectation in the concert that this was a Greatest Hits tour, a chance for the paying Irish public to finally hear the songs that coloured their past, live.

Stevens, on stage © Ciara Norton

And from the outset it looked like this was what it would be. Cat began his set strolling onto the stage, guitar in hand. He was shortly joined by two more guitarists and together they entertained with the kind of folksy music Cat became famous for. There would be no dancing to this music but the crowd were happy, perhaps full of expectation that soon a Cat Stevens hit would make its voice known. After a few slow songs the stage opened to reveal keyboards, bass and drums and it was then that the show really got going. For about ten minutes, that is.

At this point Cat started talking about the “surprise” in store for the audience. I knew, as I had paid attention, that this meant a preview of Cat’s new musical Moonshadow. I presumed that as it had not been the opening act (a much better slot, no?) it would be little more than a few minutes of the second act, not close to the entirety.

Cat Stevens and Band, o2 Dublin, © Ciara Norton

The interval ended and the real fun began. Cat ambled on stage, sat on a box and with his guitar sang an unfamiliar song while two children played on stage. Their voices – the irritating sing-song kind – interrupted the song to talk about a land of no sun or too much sun or something like that and it was at this point that I began to grow nervous and the crowd started to shift their weight in the plastic seats.

This was as close to a full-blown musical as you could imagine in the middle of a concert. Plotlines developed, characters formed, children grew old and old people grew tired of the rebellious youth. It was hard to stomach, hard to watch a musical the majority of the crowd didn’t seem to know was coming when Cat Stevens was obviously wandering about backstage. Oh yes, he had left the stage after the first song and his cast took over the singing duties. This meant, in case my point is not clear, that the audience DID get to hear his hits, but these were the hits sang by cast members of a West End musical, their every syllable enunciated through grinning, gurning mouths.

Nobody in the audience paid to listen to an actor sing ‘Father and Son’, nobody wanted a female cast member to twist ‘Wild World’ into a lament for her lost son and nobody wanted to see ‘Matthew & Son’ turn into a dance routine. It was hard. I hate to see people on stage boo-ed, I understand that the cast members of Moonshadow were merely doing their job and I suppose they were doing it well, or as well as can be expected in the face of a hostile audience.

Then it was over. People were still walking out when Cat reappeared to tell us he’d be back in five minutes, that he hadn’t left us, that he hoped we hadn’t left him. So we stayed and hoped that a hit was somewhere in our future, a familiar song to heal the hurt of the unexpected musical. But it wasn’t coming. Cat introduced songs from recent albums, he thanked us for coming and spending “so much money”* and smiled his way through his second, shorter set. Even ‘Moonshadow’ was ruined by the addition of the lead from the musical returning on stage to falsetto his way through the classic. At this stage everyone was uneasy, Cat affirmed that he would not be playing some songs like ‘Hard Headed Woman’, presumably not in keeping with his current outlook on life. For his encore Cat began with a new song ‘All Kinds of Roses’ from Roadslinger. The crowd screamed blue murder and he replied “Now I know what Dylan felt like”. Not that this was comparable to Dylan’s electric moment, in any way.

I left during the second song of the encore, a reimagined version of ‘Lilywhite’. By then it was too late for me and I had to leave. Anyone know if he ended on a high note? EDIT: Apparently I missed Ronan Keating and Cat sing Father and Son together. That I can definitely live without.

To conclude, for I know I’ve rambled on  long enough,  I am usually in giving any performer the benefit of my doubt. I don’t like to boo (I didn’t last night) and I don’t like to hear others do so. I respect a performer’s right to play his recent songs, not concentrate on hits from 30 years ago. I do have issue with the promotion (POD and AEG in association with the Irish Times and 2fm were the promoters) of a concert that used Cat Steven’s hits to entice people into the O2. The preview of the musical was not billed as the major part of the show it was. I knew about it but I believe myself to be in the minority of people there who were aware it was part of the show. I respect Cat Stevens but I do not respect last night’s show or the promoters who allowed what happened to happen. As he might have learned last night “it’s hard to get by just upon a smile”.

*DISCLOSURE: my tickets were free, not that this prevents me from being angry on behalf on the thousands of others who paid €80 and upwards for the privilege.

