TV actor and Kildare tutor Johnny Ward is runner-up of 'Dancing With the Stars Ireland'

It was a memorable Sunday night on Dancing With The Stars Ireland with presenter Mairéad Ronan was crowned the overall winner and taking home the famous glitterball trophy with Love/Hate actor Johnny Ward coming in as the runner-up. After an impressive twelve weeks of dancing it all boiled down to three dances each for celebrity competitors Maired Ronan, actor Johnny Ward and country singer Cliona Hagan, and the celebrities all delivered memorable performances that delighted the judges and the audience-with a few special guests in attendance including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a hotly anticipated performance from Westlife. The three finalists all danced three categories; judges choice for a previous dance they had done, couples' favourite and finishing up with a showdance to show-case all of their best dance moves in one dance. For their first dance, Love/Hate actor Johnny Ward and his professional dance partner Emily Barker performed an energetic judges' choice of the Foxtrot, scoring 28 points. Next up the couple chose their favourite dance of the Jive and they received a standing ovation and a score of 30 points. But it was their showdance that delighted audiences and their acrobatic dance perfectly showcased Johnny's natural ability as a dancer, earning them an impressive 30 points. [caption id="attachment_272448" align="alignnone" width="371"] Johnny and Emily danced a perfectly balanced Foxtrot[/caption]     [caption id="attachment_272446" align="alignnone" width="240"] Johnny and Emily performed an energetic Jive[/caption]     [caption id="attachment_272444" align="alignnone" width="362"] Their acrobatic showdance performance went down a storm with judges and fans alike[/caption]         [caption id="attachment_272453" align="alignnone" width="349"] Mairead Ronan and her dance partner John Nolan were crowned the winners of Dancing With the Stars Ireland[/caption] The three judges were full of praise for Johnny and Emily after their showdance, and judge Julian Benson described the dance as Johnny's 'crowning moment' and thanked him for taking part in the show, while Brian Redmond said that Johnny was a 'great dancer' and they had 'smashed the boundaries out of the park. Lorraine Barry said that the couple had been 'fabulous; throughout the competition, repeatedly providing consistent and exciting performances. It's been a difficult and emotional journey for Johnny after the sad passing of his father John Ward, 72, in hospital last month. He said: "It's been difficult and it's been really tough, but I've learned so much about myself. We were delighted to get into the finals." However, the night belonged to 'Getaways' presenter and mum-of-three Mairead Ronan, who had initially been reluctant to enter the competition after the birth of her third child. Mairead and dance partner John wowed the audience with all three of their dances, fending off both Johnny and Cliona Hagan who also gave a stellar performance, to lift the glitterball after receiving the most votes from the public.