AN IRISH nursing home is making a worldwide request for video entries to their unique talent show.
Carrigoran House, based in Newmarket-On-Fergus in County Clare, has come up with a wonderful way to keep their residents entertained and in touch with the outside world as they cocoon to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
Staff at Carrigoran House came up with the idea to host a virtual talent show, with families and friends of the nursing home residents submitting videos showcasing their talents-- be it music, dancing, magic or playing sport-- which the residents would then mark and judge with the intention of choosing an overall winner at the end.
Simon Cowell who?: Residents at Carrigoran House watch some of the talent show videosThe first showcase of talent saw the judges taking their new roles very seriously as they watched all the submissions, with a spokesperson for the nursing home saying "it brought so much joy to our residents".
"They sang along, tapped their feet to the music and laughed along with the videos".
RTÉ News visited the home to learn more about the talent show and reported that one resident, Michael O'Toole, who was diagnosed with advanced dementia at 64 years of age, had a breakthrough moment while watching a video of himself that his wife sent in to the talent show.
"That's me!" he said, pointing at the screen and slapping his knee as the years-old video of him singing appeared on the screen.
His wife, Jackie, told the outlet that her husband rarely engaged anymore and said that his reaction to the video was extremely touching and emotional.
And the show isn't over yet-- Carrigoran House are still looking for entries, from as many people as possible and from all across the globe, to bring joy to the residents, raise money for the not-for-profit home, and for the chance to win a number of prizes.
Submissions are open until 31 May and the winners, chosen by the residents of Carrigoran themselves, will be announced on 3 June.
All you need to do is record a one-minute video of yourself, your family or your workplace, showcasing your talents-- whether it's bashing on the drums, doing cartwheels, belting out a song or anything in between-- and submit it to Carrigoran's Call for Talent (you can check out the Facebook page here.
Each entry costs just €5, which can be paid to the Carrigoran House's GoFundMe page which you can find here.
Good luck everyone, and hopefully Carrigoran House's resident Simon Cowell doesn't go too hard on you...
See More: County Clare, Nursing Home, Talent Show