EDIT: The Daily Telegraph’s reviewer had this to say about last night. I can’t say that I agree with calling the people in the crowd who registered their disapproval loudly “churlish and mean spirited”. Brian Boyd’s four star rating and my own differ widely, especially when it comes to Moonshadow.

]]> http://celebrityandworld.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/keating-suffering-panic-attacks-since-gately%e2%80%99s-death/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:44:17 +0000 celebrityandworld http://celebrityandworld.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/keating-suffering-panic-attacks-since-gately%e2%80%99s-death/

Boyzone star Ronan Keating is suffering crippling panic attacks since the tragic death of bandmate Stephen Gately.

The ‘Love Me For A Reason’ hitmaker said he’s devastated after his best friend died from natural causes last month.

“You can”t breathe, you feel like your chest is collapsing, the walls are coming in on top of you. My brain doesn”t work. My heart’’s broken,” the Daily Star quoted Keating as saying.

“You just feel crushed. It’’s been horrible. We”ve all been feeling the same way since Stephen passed. Mentally I”m absolutely exhausted,” he added.

Keating flew out to Majorca, Spain to escort Gately’’s body back to his native Ireland, and acted as pallbearer at his funeral.

Ronan Keating kommt wieder nach Deutschland und gibt Konzerte in Frankfurt am Main, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart und Hamburg. Für seine Fans ein neues Highlight in 2010.

Ronan Keating ist ein in Dublin / Irland geborener Sänder und begann seine Karriere bei der Gruppe Boyzone. Weiter bekannt wurde Ronan Keating als Co-Manager der Band Westlife. Danach startet er mit einer Solo-Karriere durch. Verheiratet ist er mit dem Model Yvonne Connolly mit der er mittlerweile schon 3 Kinder hat.

Die Tickets sind nun im Verkauf und können hier erworben werden:

Ronan Keating Tickets hier kaufen

Erleben sie Ronan Keating live!

El 16 de noviembre sale a la venta el ultimo material discográfico de Ronan Keating

El cantante se unió al grupo Boyzone en 1993 después de ser lanzados a la fama por Louis Walsh cuando él tenía 16 años; y más tarde, Louis fue mánager del grupo irlandés Westlife. El grupo tuvo muchísimo éxito en todo el mundo, sobre todo en Irlanda y en el Reino Unido, donde tuvieron 4 discos en número 1 de las listas de ventas, vendiendo en total más de 15 millones de copias en todo el mundo.

A pesar de que Boyzone nunca se separaron oficialmente, no han publicado un single desde 1999, y Ronan Keatingcontinuó con su carrera en solitario, con la que consiguió un total de 14 Top 10 singles, además de tres discos números 1.

En el año 2000 Ronan firmó un multimillonario contrato discográfico con Polydor Records, y grabó ese mismo año su álbum de debut en solitario “Ronan”, con el que debutó en el número 1 en el Reino Unido e Irlanda, y consiguió el número 1 en todo el mundo con temas como ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ o ‘Life Is A Rollercoaster’.

Ahora Ronan llega con su último álbum, al cual ha titulado “Winter Songs”. Se publicará el próximo 16 de noviembre y el lanzamiento será exclusivamente en formato digital. Ronan ya ha publicado el videoclip del que es el single de presentación, una versión del tema ‘Stay’ de Sugarland. El disco está formado por varias versiones de temas míticos, villancicos y alguna canción inédita.

Hace poco, el ex integrante del quinteto boyzone daba el último adiós a su compañero en la banda Stephen Gately, que ha fallecido recientemente tras una noche de excesos con su marido en Mallorca; los demás integrantes del grupo, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham y Shane Lynch, también estuvieron presentes en el funeral de su amigo. Los cuatro rindieron un tributo musical a Gately, a quien consideraban “hermano pequeño”, interpretando ‘In This Life’, escrita por Keating.

Las canciones del Album son:

01. Winter Song (versión de Sara Bareilles)
02. Stay (versión de Sugarland)
03. Scars (nuevo tema)
04. Homeward Bound (versión de by Simon & Garfunkel)
05. River (versión de Joni Mitchell)
06. It’s Only Christmas (nuevo tema)
07. Little Drummer Boy (Villancico)
08. Ring Them Bells (versión de Bob Dylan)
09. Caledonia (versión de Dougie MacLean)
10. Silent Night (villancico)
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (villancico)
12. I Won’t Last A Day Without You

A friend of mine suggested recently that I take a gander at the  lyrics of Cat Stevens’ (aka Yusuf Islam)”Father and Son”. Since my own father passed away not so long ago, I’ve done my best to avoid the track, but this time around I felt compelled to read it. For those of you who can’t be bothered to read, here’s the track:

So…

Yeah. A bit depressing, right? Yup.

