Twelve days early and catching his parents by surprise, Shane Filan junior made the sort of entrance his famous dad would have been proud of.
"He certainly didn't keep us waiting. He wasn't due until early February, and up until 8 p.m. last Friday there was no sign he was on his way. But an hour and a half later, he was here," Westlife's Shane told THE SLIGO CHAMPION, describing the early arrival of his third child, a brother for Nicole (4) and Patrick (18 months).
"There was no panic or anything like that, but we certainly weren't expecting it. Gillian started having pains at about eight o'clock, we went straight to Sligo General, and the baby was born exactly one hour and thirty-four minutes later," he explained.
Weighing in at 6 lbs 9 ounces, the new arrival will be named Shane Peter, after both his father and grandfather. The couple's first son was named Patrick Michael, after Gillian's dad.
"It's a family tradition to name children after fathers and grandfathers, so we're just following that really. I suppose I've always wanted a son named Shane, so I'm thrilled about that," the singer added.
He was singing the praises of the staff in the maternity department at Sligo General, who made sure everything went very smoothly.
"They were all fantastic. Our gynaecologist, Dr. Heather Langan, made sure all ran smoothly, and midwife, Carol, who helped deliver Shane, was a real angel. Everything happened so quickly, and we were all really well looked after," Shane added.
With three children under five years of age, it will be a busy household, particularly as Shane has a hectic summer schedule of concerts lined up with Westlife.
"We'll certainly have our hands full for a while, but we love it," he said. And is that the full set?
"You'd better ask Gillian that question --it certainly is for now!"
