Charlie's Late Late Toy Show Wish Granted

Nine-year-old Charlie Brunton is getting the opportunity of a lifetime, going behind the scenes at The Late Late Toy Show to “work” as a stage hand tonight (Friday). He is among no less than 20 children from this region to be involved in tonight's show.

Charlie is the son of Breege Reilly and Sean Brunton and comes from Mountnugent in Co Cavan. Charlie is the youngest of four boys and mum Breege Reilly said he “rules the roost”. He loves the Toy Show and is fascinated by how television is made.

“Charlie always thinks about how things are done with a particular interest in filming and special effects like how they make actors cry. He absolutely loves the Toy Show - with recordings and YouTube we have weekly viewings.

“He is very handy with a hammer and we have lots to evidence with hammer prints on window boards, missing pieces off tables and no plasters left!” she said.

The family record The Late Late Toy Show every year and watch it repeatedly well into spring. Breege said that Charlie was watching it one evening when he decided to write a letter to Ryan Tubridy himself.

“He looked at the muscles on his arms and decided they were definitely ready for that job! When I was rushing out to work one morning he produced a sealed envelope and asked me to write Ryan Tubridy’s address. I hastily spelled Donnybrook, Dublin 4 for him and posted it. Every so often he would ask ‘did Ryan Tubridy ring me?’ We can’t believe that we did get the call,” she said.

When the family were contacted by The Late Late Toy Show team to invite him to take part in the show, Charlie was left speechless.

Breege said: “After getting the call I finished work early to pick him up from school to tell him the big news. He was speechless driving home. Then the phone calls and messages started and it hasn’t stopped since. He still doesn’t believe he will be on it. He has become a local celebrity. Everyone in our rural parish knows. He went around to each classroom in school (Scoil Bhride in Mountnugent) to tell all the students and spoke at assembly about it. We have looked at every Toy Show recorded. Our lives at the minute are all arranged around Friday and he is enjoying every minute of it!”

Charlie’s brothers Jack (17), Ben (16) and Ned (13) have been helping out by tutoring him daily and on Friday night the family are having a party at home to watch him on the Toy Show.

And who would Charlie like to be when he grows up? “Ryan Tubridy!” said Breege.

Region well represented on show

But it's  not just Charlie who will represent Cavan and Monaghan on the show. Brother and sister team Killian (10) and Katelyn Finnegan (9) from Doohamlet,

Castleblayney, better known as 'The Jiving Kids’, will perform on the show tonight.
Taught by their mum and dad, Gerry and Amanda, the pair began dancing two years ago and, ever since, the siblings have shared the stage witha whole host of Ireland’s best known Country Music stars, from Nathan Carter to Derek Ryan, Jimmy Buckley and Mike Denver, as well as Robert Mizzell and Daniel O’Donnell. Even still, the pair are very excited to be taking to the Toy Show stage this coming Friday night, November 27.
The Toy Show will also see Megan Moynagh (Drumgoon) and Clara Corrie (Bailieboro) perform Irish dancing. Both pupils of Pascal Lyons’ Dancing School, the Cavan girls were selected from thousands of auditions to perform on one of the most-watched and anticipated family television shows of the year.
The girls, meanwhile, have also reached the semi final of an TG4’s Jig Gig, which will be aired later this year.

Peformance Academy kids

Fifteen pupils at the Performance Academy Cavan will also perform on tonight's Toy Show. Performing big production number 'When I Grow Up’ from the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book, Matilda, the group are now preparing for their Montrose début under the careful tutelage of academy directors, Joan Barry Kenny and daughter Victoria Kenny.
The performers include: Niamh Caffrey, Lucy Clarke, Sadhbh Daly, Orna Rose, Aoife Spratt, Derbhla Brady, Aoibhinn Morrison, Robyn Prior, Shauna Cusack, Enya O’Rourke, Ferne Dolan, Ellie Brady, Kate Lynch, Elisha Galligan, and Katelyn Dowd.
Maurice Brady’s of Cavan Town are to provide the uniform costumes for the show.

The Late Late Toy show airs on RTE One tonight (Friday) at 9.35pm.