Here’s the thing: as much as the song has a point about the impetuousness of youth and the wanton disregard for the wisdom of  a life’s worth of experience (something that marked the relationship my dad and I had), the fact is that you cannot expect to grow by sitting and listening to others.

Yes, you need to take heed of those who have gone before you, if only to know what pitfalls may await you.

But you cannot let them live your life for you.

You need to make mistakes. You need to fall. You need to lose your way. You need to take risks. You need to fail. That’s what life (and creativity – see how I tied it back? Slick!) is all about. Creativity is all about mistakes, doing the unexpected, the frowned-upon…

People will always tell you through deeds and words what is expected of you, what is allowed, what can never be considered… You can listen to them – and live a life of no consequence. You’ll achieve nothing, not professionally, not personally…

Or you can do like Chris Columbus, Roald Amundsen, Chief Sitting Bull, Ghandhi, Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, John Lennon, Amelia Earhart, Cleopatra, Marie Curie and a host of other historical and contemporary figures who decided that doing what they wanted with their lives was what mattered and the  nay-sayers be damned.

Your path through life has two distinct forks at all junctures: do what is expected – or do what makes you happy.

And very seldom are either the same choice.

The decision and its consequences are always yours. And the experience can never be substituted or stolen from you.

So..what’s it gonna be?

[It's been 2 years since I lost my father. I miss you, old man.]

“And I’d give up forever to touch you
‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be
And I don’t want to go home right now”–

I’d waste all my time so I could be close to him simply because I think something might happen. I think he’s the closest to true love I’ll ever find, which is a mistake. And when I have to leave him, I feel sad. When I watch him walk away from band practice, a part of me walks away, too.

“And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
‘Cause sooner or later it’s over
I just don’t want to miss you tonight”-

When I’m around him, I’m very self-conscious and I pick up every little detail about everything he does. But, sooner or later, I have to leave him, and I’ll be stuck thinking about him all night. And I feel bad because I could never date him without Katie murdering me. And she could never date him without me feeling especially desolate.

“And I don’t want the world to see me
‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am”-

I don’t want everyone to see me when I’m thinking of him, or when I see him and blush or giggle. They wouldn’t understand. They wouldn’t see why I like him. To them, he is just another guy in the background. At the same time, when hearts are made to be broken, I don’t want him to get too close to me. I just want him to know my name and not hurt me.

“And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
And you bleed just to know you’re alive”-

He doesn’t know me, so he can’t cry over me. And he doesn’t know that I see truth in what he says even though it doesn’t mean anything. However, when everything is so dramatic around me, I keep hurting to know I’m still living in the present.

I love this song! It’s so amazing. One of my favorite songs. It’s extremely meaningful. Check it out!

As the X Factor keeps on going, so does our look at how the four judges got to where they are today.

This time it is the turn of Louis Walsh, the undisputed King of Irish Pop.

Louis Walsh - spotting the best in Irish talent, and Samantha Mumba

Whilst he may not always be taken as seriously as Mr Cowell, Louis certainly knows what he is talking about when it comes to managing his acts.

In 1980 he spotted Johnny Logan who went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest and sell half a million albums in three days!

With the success of Take That, Louis decided there should be a band to rival them, so he put together and managed Boyzone.

They had 16 top three singles including six number ones, as well as four number one albums which sold 12 million copies worldwide. When Ronan Keating decided to leave Boyzone, Louis managed him as a solo artist helping him to sell 4.5 million albums.

Louis’ next great discovery was an act who signed to Simon Cowell’s record label, Westlife.

As manager of Westlife, he achieved seven consecutive number one singles, a record which still stands to this very day.

Other projects which Louis has been involved with are Lulu’s duets album, which has been her biggest selling record to date.

In 2004 he was a judge on the Irish Popstars, and in 2005 he was a judge on Popstars: The Rivals, where he managed winning girl band Girls Aloud who have gone on to be one of Britain’s best and most popular girl groups.

