Biography Nicky Byrne

Full Name: Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne

D.O.B.: 9 October 1978

Place of birth: Dublin, Ireland

Football Careers

Before joining Sligo based band IOU, Byrne was a footballer who played for Home Farm F.C. and St. Kevins Boys F.C. in North Dublin. He became a professional football player, and joined Leeds United as a goalkeeper in 1995, and was a squad member of the FA Youth Cup winning team of 1997 He played for Leeds for two years, leaving when his contract expired in June 1997.

It was not renewed as he wasn't tall enough and needed to grow another two inches - he never was able to meet these height requirements. He played in a reserve game for Scarborough F.C. and in a trial game with Cambridge United before returning to join Dublin club Shelbourne. He then signed for Cobh Ramblers playing 11 games, then St. Francis F.C., all in Ireland's League of Ireland. On the 14/5/09 Nicky was a substitute for a Liverpool FC Legends XI that played against an All Star XI in a Hillsborough Memorial match to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. All the proceeds from the match went to the Marina Dalglish appeal. He represented Republic of Ireland at U15, U16 and U18 levels.

Musical career

In June 1998, he attended an audition for a new Irish boyband, where he was spotted by Boyzone manager Louis Walsh, and Walsh approached him to join his new venture, Westlife. He joined Westlife along with Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Brian McFadden. Byrne also had a number 1 single in Ireland in 2002, alongside the Republic of Ireland national football team and Dustin the Turkey with the Irish World Cup anthem, 'Here Come The Good Times (Ireland)'. His first album with Westlife was released in November, 1999, titled Westlife. With Westlife, Byrne has had 14 UK number ones and 7 number one albums in the UK, and sold 40 million records worldwide.[4]

Family

He married his childhood sweetheart Georgina Ahern, daughter of the former Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern on 5 August 2003 at the Wicklow Registry Office, Wicklow, County Wicklow, Ireland. The civil ceremony was followed on Saturday August 9 by a church blessing at the Roman Catholic Church of St Pierre et St Paul in Gallardon, Eure-et-Loir, France and a reception at the nearby 16th century Château d'Esclimont.

Georgina gave birth to fraternal twin sons Rocco Bertie Byrne and Jay Nicky Byrne on 20 April 2007, 6 weeks premature. Rocco and Jay were christened on 15 July 2007 in the Saint Sylvester Church in Malahide, Dublin. Jay's godparents are Nicky's sister Gillian Byrne and her husband Mark Gallagher. Rocco's godparents are Georgina's sister Cecelia Ahern and Nicky's brother Adam Byrne. Nicky Byrne's father, Nicky Byrne Sr, died on November 3, 2009, from a suspected heart attack at the age of 60. Westlife's promotional tour of London was cancelled as Nicky flew back to Dublin to be with his family. A few months later his niece-in-law was born to his sister-in-law Cecelia Ahern and partner David Keoghan. It was a third grandchild for his father-in-law Bertie Ahern. The baby girl was called Robin and born in the Rotunda Hospitak, Dublin on the 13th of December 2009