Mark's time out in Athboy ahead of Kodaline concert

‘The Winner Takes It All’ was the title of one of Abba’s hits from their 1980s ‘Super Trouper’ album. It’s not always true though, especially in the world of television music talent shows.
Take One Direction. Olly Murs. Susan Boyle. JLS. Cher Lloyd. Even our own Jedward and Mary Byrne. None of them won the ‘X-Factor’ or ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, but in most cases, did far better than those who did.
Then there was 21 Demands. Finished second in RTE’s ‘You’re A Star’ in 2007. The winner of ‘You’re A Star’ that year was David O’Connor from Wexford, a former jockey who worked with trainer Ferdy Murphy. Has he been heard of since? No idea. Has 21 Demands been heard of since? Yes, but not as we know it.
21 Demands are now Kodaline, and are headlining the New Year’s Festival in Dublin this week, having experienced tremendous success in the last couple of years. The line-up includes Mark Prendergast from Swords, whose family is originally from Athboy, and who is a frequent visitor to his grandmother, Mary Butler of Park View, and many cousins there.
Mark was in Athboy last week, spending time with family and friends over the festive season, after finishing recording on a new album. His father, Padraig Prendergast, is a son of former Athboy Garda, the late Dan Prendergast and his late wife, Maureen, and Butler cousins around the town include the Brogans and the Clarkes. His grandfather, the late Dan Butler, passed away some years back. Other relatives include the Bradys in Kildalkey.
Guitarist Mark and singer Steve Garrigan have been childhood friends since they attended Colaiste Choilm in Swords, and have been playing music together for 10 years, putting together groups for battle of the bands competitions. Thin Lizzy number were a favourite.
They were very young when they took part in ‘You’re A Star’ only 17 or 18 at the time, but Mark says that it gave them an insight into the music industry.
“It gave us an insight into it, put fire in our belly,” he says.
In March 2007, 21 Demands released their own single called ‘Give Me a Minute’ through digital downloads on the RTÉ website. They made chart history when the single topped the Irish Singles Chart, becoming the first independently released track to achieve this feat.
But they were very young at the time, and unsure of where they wanted to be as a band. The four-piece drifted off to work and college, and it was only a few years later that they reformed, with newcomer Jason Boland joining Mark, Steve and Vinny May.
“We began to focus on our music, and writing songs, and signed a deal within two years,” Mark, who will be 26 in January, explains.
This led to the release of their first studio album, ‘In A Perfect World’ in 2013, which included ‘High Hopes’, ‘All I Want’, ‘Love Like This’, and ‘Pray’. Since that first EP, they have been on a roll, with their music featured in movies and television, and performances at festivals all over the world.  February sees the release of their second album, ‘Coming up for Air’.
“We’ve really been following the album around, everywhere from America to Japan,” Mark says. There was an Australian tour in 2014, as well as dates across England and Europe.
They got home earlier than expected when one of the band members suffered a broken arm, but it meant that they had more time to work on their new album, which they have been recording since their return.
And this week’s new year’s eve gig in Dublin will be one of the biggest they have done, with a crowd of 20,000 expected, as well as live television coverage, which means Granny Butler will be able to see Mark perform. He has been spending time out with his family over the Christmas period, in Dublin as well as in Athboy, where he enjoys slipping into Fagan’s Bridge Bar for a quiet pint, after what he describes as “a busy year”. It doesn’t look like there will be much time for ‘coming up for air’ in 2015!