And then we get to X Factor, where Louis has had considerable success. He was mentor to G4, Shayne Ward who won the show in 2005, and last year he mentored JLS, who came second and have spent two weeks at number one with their debut single.

So it turns out that maybe he does know what he is talking about, except maybe for John and Edward, but let’s not go there today.

And finally, next time we will take a trip down memory lane to see what Cheryl Cole has done to find herself as a judge on The X Factor.

E l’ultima canzone di oggi chiude con un tocco romantico questa seconda giornata di trasmissione. Prima di andare a dormire ascoltiamo Ronan Keating con When You Say Nothing at All, colonna sonora del film (magnifico) Notting Hill in cui recitano Hugh Grant (sempre lui) e la bellissima Julia Roberts.
Siamo sempre qui, su RadioBlog 235. Buonanotte a tutti, miei cari radio-lettori.

I am not sure, when I started to realize poetry, in the sense when it struck me as something worth reading. Coz, I remember lines “Miles to go before I sleep” in English prose, but it definitely did not mean anything to me. Or the ones from a poem named Brooks

Men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever

Or Robert frost’s often quoted,

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, I took the one less traveled by & that has made all the difference

Such appealing lines. But ignorance clouded my mind Anyway, but good that, God did not want to me to spend the rest of my life that way. Soon, I started reading lots of Vairamuthu’s books (he is a Tamil poet, by the way), novels, fiction, history, philosophy in English & Tamil. Wanted to read all the books ever written at one point. Wondered how I spent my life till now without books. At one point, me and my friends stop at book shop once every week to get books worth at-least 300. Those were great days. Holidays were spent with books & pillow. I lived closer to 1000 AD than 2000 AD with all Tamil historical novels surrounding me.

One of my closest friends, Mani from Madurai pens really thought-provoking lines. I grew up on his ideas, in a way. Around the same time, read Kannadasan, Kalki, Jeyagandhan, Sujatha, Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey archer novels & liked them. OK. Any proper book reader would say, Sydney sheldon’s novels follow the same plot. True, but I love the way he portrays his characters. One character would definitely be infinitely rich & mighty. I fell for plush leather cushions in his aircraft or long oak-made closets or beautifully carved statues and paintings. Sometimes, I prefer big conference rooms to smaller ones in my office for this reason. So, spacious & luxurious. I like Kannadasan for writing great things from his personal experiences in simple words. He is a Tamil poet too.

Almost an year back, read Shantaram. Totally worth reading 700 pages or something. Again, more fact than fiction, loved it. But now, its been quite sometime, since I finished a novel or any book for that matter. Somehow convincing myself that, I don’t have that much of patience to read. To compensate that, when i hear

You say it best, when you say nothing at all

from Ronan Keating’s or our own

Tum paas aayae, youn muskuraayae.. Kuch kuch hota hai

from Kuch kuch hota hai, it makes me think, how a day could be made beautiful just by a thought. Kind of get the same happiness and pleasure out of it. I do miss imagining characters from novels and later being jolted back to reality. Sometimes I envy some of my friends, who have the creativity to write poetic verses like Bharathi or Mani, but feel thankful that at-least I am in a state to appreciate such things.

That does mean a lot, don’t you think so?

P.S: My English teacher may not believe me quoting great literary pieces. Can’t help smiling!

Wie rettet man einen Tag, der droht, in einem Strudel grauen Lavaschlamms zu versinken, weil man ihn zwischen Wärmflasche, Teetasse und Bauchschmerzen verbringt? Das frage ich mich auch. Ich habe es mit einem Buch versucht, aber es war nach einer Weile nicht mehr richtig lustig.

Dann habe ich es mit dem Computer versucht. Das brachte auch erst keine richtige Befriedigung, doch dann stolperte ich mit dem Gesicht voran in das neue Video einer meiner Lieblingssängerin und – oh mein Gott! Marina, ich will ein Kind von dir! Es ist so fantastisch!

Was sehen wir?

