Set for success

SET FOR SUCCESS: Cosa Beoga dancers Colin Kelly, Lauren Hession, Robert Carr and Adam Hession who are all pupils of Annagh National School, show their paces in front of their schoolmates. With their friends in Cosa Beoga they  will make their bid for glory at the weekend on the All Ireland Talent Show glory on RTE One. By JACQUELINE HOGGE MUSICAL talent from the West will again be to the fore this weekend as a group of set dancers and a family of musicians take to the airwaves in a bid for national glory. Abbeyknockmoy's Cosa Beoga will aim to continue the success of Western acts so far in this year's All Ireland Talent Show competition when they take to the stage in the third of the live shows. The group of five boys and five girls have gathered massive support in their local community, which they hope will translate to all-important votes following their performance on RTE One this Sunday evening. With several family connections within the group, whose name means Lively Feet, The Tuam Herald caught up with one brother and sister, and a pair of cousins this week, all of whom are pupils of Annagh National School in Ballygluinin. Eight-year-old Lauren Hession performed part of the group's routine for her classmates, which involved an energetic brush dance, and was accompanied by her brother Adam, 10, and cousins Robert Carr and Colin Kelly for another section of their performance. Cosa Beoga tutor Marie Moran Greaney, who is a founder of the Abbeyknockmoy Set Dancing Club of which the dancers are all members, said the enthusiasm of the children, as well as the huge public support, made the experience so far very special. 'This particular group are so committed and enthusiastic about their dancing,' she said. 'They just love taking to the floor and that magic and passion on their faces and in their feet comes across in every performance. 'We are in shock with all support we have received over the past few weeks from home and from abroad.  The good luck cards and messages of good will are coming every single day.  It has been an unreal few weeks for the entire group and they are really enjoying it. 'We have a very lively routine in store for Sunday, one that will have you jumping out of your seats and one that will hopefully impress the judges. But the judges only hold half the power on Sunday, this rest is up to the public, so we'll give it our best and hopefully everyone will get behind and vote for this talented group.' Meanwhile, Milltown will also be represented on the national airwaves when TG4's new talent show Feis and Blood is unveiled on Sunday at 7.15 pm. Over 13 episodes, the show's judges, Aonghus McAnally, Sibéal Davitt and Pádraig O Sé, will set out to find a new super-star family to follow in the footsteps of other groups such as the Corrs and Crystal Swing. Hosted by Síle Seoige, the show goes head to head with the All Ireland Talent Show which is hosted by her sister Gráinne, but with the TG4 show going out at the slightly later time of 7.15 pm, people will be able to watch and vote for both groups. The Molloy family, sisters Breffni, Niamh and Derbhile will be among the first group of contestants on the programme. The girls, who play harp, concertina and fiddle respectively, are following a strong family tradition as their parents, Jarlath and Siobhan, have a musical background as former members of the Milltown Ceili Band. Breffni and Niamh are students of Mercy College Tuam, where they are members of the school's trad group, which performed at the National Concert Hall last year, while younger sister Derbhile is in sixth class at Milltown National School. They will be playing a slow tune followed by a reel in a bid to impress the judges on Sunday evening. 'The girls are passionate about trad and enjoy performing together,' said Siobhan. 'Having been chosen to perform on the show, they were both excited and nervous about appearing on TV. Overall they had a very enjoyable experience.' To vote for both acts, tune into RTE ONE at 6.30 pm on Sunday to catch Cosa Beoga in action, while the Molloy sisters will be on TG4 at 7.15.