''Charity You're a Star'' (initially known as ''You're a Star Charity Special'') is a talent contest created by

Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...

(RTÉ), in which various Irish celebrities sang to raise money for the

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

of their choice. The show was aired live from

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...

's theatre, The Helix. The first season was named ''You're a Star Charity Special'', which was conceived to be a variation of parent programme ''

You're a Star ''You're a Star'' is an Irish music competition series broadcast by RTÉ One from 2002 to 2008. Produced by the broadcaster and Screentime ShinAwiL, the series was similar to formats such as ''Idol'' and ''The X Factor''. For its first three se ...

''. However it was much more successful that originally thought, so later seasons were called ''Charity You're a Star'' to imply more independence and permanence.

''You're a Star Charity Special''

On Tuesday 2 August 2005 (at 21.30

IST Ist or IST may refer to: Information Science and Technology * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology * Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan * Graduate School ...

), the ''You're a Star Charity Special'' made its debut. The special contained eight Irish celebrity contestants who were coached by Twink, the Irish pantomime star. The judging panel consisted of

Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later bec ...

Linda Martin Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...

and '' Sunday Independent'' columnist Brendan O'Connor. The special was presented for two weeks by

Derek Mooney Derek James Mooney (born 4 March 1967) is an Irish radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. Until January 2015 he presented a weekday afternoon programme called ''Mooney'' on RTÉ Radio 1. He is the current executive producer ...

(then recognisable from

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

's ''

Winning Streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 4 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. Although sometimes claimed as a ...

'').

Contestants

On the night of the final (14 August 2005), David Mitchell defeated Finian McGrath via the Irish public vote and won the contest. ;External links
Official website
*

''Charity You're a Star'', second season

Due to the success of season one RTÉ and the producers (

Screentime ShinAwiL Shinawil (stylised as ShinAwiL) Productions is an Irish television production company. It was founded by producer Larry Bass and director Simon Gibney in 1999. It was acquired by Screentime (branded as Screentime ShinAwiL) as part of a deal to p ...

) brought the show back for a second season. There was no change to the judges, presenters or coach. However, unlike the first season, there were ten acts and ten live episodes. Episodes ran from Saturday 29 July until Sunday 13 August 2006. Each night one celebrity is eliminated via receiving the fewest votes from the public.

Contestants

The final was held on 13 August 2006. The remaining two celebrities were Áine Ní Dhroighneáin and

John Aldridge John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958) is a former football player and manager. He was a prolific, record-breaking striker best known for his time with English club Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in M ...

. John defeated Áine. This is the second time in a row that the person representing Temple Street Children's Hospital won the competition.

''Charity You're a Star'', third season

The 2007 season saw a change in personnel: Brian Ormond hosted, while the judges were Brendan O'Connor,

Amanda Brunker Amanda Brunker (born 12 June 1974) is a novelist, journalist and columnist for the Irish '' Sunday World'' tabloid newspaper, and former Miss Ireland. After attending Mount Temple Comprehensive School she turned to modelling, entering and winnin ...

and

Bryan McFadden Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer and television presenter who rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo ...

. The final was held on 12 August 2007. The remaining two celebrities acts were Seán Bán Breathnach and The All Stars. The All Stars were the winners, performing "You Can Leave Your Hat On". The programme raised a record total of €384,520 for the ten Irish charities during its run.

External links

Official website

Petition to get Linda Martin back on ''You're a Star''

{{You're a Star 2005 Irish television series debuts 2005 Irish television series endings 2006 Irish television series debuts 2006 Irish television series endings 2007 Irish television series debuts 2007 Irish television series endings Irish talent shows Irish variety television shows Singing talent shows You're a Star