The first season of ''

Celebrity Bainisteoir ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' was a prime-time reality programme created by Fiona Looney and first broadcast in 2008 by RTÉ. It involved a number of celebrities competing against each other as a Gaelic football team coach. The title derived from th ...

'' was broadcast in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís � ...

from 23 March 2008. It was won by the radio and television presenter

Marty Whelan Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...

who replaced

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

Mary O'Rourke Mary O'Rourke (; born 31 May 1937) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Leader of the Seanad and Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad from 2002 to 2007, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2002, Minister for Public ...

as '' bainisteoir'' of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, during the series. Whelan's team beat

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

Gerald Kean Gerald Kean (born 1957) is an Irish solicitor from County Cork. He is regularly the subject of social columns, particularly in the Sunday newspapers which have reported his lavish spending sprees and sun holidays involving his wife and other peo ...

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

team, Mayfield, in the final at

Parnell Park Parnell Park is a GAA stadium in Donnycarney, Dublin, Ireland with a capacity of 8,500. It is the home of the Dublin GAA hurling, football, camogie and ladies' football teams at all levels of competition. The ground is used by Dublin's inter ...

on 16 May that year. The other six ''bainisteoirí'' were television presenter

Bazil Ashmawy Bazil Ashmawy, commonly known as Baz Ashmawy, is an Irish radio and television personality, whose TV show ''50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy'' won the International Emmy Award for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment award. In summer 2017, he hosted ''Th ...

, model

Glenda Gilson Glenda Gilson (born 3 March 1981) is an Irish people, Irish former Model (person), model and television presenter. Career Beauty Gilson represented Ireland in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic in 2002 in Oahu and went on to win the title for Europe. Her ...

, comedian

Jon Kenny Jonathan Kenny (born 12 December 1957) is an Irish comedian and actor who lives in Lough Gur and is one half of the famous Irish comic duo d'Unbelievables with Pat Shortt.

, journalist and civil rights campaigner

Nell McCafferty Nell McCafferty (born 28 March 1944) is an Irish journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner and feminist. She has written for ''The Irish Press'', ''The Irish Times'', '' Sunday Tribune'', ''Hot Press'' and ''The Village Voice''. Early l ...

, panellist

Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (; born 25 October 1983) is an Irish academic, broadcaster and musician. She also won the Rose of Tralee contest in 2005. Life Early life Ní Shúilleabháin is a native of Carnacon near Ballyglass, County Mayo. ...

and politician-turned bookmaker

Ivan Yates Ivan Yates (born 23 October 1959) is an Irish broadcaster, businessman and former politician. He was elected as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency at the 1981 general election and at each election until his retirement fr ...

. RTÉ later described the first series of ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' as having "brought the worlds of celebrity and GAA club football crashing together", citing the unexpected early departure of Mary O'Rourke, Nell McCafferty's speech in which she informed her team that the roads were "lined with coffins" when they were young due to the violence in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

and Gerald Kean's request for help from celebrity clients who flew in on helicopters as memorable events from the series."Celebrity Bainisteoir: Christmas Challenge"
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The series was produced by Animo Television's Jean Devlin.

Bainisteoirí

Eight ''bainisteoirí'' competed in the first season ''Celebrity Bainisteoir''.

Bazil Ashmawy

is an actor and co-presenter of the

RTÉ Two (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

programme, ''How Low Can You Go?'' and is described as having "behaved badly" in several international cities."Na Bainisteoirí/ The Managers"
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009.

Glenda Gilson

is a model and television presenter described as having one of the most recognisable (and photographed) faces in Ireland. Constantly photographed for newspapers and magazines, she is one of Ireland's most well-known faces. Gilson described the show as her "most daunting experience" ever, saying she nearly burst into tears on her first day.

Gerald Kean

is a celebrity solicitor and socialite who was born in Cork but studied law in Dublin. Known for his glamorous lifestyle, Kean interrupted his participation in the series to celebrate the confirmation of his eleven-year-old daughter, Kirsten, and to buy her dresses in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. However, he also ensured his team were prepared, with yoga sessions, diets and talks with associates of his from the worlds of

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

football and Gaelic games.