• Mehr Sexappeal als Shakira, die sich in einem würstchenfarbenen Leotard um ein paar Gitterstäbe schlängelt
• Mehr Spaß, als wenn Justin Timberlake seinen tänzerischen Senf zu Single Ladies hinzugibt.
• Eine wunderbare Kopie des tanzenden dreiblättrigen Kleeblatts, das vermutlich in Irland erfunden wurde, weil Gerüchten zufolge haben die Iren es ja mit Kleeblättern. Da trifft es sich gut, dass Miss Marina Diamonds aus Wales kommt. Das ist meines Wissens zwar nicht der direkte Nachbar von Irland, aber was die Popstarqualitäten angeht, haben beide einen ähnlich niedrigen Score. Es sei denn, man zählt Ronan Keating als Popstar.
• Wenn wir ganz popfaschistisch sein wollen, dann fassen wir “Mowgli’s Road” in visuell als Ironie auf sämtliche Dreitanz-Beyoncé-Videos auf. Oder auch nicht, denn seien wir mal ehrlich: Drei ist eine magische Zahl etc. Symmetrie mit Frontfrau etc.
• Blaue Zieharmonikarme! Und Beine! Und Leiber! Entzückend! Großartig! Fantastisch!
• Und das Lied – Josef, Maria, Jesus und der Rest der Belegschaft!

Fazit: So schön kann einfach sein. Bald auch in ihrem Bastelgeschäft!

(Oh Mann. Diese unschuldig-lasziven Bewegungen am Beginn des Filmchens reißen mich so mit, dass ich am liebsten den ganzen Tag in diesem Stil durch die Gegend laufen möchte. Wo ist das nächste Bastelgeschäft?)

taken from boyzone.net, read by Keith Duffy & Ronan Keating :

“On behalf of Steo’s Husband and family we would like to thank you all for all of your kind words, gestures and tributes over the last week. The level of support from the public, media and the music industry has been overwelming.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to An Garda Siochana for all they have done for Stephen.

Father Declan, we have managed to spend time with you over the past few days and there is no finer man to give this service today, thank you.

We would personaly like to thank Mark Plunkett and the Gately family would like to thank Gerald Keane for all they have done over the past week for Stephen.

Stephen was Born on the 17th of March 1976 (Paddy’s Day). He very quicly established himself as a performer joining the Gaiety School of Acting and also entering and winning many dance competitions across Ireland.
It was not until he joined Boyzone though in 1993 that people realised Stephen was a force to be reckoned with.

At the auditions for the band, Stephen asked Louis, whom he loved and looked up to, ‘How tall do ya have to be to be in Boyzone?’. He was worried that being 5 foot 7 was too short . But in latter years, while auditioning for The Hobbit, he said he was 5 foot 3… so we never really knew how tall he was. I dont think he did either but he was a giant of a man in our hearts.

A true performer full of life and spirit.

A true friend full of love and friendship.

Believing in joy, compassion, love and equality.

Stephen loved being in BZ, he found an outlet for his passion and four friends & brothers who understood who he truly was.

Also a lover of everything Disney, Stephen would make frequent visits to Disneyland. Everyone knew Steo loved Mickey Mouse.

After four years and tremendous courage, Steo became a pioneer in showing young people it was OK to stand up for who you are and what you believe in. So many owe him so much for what he did.

The five of us created are own little bubble of humour and security and we were always there for each other, through thick and thin.

The break up of the band in 2000 was hard on all of us. Stephen found musical theatre to be his calling and enjoyed lead rolls in some of the great West End shows.

But his true passion and love was the band and he longed for it’s return.

He found this time difficult but along the way found true love with Andrew and together they navigated through the good and the bad times.

It was Andrew that helped Steo become to blossom into the man he always believed he could be.

Together they enjoyed life in London making so many great friends and being part of the vibrant London West End scene .

Stephen’s love for Andrew was true and only last week he told me how lucky he felt to have him by his side.

Stephen and Andrew took up residence in the leafy suburb of Highgate in London were they made so many great friends including Phylis ‘the Butcher’ whom he loved and laughed with daily.

But Steo always kept in touch with his family at home in Dublin, making frequent trips home to see his Mam and Dad, sister Michelle & her family and his brothers Tony, Mark and Alan & their families.

When we visited Margaret and Martin this week, we enjoyed listning to some of the stories of Stephen’s past. We realised that he doesn’t lick it off the ground! They were so alike in so many ways, it was truly like speaking to Steo.

He loved his Mam and Dad so much and spoke of them regularly. He loved the fact that they were the life and sole of every party, as Steo himself became.

In 2007 we reunited, something we had all longed for for some time.

Steo found a renewed passion for what he knew best – performing.

With an audience Stephen came alive. He became truly himself, he brought colour to the band that now simply feels black & white without him.

