And so it was decided, the iGoHome bandwagon made one final stop on it's epic journey.
The iGoHome road trip has seen us live from kitchens, living rooms, boats and an island.
It's seen us pit buskers head-to-head, risk our lives on yawls, taste the best food Ireland has to offer, and watch eagles soar in the skies.
Since we began our journey, we've witnessed first hand some of the incredible things that Galway, Mayo, Wesmeath, Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal have to offer, and we met you, our listeners.
But we decided we still wanted to see more...and meet more of you.
So we put the vote over to you to see where exactly we should finish up our epic tour.
There were thousands of entries and some brilliant suggestions, but unfortunately we could only pick one winner... and that is Christy Bannan who convinced us to come to his native Portlaoise.
And you can't argue with his reasoning, Christy said:
- Portlaoise is the fastest growing town in Ireland.
- It has the highest percentage of teenagers and young people in the country.
- It's got a plethora of great restaurants and a great nightlife.
- And it's smack bang central to everywhere in Ireland.
So, Dave Duke from The Lift headed to the O'Moore County and broadcast live from the stunning Maldron Hotel Portlaoise
The talented Irish-Zimbabwean singer/songwriter Sia Babez popped in to have a chat and performed her debut single 'Hit My Line'.
The 18-year-old has caught the attention of various industry folks including Cardi B's producer, J. White Did It!
Next up, Dave chatted to artist Adam Warren. Adam spoke about the 'Into the West' mural he created on the wall of the old Savoy cinema in Portarlington.
Some of the 1992 movie's most iconic scenes were shot at the cinema in the town.
Four-piece band Paper Planes are gearing up for their debut Electric Picnic appearance. All aged between 14 and 15, they met in Music Generation Laois.
They spoke to Dave about how they were awarded a slot at EP after winning the Youth Work Laois/Electric Youth competition, and they also played a song.
IRADIO LISTENER SPECIAL OFFER
The Maldron Hotel Portlaoise are offering a special discount on their Halloween package.
This offer is valid until Sunday evening, August 25th. For more info see here https://www.maldronhotelportlaoise.com or call 057 8695900.
A look back at the iGoHome road trip:
August 12th: Sometimes when you're making your way home, you just want to take the scenic route. And that's exactly what The Lift's Dave Duke is doing as he prepares to show us his lovely Leitrim. But first he's stopping by Sligo and Donegal, both just a stones throw away from where he grew up.
First it was Sligo, and Dave and Fionnuala spoke to a proud Rapper 220 about just how great Sligo life really is:
And the guys took on the famous Sligo food trail! Restaurant owner Anthony Gray explained why the trail is an absolute must for foodies all over the country:
August 13th:
It was iGoHome's final day in Sligo and Dave and Fionnuala chatted to Councillor Thomas Walsh about some fun events on the horizon to raise funds for the North West Hospice:
And Lothar from the Eagles Flying sanctuary described how his amazing birds of prey show came to be:
August 14th: It was finally time for the iGoHome road trip to roll into the hills of Donegal! And we were live from Bundoran for an action packed day!
No matter what county you're from, there's one thing we all love talking about...the weather. So Dave and Fionnuala were delighted when Joanna Donnelly from Met Eireann dropped by for a chat!
One thing Bundoran is known for is its amazing surf, and professional surfer Ritchie Fitzgerald had everyone dying to get out and catch some waves:
And Bundoran tourism officer Shane Smyth explained just why he thinks his home town is the best in Ireland (he makes some good points in fairness):
August 15th:
We were live form the lovely Wee Downings Bar in Downings for day three of Dave Duke's iGoHome.
And our hearts were in our mouths for a moment when we though the one and only Daniel O'Donnell had made an impromptu stop by visit. Turns out it was just Dave and Fionnuala via the magnificent and hilarious impersonator Gary Gamble:
#TheLift got to meet the 'real' Daniel O'Donnell... Almost. @GaryGambleShow who popped into talk to Dave and Fionnuala in The Wee Bar.??#iGoHome pic.twitter.com/rF5ZvPSHgw
— iRadio (@ThisisiRadio) August 15, 2019
And Little Hours treated some very lucky listeners to an exclusive intimate performance at the Wee Bar in Downings!