Jon Kenny

Jon Kenny Jonathan Kenny (born 12 December 1957) is an Irish comedian and actor who lives in Lough Gur and is one half of the famous Irish comic duo d'Unbelievables with Pat Shortt.

is an actor and comedian who formed D'Unbelievables with

Pat Shortt Patrick Shortt (born 12 December 1967) is an Irish actor, comedian, writer and entertainer. His role in the 2007 film ''Garage'' led to him receiving the IFTA for Best Actor. Career Shortt toured alongside Jon Kenny as comedy duo D'Unbelievab ...

in the 1990s. He has played a manager before; Timmy Ryan is a well-known character in Ireland.

Nell McCafferty

is a veteran journalist, intellectual and civil rights campaigner. She is experienced in the politics of

and of

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

, having grown up in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

during the violent era of the 1970s and has won a Jacobs Award. McCafferty chose to take part in the show following a heart attack and because it was "a completely new

xperience Tyler Andrews (born February 21, 1984), better known by his stage name Xperience, is an American Hip hop music, hip hop recording artist from Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, who is currently based in Seattle, Seattle, Washington. He is a member of th ...

to work exclusively with men, and for them it will be a completely new one working with a woman".

Mary O'Rourke

is a

TD for the Longford–Westmeath constituency. She has been Ireland's

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Count ...

, Minister for Education and Minister for Public Enterprise and was the leader of

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

for five years. Her father and brother were politicians.

Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin

is the 2005 winner of The Rose of Tralee and a recurring panellist on the topical comedy show '' The Panel''. She described the experience of managing " a gang of lads" as "daunting".

Ivan Yates

is a

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

TD-turned bookmaker. He was Ireland's Minister for Agriculture for seven years.

Clubs

Eight clubs competed in the first season of ''Celebrity Bainisteoir''.

Ballymanus

Ballymanus are based in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

. They appeared in the RTÉ documentary, ''Green Fields'', filmed in 1984 when the GAA was celebrating its centenary. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Bazil Ashmawy, who was mentored by Kevin O'Brien.

Crumlin

Crumlin have been based in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

since 1970, playing both hurling and football. The team's clubhouse is located at Lorcan O'Toole Park on Stanaway Road. Crumlin's footballers were winners of the junior football championship in 2006. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Glenda Gilson, who was mentored by

Tommy Lyons Tommy Lyons is an Irish former Gaelic football manager and player from County Mayo who managed two inter-county teams. He was also a regular panellist/analyst on RTÉ's ''The Sunday Game''. Although born in County Mayo, Lyons considers himself ...

."The Clubs"
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009.

Galtee Gaels

Galtee Gaels are based in

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

. Their players come from a maximum pool of 980 people.The famous limerick footballer Sean McGrath played for the gaels. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Jon Kenny, who was mentored by John Ryan.

Kiltimagh

Kiltimagh Kiltimagh () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town had a population of 1,069 people. Although there in no river going through the town, three rivers flow around the town: the Glore River, Yellow River and Pollag ...

have been based in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

since 1888. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, who was mentored by

Liam McHale Liam McHale (born 1 June 1965) is a Gaelic football coach and former player (and basketball player) who played in midfield with the Mayo county football team between 1985 and 1999. He played from the start in four finals of the All-Ireland Seni ...

. They were led by esteemed captain Conor 'The Machineghan' Heneghan, and despite the JOE.ie journalist's best efforts, the proud Mayo side lost out to Mayfield
Speaking afterwards, Heneghan
said: It's a heartbreak almost akin to seeing Mayo lose an All-Ireland. I'm just happy I did myself and the parish proud."

Maryland

are based between

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

and

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

. The team competed in the semi-finals of the Intermediate County Championship in 2007. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Mary O'Rourke (later replaced by Marty Whelan), who was mentored by

Dessie Dolan Dessie Dolan (born 11 July 1979) is an Irish Gaelic football manager who has been manager of the senior Westmeath county team since 2022. He played for the Garrycastle club and for the Westmeath county team, as well as international rules foot ...

. The team won the first series of ''Celebrity Bainisteoir''.

Mayfield

Mayfield have been based in

since 1893. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Gerald Kean, who was mentored by

Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic ...

. The team were finalists in the first series of ''Celebrity Bainisteoir''.

