Two contestants in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, who have ties to South Tipperary, performed last night on the much-anticipated Dancing with the Stars Dedicated Dance Special. It was an emotional show in which contestants paid tribute to people who have made an impact on their lives and dedicated a dance to them. Philip Doyle, who won a bronze Olympic rowing medal with Clonmel’s Dara Lynch in Paris last year, performed on the show with his pro partner Daniela Roze. READ NEXT: IN PICTURES: Landmark 100th National Coursing Meeting takes place in Tipperary Philip hails from Banbridge in county Down but his great-grandfather was Bill Hyland from Clonmel, a renowned local athlete and cyclist in the 1930s and 1940s, who won All-Ireland titles in the hammer throw. Doyle dedicated his dance to his mother Una as he and his pro partner Daniela Roze danced a Samba to ‘Dancing Queen’ by Abba. Philip explained that he dedicated his dance to his mother because over the last ten years it has just been the two of them. READ NEXT: RIP: Tributes paid to Tipperary grandmother and former teacher following sad passing “My father passed away from pancreatic cancer the first year I started rowing, she’s been my support and I think she just deserves some kudos for her part in the last ten years.” Philip’s mother told viewers how proud she was of her son. “I’m very proud of him, not just of what he has achieved, but the person he’s become.” Philip said he was dedicating the dance to Una because it was only right to acknowledge the strength and the spirit she has put into me over the last ten years.” The ABBA song was chosen because both of Philip’s parents were huge ABBA fans and they saw a concert by the band while they were dating. Judges said that the duo committed to the whole number beautifully and that they ‘certainly embraced the cheese-fest’ with the ABBA number. They received a respectable 19 points. The second contestant to perform who also has a connection to Tipperary was
PICTURES: Dancers with Tipperary connections shine on Dancing with the Stars special
