[Red Moon]

'Copter trip, street party for Eoghan if he reaches final

Dungiven chart topper Eoghan Quigg will fly home and be helicoptered to his school in Dungiven on December 8 if he makes the X Factor final, the 'Journal' can reveal.

The teenage heart-throb will also meet fans at a street party near his home that morning before appearing at Foyleside in Derry city in the afternoon, according to excited parents, Denise and Chrissie.

The packed itinerary will be filmed and shown on the night of the final, understood to be December 13 when the finalists will sing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which is reported to be recorded by the winner of the hit talent show.

Homecoming

"It'll be great," said Chrissie, who believes his 16-year-old son will make the final.
Chrissie and Denise want the streets of Dungiven to be packed for Eoghan's homecoming.

They believe their eldest son has "as good a chance as anyone else" of winning the X Factor but they say fans need to keep the votes pouring in.

"It's getting tighter and tighter," said Chrissie.

"People need to step it up a gear when it comes to voting."

Eoghan said he's not missing lessons at St. Patrick's College in Dungiven, "because I'm here doing what I want to be doing.

"I do miss my friends though because I normally would see them every day.

"They think it's amazing and they watch it (The X Factor) every Saturday night on the TV."

The teen heaped praise on his parents.

"They're great," he said. "They are behind me 100% and I can't ask any more of them."

Eoghan said he is also getting on well with mentor and music mogul, Simon Cowell.
"He's helped me out a lot and I trust him and he trusts me," said Eoghan.

"We have a good team going on and we don't want to be going out of the competition yet!"

Denise says no matter what happens in the competition, she will always be proud of her son.

"He was our wee star before all this. Now he's everybody's wee star," she said.
Brothers Dylan and Calum describe their brother as "inspiring".

"He's brilliant," said Calum.

"It's really good for him," agreed Dylan.

'Inspiring'

"He's really inspring for people, and he can win. We just wish him all the luck."

"Eoghan Quigg can do one thing I think maybe the politicians here can't do, and that is to unite the people of Northern Ireland," says Denise.

"It's also really lifted Dungiven and there's a fantastic buzz around the place. I don't know what Dungiven will do when it's all over."

Eoghan will perform a Britney Spears song and All American classic on tomorrow's show when the pop princess will also sing live.

Source: Derry Journal