St Mary's Faughanvale

St Mary's Faughanvale have been based in

Greysteel Greysteel or Gresteel is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Derry and to the west of Limavady on the main A2 coast road between Limavady and Derry, overlooking Lough Foyle. It is designated as a Larg ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

since 1933. They purchased their stadium in 1982 and opened their new pitch in 1983. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Nell McCafferty, who was mentored by

Brian McEniff Brian McEniff (born 1 December 1942) is a former Gaelic football manager, administrator and player. McEniff played as a wing-back for the St Joseph's combination of clubs from Bundoran and Ballyshannon. He won seven Donegal Senior Football C ...

Taghmon-Camross

Taghmon-Camross are based in

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

. During ''Celebrity Bainisteoir'' they were managed by Ivan Yates, who was mentored by Billy Dodd.

Tournament

The tournament itself involved four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final. The first episode featured the quarter-final draw and focused on the reactions of the individual teams upon discovering the identity of their ''bainisteoir''."Episode 1"
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The second episode featured the first quarter-final between Mayfield, managed by Gerald Kean, and Crumlin, managed by Glenda Gilson. Gilson's preparations for the match include a dance class and a trip to the

2008 Meteor Awards The 2008 Meteor Music Awards ceremony was held in the RDS, Dublin, on Friday, 15 February 2008. Nineteen awards were presented. It was the eighth edition of the Republic of Ireland's national music awards. The event was later broadcast on RTÉ Tw ...

. Kean's preparations include sending for a number of celebrities, including

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

ers

Shay Given Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. With 134 caps, he is the second-highest capped Republic of Ireland player. Given started his career at Celtic, however he neve ...

and

Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. He has since managed Cove ...

, to fly into the training ground via helicopter. The match was attended by 4,000 people."Episode 2"
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The third episode featured the quarter-final between Galtee Gaels, managed by Jon Kenny, and St. Mary's Faughanvale, managed by Nell McCafferty. Kenny prepared for the match by recording a song for his team.
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The fourth episode featured the quarter-final between Kiltimagh, managed by Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, and Taghmon-Camross, managed by Ivan Yates.
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The fifth episode featured the final quarter final between Ballymanus, managed by Bazil Ashmawy, and Maryland, due to have been managed by Mary O'Rourke. Ashmawy became heavily involved with his team but O'Rourke displayed less enthusiasm and eventually grew bored and left the show. O'Rourke was replaced by Marty Whelan who displayed a little more enthusiasm for his role as ''bainisteoir''.
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The sixth episode featured the first semi-final, contested by Kean's Mayfield and Ní Shúilleabháin's Kiltimagh. Kean's preparations involve a yoga session and training with established

players, James Masters and

Donncha O'Connor Donncha O'Connor (born 25 April 1981) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who currently plays as a full-forward for the Cork senior team. He joined the team during the 2006 championship and immediately became a regular member of the starting fiftee ...

, in

Páirc Uí Rinn Páirc Uí Rinn (), also known as Páirc Chríostóir Uí Rinn, is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium located between Ballinlough and Ballintemple in Cork. It was previously known as Flower Lodge and was used as an association football ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

. Ní Shúilleabháin's preparations include

pilates Pilates (; ) is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method "Contrology". It is practiced worldwide, especially in countries suc ...

and separate training sessions with John O'Mahoney and the

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

Ladies football team."Episode 6"
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The seventh episode featured the second semi-final contested between McCafferty's Faughanvale and Whelan's Maryland. McCafferty's preparation includes training sessions with the former

footballer and hurler,

Tony Scullion Tony "The Tiger" Scullion (born 6 February 1962) is a former dual player of Gaelic games who played Gaelic football and hurling with Derry in the 1980s and 1990s. He is chiefly known as a footballer and was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Ch ...

and at the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

Sports Science clinic. Whelan's preparations include a session with the former

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

manager Brendan Lowney and a

tai chi Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an neijia, internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and medita ...

session."Episode 7"
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009. The eighth episode featured the Celebrity Bainisteoir final which was contested by Whelan's Maryland and Kean's Mayfield teams. The match was played in front of 4,000 spectators at Parnell Park on 16 May 2008 and televised two days later at 18:30. Maryland were leading early on in the first half; however, Mayfield added some points to leave them only two points behind their opponents at half time. The match was won by Maryland in the second half with a score of 2–09 to 1–04.
RTÉ. Accessed 29 April 2009.

References

External links

{{Celebrity Bainisteoir 2008 Irish television series debuts 2008 Irish television seasons 1