21st century boy
He's a pop star, a manager, a TV presenter and a
father-to-be. One day, he might even be president of Ireland. We ask superman
Ronan how he does it....all!
He's a TV presenter...
"The Big Breakfast was the first presenting job I ever did. It
was a lot of fun and I had a good time presenting the outside broadcast. Then I
just did odd jobs here and there - radio and stuff. Then there was the Eurovision
Song Contest, The MTV Awards, Miss World and now I'm doing Get Your Act
Together. But I don't want to be seen as a presenter - it's just a bonus.
I'm a singer/songwriter and I find being a pop star a lot more fulfilling
because I love me music. I find presenting easy to do though, so it's good that
I can get away with that too.
"Plenty of things have gone wrong when I've presented shows - I've
forgotten my lines, where I'm supposed to be, all sorts of things... When I did
Miss World, I forgot the last line and said "And here's the next eleven
girls," and it went to an ad break. I went, (shouts) "Oh my
God, what do I do?!" Things go haywire every time - it never runs as
smoothly as it looks on TV. What did I think when Miss Ghana fell flat on her
bum? Oh, God love her, everybody felt so sorry for her, but you know fair play
for her, she got up and kept smiling. I'm sure I'd probably cry if I fell off
my high heels!"
He's Westside's manager...
"I moved into management because I like to see the other side of the coin.
It helps me as an artist, it makes my job easier and it teaches me a lot. Being
in management keeps my feet on the ground, because as much moaning as the pop
star does, the manager works as hard and I think it's very interesting to see
that.
"I try to be there for the Westside lads more than just giving them advice.
They know they can always knock on my door or pick up the phone and ask, "What
should we do?" I don't want to talk down to them, I want to help them. I
was there in the studio when they were recording their vocals, though - I think
that's important. Which if them is my favourite? I don't have one! I'm not
allowed to have a favourite. A lot of people say that Nicky looks like me and
can sing like me too. He can put on the voice, so I'm a bit worried, hahaha!"
It doesn't really worry me that Westside might end up being bigger than
Boyzone - if that happens, so be it. I want the boys to be the biggest group
they can be. At the same time I don't want them to change as people, and I think
it's important for them to keep their feet on the ground. If pop stars lose
their heads with success, it can go all pear-shaped. Westside are a good bunch
of lads . They're hardworking, they're very talented and I like them a lot. I
think they can go all the way."
He's going to become a daddy...
"Becoming a father is scary and daunting, but I'm looking forward to it, I
have to say. I'm reading all the books and I'm trying to learn as best I can,
but I'll do what I can when I get there. I just wanna take it as it comes, not
think about it too much.
" I'm a very strict person, I think, and I'll be strict with my child.
Moral values are very important to me and I hope I'll teach my child
thedifference between right and wrong. Whether they'll take any notice of what I
say is a different story!
"I'm a lot younger than my parents were when they had me, so I'm going to
try to relate to my kids a lot better. Not that I didn't relate to my parents -
it's just that I want to be young and be able to go down the pub and enjoy a
pint with my child. I want to grow up with them - play football and stuff, you
know? I'll change the nappies and everything, of course. Whatever it takes.
Please, God."
He's a good mate...
"Us Boyzone lads are still very much there for each other, but obviously
we've got our things at home now, so we break away from each other as soon as we
get home.
"I don't know whether we'll always see each other - people often drift
apart and end up living their own lives. I'm sure I'll see some of the boys, but
others will do their own thing. It's like a school - you have all the best
intentions of being together with your school friends for the rest of your
lives, but you just grow apart. Sad as it is, it happens. People end up living
in different countries and all sorts. I don't think the five of us are growing
apart now though - we're just growing up. We still love each other.
"We used to wind each other up, but we don't any more - we just shut our
mouths. We've got enough work to do each day without upsetting each other, so we
just do the gig and have a good time."
He could become president of Ireland...
"( Laughing ) I tell you, this has all gone mad because I was
joking about it one day and everybody took it seriously! I dunno, I'm just
enjoying myself and I'm doing very well with Boyzone. I'm very happy. But you
never know, I might just try it out. Dana (Irish winner of the Eurovision
Song Contest several centuries ago)had a go, so why can't I?
" I don't think a president has the power that everybody thinks - they're
just an ambassador for the country. But I could do a lot with Ireland, using my
experiences of travelling round the world and seeing so many other countries.
Also, I like to be in touch with people - I think that's very important......ah,
it sounds like I'm doing a campaign here! I don't want to be anything special -
I just want to be a normal person trying to relate to people.
" If I do run for president, it'll be a long time away, but I'm honoured
that people sometimes take me as an ambassador for the country. It's a very
proud feeling for me. I don't see myself as a spokesman but if they ask me I'll
be there.
"Would I talk about the Troubles in Ireland? Well, it's a sad and very
difficult situation to talk about, but hopefully one day my children will live
in a country that has peace. Please, God."
He's a pop god...
" It's so flattering, being screamed at. As soon as that stops, that's when
the whole thing ends, you know? Thank God we can still get people screaming at
us.
"In the past, we got a lot of grief for being a boy band, but we've
outgrown that and now people respect us. It's fantastic. Our next tour will be
wild. It's sold out already, but I've no idea what it'll be like. Yet.
I've still got a lot left in me that I have to express. That'll come out in my
later years when I find it easier to express myself, but I think I do a good
enough job of it at the moment. The Frank Sinatra thing (where he and Steve
performed a tribute to the now-deceased crooner at last years' Royal Variety
Performance)? It was a bit of a weird one, but it was an honour to work with
Barry (singing smoothie Barry Manilow) and we had a good time. It could
have been a lot better - we needed more rehearsal, but we'd only just come in
from New York that morning.
"I do listen to my own records, but I don't gloat over them in any way. I
learn from them, because I think it's important that you sing them better every
time. Singing-wise, I think ILTWYLM was my best performance yet - I'm just
getting better and better. But, you know, there's always room for improvement.
"...and he's a married man! (Boo! - quite a few
fans. Hurrah! - his wife Yvonne.)
I speak to Yvonne maybe ten times a day. We just phone to let each other know
how our day's going. I think it's very important to communicate. I think
understanding is very important as well. Caring, loving...that's what makes a
good husband. It's not that hard to be like that - every man should be.
"I'm not a traditional dominant man. but I'm always there for Eve (that's
short for Yvonne). I'll carry her into the house if she needs it, or open the
door....whatever she needs, I try my best. But we both work hard and we'll
continue to do so in the future - I don't believe in a man being the breadwinner
or anything like that. I do hog the remote control, though. When it comes to
technical things in the house, leave it to me. Yvonne will tell you that
herself.
"Eve definitely does most of the cleaning as well, She doesn't have to - we
have cleaners that come in - but I get home and the bedroom's clean. We do all
the food shopping together though. We cook together too. We were in a
supermarket two days ago - it was great!"