Ciaran bows out of The Voice of Ireland

Ciaran sang his own take of Aha’s ‘Take on Me’ in Sunday’s live quarter-final but failed to impress the judges.

His own mentor, Rachel Stevens, choose Laura O’Connor instead of Ciaran to go into this week’s semi-finals, but it was obvious it wasn’t an easy decision for the ex-S Club 7 singer.

A show insider said: “It was really difficult for her - she had two really talented artists in front of her. But eventually she chose Laura who also burst into tears on the stage. Ciaran was a real gentleman about it too.”

Many of the critics had also singled Ciaran out early on in the series after his blind audition of ‘Creep’.

Last week Ciaran told the ‘Journal’ of his unique singing, “I tried to be moulded into a commercial aesthetic, whereas now and through the show I finally respect myself and believe in my ability.”