This certainly was a year for Irish Pop music to remember when it came
 to the Smash Hits Awards!!!!!!! We came away withh 8 altogether!!!!        

***********************************************************************
BOYZONE WON  6.....

BEST BAND ON PLANET POP 98
BEST SINGLE OF 98--- ( FOR " NO MATTER WHAT" )
BEST POP VIDEO ----- ( ALSO FOR " NO MATTER WHAT" )

and a certain MR. RONAN KEATING Won...

BEST DRESSED MALE.................(BTW STEVE CAME 4TH)
PRINCE OF POP 98..................(BTW STEVE CAME 7TH)
MOST FANCIABLE MALE ON THE PLANET. ( AND STEVE CAME 9TH)



When asked What his Highlight of 98 was, Ronan Keating answered 
" Winning All Those Smash Hits Awards"
(What about your marrige, and expected ickle babby then Ro?)
(He wasn't think ing about personal life when he answered the question.)
***********************************************************************


B*WITCHED GOT THE TITLE OF

BEST NEW ACT OF 1998....(with another irish band, the CORRS, coming 8th)



The Girls were absoltely delighted with this, and appreciated it as a 
reward for all their hard work!

************************************************************************

BEST NEW TOUR ACT


Ther was a bit of Irish Rivalry going on here!!!!
2 of the nominated bands touring with Smash Hits were WESTSIDE 
( Co-managed by Ronan Keating, and Louis Walsh) and MY TOWN, an Irish
band who have got a 14 Million record deal with Universal records in 
America.


ANd The Winners were......

WESTSIDE!!!!!


Nicky, Bryan, Shane, Kian, and Mark, hailing from Sligo, are the next 
band to win the award that helped Boyzone, Five, and the Backstreet
 boys on their leap to fame.
Catch them supporting Boyzone, and read my exclusive interview with them
only on the Irish Pop  page.

*************************************************************************



As well as all of this, Stephen Gately of Boyzone co presented the
 massive budget show, The Corrs performed, and in the Category of
"BEST NON BRITISH BAND"  The Corrs (No.7) B*Witched (No.5), and Boyzone (No.2)
were pipped to the post by the BSB.


It is definitley an era for Irish Pop Music.....keep it up everyone!