You're a Star contestant Richie McCoy, has been busy touring dozens of Limerick schools and signing autographs for screaming fans.

The Limerick contestant in the You’re A Star competition is currently gearing up for his first live performance on the show this Sunday.

And Richie, from the Shelbourne Road, is asking people to get texting and vote for him when the popular TV show hits the air on RTE One.

Although everyone is a bit nervous about facing the wrath of the judges, the 27-year-old singer songwriter is certainly no stranger to the music scene.

He started playing music when he was seven in The Limerick School of music and has been gigging since the age of 13.

Linda Martin

His recently released an EP called Black and White, and sang his own song called Just Be You, for the auditions - despite all the other contestants singing covers.

He is qualified to teach classical flute and plays guitar, trombone, piano and four types of recorders.

The popular Limerick musician used to play in the Trinity Rooms. And nowadays, he is playing everywhere from city centre shops, schools the length and breath of the county, for sick children in the Regional Hospital, and the Crescent Shopping Centre.

Richie initially auditioned in Cork, where 24 chosen contestants were eventually whittled down to six at a singing boot camp in the RDS.

The auditions were then shown on TV in December, and the public voted for two people out of the six - including Richie.

"I was delighted to be picked. I was looking back at the show and my face nearly dropped when I was chosen. But I was fairly relaxed before that performance.

In fact I actually fell asleep in the dressing rooms before my name was called out because I had played 12 gigs that week,” he quipped.

Twelve acts will perform this Sunday in front of judges Brian Ormond, Linda Martin, Brendan O’Connor and Thomas Black.