Ear-splitting screams and a swirl of confetti greeted the news last night that Mickey Joe Harte, from Lifford, Co Donegal, was on his way to Latvia to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest, writes Róisín Ingle
After 20 weeks, thousands of dashed hopes and more murdered Mariah Carey ballads than on the average karaoke night, RTÉ's You're a Star talent trawl came to a dramatic end.
Harte's a star - at least that was the view of the 1.3 million people who texted and phoned their support for the Co Donegal man and the winning song, We've got the world, written by Keith Molloy and Mark Brannigan.
Losing finalist Simon Casey was stoic on hearing that his performance of Westlife star Brian McFadden's song A Better Plan had not succeeded in elevating him to Eurostardom.
Casey, a 22-year-old from Ballycumber, Co Offaly, had looked nervous from the start of the evening while Harte (29) bounded onto the stage at Mahony Hall at Dublin City University, Glasnevin, with confidence, watched by his wife, Louise, and two children, Kayleigh (11) and Kyle (7).
During an emotional press conference, Harte dedicated the victory to his father, Jimbo, who is seriously ill. "I thank him for making me believe in myself and helping me achieve my goals."
The final four people in the competition provided a good indication of how the music scene in Ireland was likely to go in the next few years, he said. The people in the North deserved the win as much as he did.
It was a night of high drama and hair gel. It came down to a choice between Casey, a prototype boyband member with the voice of an angel, and Harte, a seasoned singer-writer with unrivalled crowd-pleasing skills.
Throughout the series, Casey cultivated a sophisticated image of sharp suits and polished boots. Harte, meanwhile, often went for the dishevelled look, teaming his suits with trainers and sporting "bed-head" hair. Both are expected to have records out soon. The Mahony Hall was a frenzy of text-messaging on Saturday night when voting took place. Over the last few months, DCU has been transformed into a "Fame Academy", with students schooled in stage presence and tested every week by judges Kerry McFadden, Louis Walsh, Phil Coulter and Dan Smith.
For fans of reality television, pop music and friendly rivalry, Sunday nights will never be the same. Until next year of course.