Eurostar, has there been an official announcement that Irish (Republic) voting will not resume this year? If so, what is the reason being given?

It seems strange that they would hold auditions in Dublin, then turn around and disenfranchise Irish citizens from voting.

Certainly doesn't help Mary, either. She's bound to have an Irish fan base.

The latest we heard from Louis on Tuesday is that there is no voting from the Republic of Ireland.

But I've read since then that TV3 are still pushing Talkback Thames to allow Irish voting : it could make all the difference to how far Mary progresses.....if she's competing with no home support unlike nearly every other act,it leaves her at a disadvantage.

Congratulations on Mary getting through to the final 12 from a Matt supporter.

Well done Mary

Wow the best tonight!

(hi Neelia btw!)

hi Dolphin

We seem to end up in the same places

Great performance from her for her debut : well done Mary

What a voice, I hope Mary goes far.

Because we have the same great taste

Amazing performance, she should go far!

I thought Mary was tremendous on tonight's show. Well done to her.

She was sensational tonight.

Mary was truly fantastic tonight, definitely the best of the night

Best performance of the night, I thought.

Mary did not disappoint, did she now?

What an amazing night for her, I would have loved to have been present in the studio. Have an e-mail from someone who was and he reports that some crew members were in tears during her ovation.

Hard-bitten lot, they are too.

Whatever happens in the weeks to come can never take this away from her,

I spy rats

Loved Mary tonight, totally nailed it and the audience loved her too

Hi Rattie

I'm a koala now as well as a RAT

The ovation she got from the crowd was incredible : I think the applause and cheering went on for at least a minute and Dannii couldn't even start her comments,so loud were the cheers.

Mary was excellent last night, wow!

Great first performance from Mary. I'm just hoping that Louis isn't going to go down the predictable route with her. No I Will Always Love You/Without You/One Moment in Time/All By Myself etc etc

If she gets that far, you can bet she'll get Summertime/Feelin' Good in Big Band week

She'll totally shine in big band wk.. delighted ireland can vote for her i'm on the phone non stop we need to keep her in!

I'm not there yet but Mary is in with a shot if and when I start voting. I wish her well

After holding back on the betting I've placed £100 on Mary to win
at 10-1 (through a friend in London as I'm resident in the US and cannot place a bet online). My best guess is that there will be a Final 4 of Mary, Aiden, Cher, and 1 Direction, and that Aiden and Cher will split enough of the same demographic that only one of them will make it to the Final 3. I'm thinking it will be Mary vs 1 Direction in the Final, and she'll win by a fair margin.

I wish I'd have seen clear to do this before the weekend; last year I put the same amount on Joe at about the same time at 17-1. I believe I could have got 18-1 on Mary before her performance. But it was the performance that convinced me she can win this thing. She's got the X Factor, and she's got a voice. She really leaves the competition in the shade.