NEWBRIDGE native Ryan McLoughlin has been enjoying some downtime in his hometown over the past few weeks, enjoying a lie-in, catching up with old friends and of course appreciating the mammy’s cooking.

It’s a far cry from what he has been up to for the past few months which has been spent with his fellow Hometown band members, Louis Walsh’s latest boy band, living in a two-bedroom apartment in Canary Wharf in London. Six into two doesn’t go and Ryan and Brendan got stung with sleeping on the couches.

So life with a boy band is not all glamour and glitz. “Some of it is,” said Ryan but there is also a lot of hard work attached to it and one thing he is not afraid of is hard work.

Hometown have been enjoying a very busy itinerary over the past few months playing support to The Vamps and McBusted, rehearsing and doing promotions, so Ryan really enjoyed his visit home and the opportunity to enjoy a bit of time off before heading to London last week to join his band mates

But he will be back in Ireland next month when the band plays its first every gig in Co Kildare. The Clanard Court Hotel in Athy plays host to the band on Sunday 25 October (Bank Holiday Sunday).  “My friends will have no excuse not to come,” joked Ryan, “Athy is only down the road.”

Ryan McLoughlin from Hometown takes a ‘selfie’ with TY students from Árdscoil na Tríonóide, Mary Fennin and Anna Moore from the Clanard Court Hotel

Last week Ryan took time out to drop along to the Clanard to say hello and to meet with TY students from Árdscoil Na Trionóide from Athy are carrying out a social media project for the Clanard related to promoting the concert which will be reviewed by Louis Walsh.

Ryan, who grew up in Mount Carmel and Standhouse Rise in Newbridge, always enjoys getting home. “Nothing has really changed in Newbridge,” he said. He comes from a musical family. His granddad plays the accordion and his dad, Jason O’Donoghue, is also a talented musician. “Dad was the person who really introduced me to music as such,” said Ryan who grew up listening to the likes of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. “He showed me Greenday, they were only starting out and he introduced me to groups like Stiff Little Fingers,” said Ryan. Ryan counts singer songwriter John Meyer as the biggest musical influence on his life at the moment.

Ryan first picked up a guitar at the age of 12 and has never really looked back. “I didn’t ever play to impress others, I was a bit shy and I really wanted to express myself,” he said. In third year in PBS (Patrician Boys’ School) he decided to audition for the school choir. He sang Leonard Cohen’s  Hallelujahand wowed the teachers who were on the judging panel.

Fast forward a few years to another successful audition, this time in front of boy band impresario Louis Walsh. Ryan was first to get the call from Louis telling him he had got one of the coveted six spots in the band.

And so he met Cian, Dayl, Breslin, Dean and Josh who have become friends and workmates.

The boys have been working hard since they were first put together by Louis and while they may not yet have reached the dizzying heights of worldwide fame they have shown they are not afraid of the commitment needed to make it big in the business.

“We have found the sound that we want and we have built a fan base,” said Ryan who is looking forward to the release of their latest single at the end of October. “We’ll be busy doing all the promotions for that.”

So what about that big gap in the market that is soon to be left by the break-up of One Direction?

“Regardless of whether One Direction is splitting up or not we have been working away and have the belief that we can make it,” said Ryan. “But if their fans are looking for a new band to follow…well,” laughs Ryan.

Hometown play the Clanard Court Hotel on Sunday 25 October. Doors open t 6.30pm and concert (with full support) starts at 7.30pm. Tickets, priced at €22.50 are available from the hotel reception of on line through www.clanardcourt.ie