Behind the curtain Stephen was deeply private and guarded but we were lucky enough to see through that and get a glimpse of the warm, honest, gentle loving man he was.
Stephen loved to laugh and by God did we laugh! We had the most unusual sense of humour… If he were here right now he would say, ‘hey Ro, I’m looking for a stained glass window, if you see one around let me know!’

He had nick-names for all of us. Keith was Kitty, Shane was Shanice, Mikey was Mikeala and I was Rosaleen. Of course, he was Stephanie.

He loved it when we were all together laughing and joking. He provided us with so many funny lines throughout the BZ days, some you may have heard and some in this house I can not repeat!

We were the campest straight band we knew (except for one fella… and he knows who he is)! That is why Steo always felt so comfortable in Boyzone. He thought he was the best camper in the world… He was’nt even the best Camper in the band! Isn’t that right, Duster?

He was so excited at the prospect of the new BZ studio album. He called me last Friday, after recieving a bunch of new songs, saying how much he loved them, saying lets go lets go lets go!

He was putting the finishing touches to his first book, ‘The Tree of Seasons’. There are a few pages left and by hook or by crook, those who loved him and there are so many in this room, will help finish it.

We now pray for his guidence and spirit to show us the way.

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I say that the world has lost one of its brightest stars, we have lost our brother and I have lost my wing man.

He will live on in the songs and whenever us four are together. His spirit is alive so, for Steo, we will carry on but it will never be the same without him.

A beautiful man who is now the perfect angel… forever young and never forgotten.
A man, a friend, a brother, a son, a husband and a hero.

We are going to really miss ya brother, we love ya pal and we always will.

We know you have found peace, perfect peace.”

Audio version of Stephen’s Eulogy: Keith & Ronan (just click the link for downloading).  Please attention, this audio are not in full version.

Please leave your comment after downloading

::just an ordinary me::

Boyzone singer Stephen Gately has died suddenly at the age of 33 while on holiday in Majorca.

Spanish police said there were no signs of suspicious circumstances, but the cause of death is not yet known.  Gately was on holiday with his long-term partner Andy Cowles. His bandmates said they were “completely devastated” and are now travelling to Majorca.

Boyzone manager Louis Walsh has pulled out of Sunday’s edition of ITV1’s X Factor in the wake of Gately’s death.  The four remaining members of Boyzone described Gately as “our friend and brother”. “We have shared such wonderful times together over the years and were all looking forward to sharing many more,” a statement said.

“Stephen was a beautiful person in both body and spirit. He lit up our lives and those of the many friends he had all over the world. Our love and sympathy go out to Andrew and Stephen’s family. We love you and will miss you forever.”

The Irish band had six UK number one hits in the 1990s and reformed in 2007. Singer Ronan Keating is on his way back from the US and will join the rest of the group in Majorca.

He enjoyed further success performing in musicals, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2003-04. Gately also appeared in 2007 on ITV1’s reality series Dancing on Ice, and was voted Hero of 1999 at the Smash Hits Poll Winners’ Party.

Members of Boyzone have paid a moving tribute to bandmate Stephen Gately at his funeral in Dublin. “The world has lost one of its brightest stars, we have lost our brother,” Ronan Keating told guests at St Laurence O’Toole’s church. Keating frequently broke down as he delivered his eulogy, at one point apologising to the congregation.

Boyzone sang Westlife track In This Life during the service before carrying the coffin out of the church. Gately was found dead at his Majorca holiday home last week. Post-mortem tests found he died of natural causes. It was estimated that more than 3,000 people gathered outside the church to pay their respects. Keating spoke of how close the band members all were.

“We will carry on but it will never be the same without him. Forever young and never forgotten. A man, a friend, a brother, a son a husband and a hero. I’m gonna really miss you brother. We love you and always will. And we know you have found peace. Perfect peace.”

Mikey Graham spoke of Gately’s devotion to his partner Andrew Cowles and of how much he loved his parents Margaret and Martin. “With an audience, Stephen came alive – he truly became himself,” Graham said.

Instead of flowers, mourners were asked to make donations to the Caudwell Children Charity, for which Gately was an ambassador.  His grief-stricken bandmates escorted the late singer’s body back to his hometown on Friday  Gately grew up in Dublin but had spent the last few years living in Highgate, London.