Dessie Does it for the Ladies!!!

Swords RFC winger Des Ryan was a surprise hit with the judges (and the ladies!) when he took part in the 36th annual Ballybunion Bachelor Contest recently. Dessie, who hails from Kilmihil in Clare, said he was kindly cohered into competing in the famous bachelor competition, which takes place every June in Ballybunion, Co Kerry.

'I was with a group of friends in a pub about two months ago and one of the girls was looking for volunteers to take part in the competition', explained Des, 'I said I¹d do it, for the craic like, but thought no more of it. Then I get a call saying I was entered in the competition.' Des was up against 12 other bachelors for the title, representing everywhere from London to Limerick and from Australia to Leitrim.

The contest came to a climax on the Saturday night, when the bachelors were all interviewed by Radio Kerry's Brian Hurley at the final selection.
Some of the men opted to sing and another played the bagpipes. However, 25-year-old Des was hoping that his witty humour and natural charm would impress the judges - and though they were impressed, sadly it was not his year.

The eventual winner was a sales rep from Kilkenny, PJ Kenny. On final night, he impressed the audience with his self-penned ditty 'All I Want To Do Is Cut Silage With You'.

The 36th annual festival had kicked off three days earlier when the contestants were driven into town by their female escorts and introduced to the public on an open-air stage. They then embarked on a hectic four days of events around the town, joining in the fun at kiddies sports competitions, a dog and pram race and a terrier race. One of the highlights of the festival, according to Des, was the 'drag night', when he got to dress up in women's clothes and make-up and strut around the town in high heels! 'It was great craic. We really had a great time. We were treated like film stars for the week', said Des.