Ireland
The first series was available to viewers only through the Northern Ireland-based ITV station UTV which is widely available in the Republic, but subsequent series have also been shown on the Irish terrestrial TV station TV3.
Series 1–4 of the UK version of The X Factor effectively included Irish viewers on an equal footing, and Irish viewers were able to vote in these series via SMS or telephone. However, for series 5 in 2008, voting from Republic of Ireland was discontinued, with the decision being blamed on new regulations introduced regarding phone competitions in the UK. In 2010 TV3 announced that Irish viewers would only be able to vote using voting numbers posted online once the live shows start. These numbers change weekly.
The show held auditions in Dublin and Belfast for the first 3 series, with Belfast auditions continuing for series 4 before being dropped, though Irish singers could still audition in other cities. Dublin first round auditions returned in 2010 with the auditions held on 28 June.
Irish contestants have reached the live shows in series 1 (Tabby Callaghan and Roberta Howett), series 2 (The Conway Sisters), series 6 (John & Edward and Azi Jegbefume in group Kandy Rain) and in series 7 (Mary Byrne, Rebecca Creighton in group Belle Amie and Niall Horan in group One Direction). Northern Irish finalists have included Phillip Magee (series 2), Eoghan Quigg (series 5) and Janet Devlin (series 8).
In 2011, The X Factor did not hold auditions in Ireland, after being replaced with a new audition city, Liverpool. A source from The X Factor said: "There are only so many places we can go for auditions. We went to Dublin last year but we haven't been to Liverpool so we thought we should do it this year. Obviously this is a blow to the Irish contestants but it's only a short hop across the Irish Sea to Liverpool."
Read more about this topic: The X Factor (UK)
Famous quotes containing the word ireland:
“Sport and death are the two great socializing factors in Ireland ...”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)
“In Ireland they try to make a cat cleanly by rubbing its nose in its own filth. Mr. Joyce has tried the same treatment on the human subject. I hope it may prove successful.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“There is no topic ... more soporific and generally boring than the topic of Ireland as Ireland, as a nation.”
—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)