(Please note that this information is embargoed until Sunday 24 October at 7:30pm)
Derek Burke of Crystal Swing faces Mairead Farrell in the Celebrity Bainisteoir All Ireland final and they and their teams – the Castle Island Desmonds and Ballymun Kickhams – want to win more than anything.
Mentors Liam Kearns of Kerry and Dublin legend Ciarán Whelan have been let loose, they now have their own favourites as they desperately want to see their own county win. Who will prevail?
It’s the final of Celebrity Bainisteoir; an epic battle between Kerry and Dublin – this promises to be the best final yet.
What happens when the true sporting passion of GAA club football meets the glitzy world of Irish celebrity; when community pride meets fake tan; when red carpet meets red lemonade? What happens is Celebrity Bainisteoir, which returns for a third series on RTÉ One, Sunday 6.30pm, from 19th September.
The competing celebrities, in this seven-part series, are Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, Gavin Duffy, Mairead Farrell, Derek Burke (Crystal Swing), Peter Kelly (Franc), Andrew Maxwell, Breffny Morgan, and Nuala Carey.
The eight celebrities will each manage an intermediate club football team. The teams they will lead are: Ballymun Kickhams GFC, Dublin (Mairead Farrell), Fermoy GFC, Cork (Peter Kelly), Roche Emmets GFC, Louth (Gavin Duffy), Kilconly GFC, Galway (Breffny Morgan), Irvinestown GFC, Fermanagh (Andrew Maxwell), Nobber GFC, Meath (Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh), Shannonbridge GFC, Offaly (Nuala Carey), Castleisland Desmonds, Castleisland, Kerry (Derek Burke with a little help from Mum Mary).
The third series of Celebrity Bainisteoir has two fundamental changes and this year’s celebrities face the toughest challenge yet. The series will be centred around two mega mentors in two GAA legends; Ciarán Whelan and Liam Kearns will oversee all celebrities and ensure that they are giving the job everything they have. With no team allegiances, the two mentors are determined to make these celebs the best Bainisteoirí they can be.
This year, there’s no room for slacking and relying on others to dig them out. The challenge of being a celebrity Bainisteoir is now tougher than ever before and the celebrities will be closely monitored and set new challenges the whole way through the process.
The second change is that the teams will have to earn the right to a home draw. Both teams will go head to head in a physical challenge under army supervision to decide who is going to get to play at home.
The tournament is officially sanctioned by the GAA and will consist of four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final, which is to be played at Parnell Park in Dublin