August 6th: After a long two weeks without any noise from the iGoHome bandwagon, it was time to make an appearance in Co. Westmeath! Aiden and Oonagh from the AO Show have been looking forward to showcasing the best of Westmeath for weeks now and day one certainly didn't disappoint, as we were live from Oonagh O'Carroll's Athlone abode!
It was a family affair as Oonagh's dear old dad dropped by to chat about all things Gaelic Football:
Performer Shawn Allen had a chat to the guys about the amazing live music scene in Athlone:
Oonaghs Friend Sean Allen popped in for a chat to the #AOshow about the music scene in Athlone for #IGoHome ?? @ClaytonHotels pic.twitter.com/jric7cuPRq
— iRadio (@ThisisiRadio) August 6, 2019
And Oonagh had a very unexpected guest... her daily taxi driver was supposed to pick her up in the morning to bring her into studio... but she forgot to cancel! An awkward chat followed:
And she even discovered she has a secret admirer living next door!
How cute is Oonaghs neighbour DJ ❤️❤️ #IGoHome @ClaytonHotels pic.twitter.com/iW2AyW1HYk
— iRadio (@ThisisiRadio) August 6, 2019
This morning was a particularly classy one for the iGoHome road trip thanks to Michael Moore Car Sales, who chauffeured Aiden and Oonagh around in a very stylish Mercedes Benz, we aren't jealous at all...
The #AOshow being treated to a chauffeur around Athlone for #IGoHome thanks to @Moore_Mercedes_ ??✈️ @ClaytonHotels pic.twitter.com/4y5xNVE3wn
— iRadio (@ThisisiRadio) August 6, 2019
August 7th: We were back in Athlone as the iGoHome road trip went medieval in Athlone Castle!
Aiden found himself locked up in the stocks (for the first time we hope) and Oonagh was none to fussed about letting the poor man out:
David from the Athlone Castle showed Aiden and Oonagh the 'man trap'... sounds terrifying, but what is it exactly?
And the guys spoke to Joan Larkin from the Athlone Musical Society about their, erm... 'audition':
August 8th: It was the final day of our stop in Westmeath, and we saved some of the best until very last! With Rugby fever growing around the country the guys chatted to Jordan Conroy about Rugby 7s:
And what better way is there to wrap up a fun few days than a trad session? Aiden and Oonagh enjoyed a belter on board the Viking Tours boat in the Shannon:
Fionnuala Corbett - Co. Galway:
First cab off the rank is long time iRadio news presenter and drive-time host of The Lift Fionnuala Corbett.
Fionnuala hails from Co. Galway and she says she can't wait to spend time back home.
''I'm proud to be from Galway but to be honest I don't get to spend as much time there as I want to, so I am so excited to get back for a few days. Of course it's great to get to bring Dave along for the laugh as well!" She said.
"Obviously Galway is a fantastic place to be in the summer, so we really are going at the ideal time and fingers crossed the weather will hold up for us.''
''We'll be documenting all our Galway adventures on iRadio's Snapchat and Instagram, @thisisiradio, and if anyone has any suggestions for places we should go or people we should meet then let us know!''
Louise Clarke - Co. Galway:
Good things happen when you go west!
That's why we're excited to once again be heading to County Galway as The Hub's Louise Clarke goes back to where it all began.
Louise is on a mission to lift the lid on some of the unique things that make Galway...Galway!
Sharron Lynskey - Co. Mayo:
After two weeks in Galway it was time to move on...enter prodigal IRL presenter and prodigal Mayo daughter Sharron Lynskey!
Hailing from the village of Tooreen, there's green and red blood pumping through Sharron's veins and she can't wait to head home:
Oonagh O'Carroll - Co. Westmeath:
Home isn't necessarily a place, it can sometimes be more of a feeling, so wherever you feel at home is the right place for you.
And it was for AO Show presenter Oonagh O'Carroll, a native of Kerry who has found herself fallen for Co. Westmeath.
Having spent a number of years in the heart of Ireland now, Oonagh can't wait to showcase the best of what her adopted county has to offer!
Dave Duke - Co. Leitrim, Co. Sligo and Co. Donegal:
Not content with showing off just his native Leitrim, The Lift co-host Dave Duke is set to take us on a VIP of the entire LSD (Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal) region.
Born and bred in Leitrim, Dave hails from the very coveted position right on the border where these three mighty counties meet.
So, luckily for us we'll be receiving three for the price of one! Happy days.
