In front of a packed house at the Orfeum on Wednesday night, the first of our finalists, Gerard Lucy, shared with us some memories of early Hungarian language lessons prompted by the discovery of an unmarked blue folder in a filing cabinet in his office. He set the standard as this was the first time in the competition that a 10 appeared in scoring for a first contestant. Last-minute contender Pat Loughran took us on a tour of building sites and camogie pitches while comparing Irish Catholic and Protestant views on sex. Patrick McMenamin used his five minutes to lay out his manifesto in the run-up to a fictious Mayoral election. Is Budapest ready for a Scottish mayor in a kilt? Martin Zdarek shared the intimate details of his foray into Internet dating when he finally met his 85-year-old date after four years of emailing. Tim O'Sullivan gave a colourful account of a train journey to Romania which he shared with a backpacker he had nearly killed in Miami when she was 14. Yes, strange things come to light at the Gift of the Gab.

Going into the impromptu round, Patrick had a narrow lead over Martin. For Tim, the audience had to choose between The Dogs Bollox and How do you know you've been in Hungary too long. They opted for the latter. You know you've been in Hungary too long when you spend all day at the post office moving from window to window and it doesn't annoy you! Next up, Pat drew a tough pair - Life before smart phones and Spring, the sap is rising. The audience somewhat unenthusiastically opted for the first as the best of a bad lot - rules are rules! Gerard got the rather boring subject of football which the audience spurned in favour of Who would play Gerard a in a movie. Someone suggested George Clooney and was advised to go to Specsavers! Gerard reckoned he'd give the job to Robin Williams. The jury is still out. Martin stuck with his first draw - why do men prefer skinny women - and had the audience in stitches at his antics. Finally, Pat, the wannabe mayor, had to choose between why girls hate football and grandma vs chess players.  The audience went for girls and football and, as Patrick explained, it's simple - girls hate football because they can't get a Sunday roast on Monday..... You had to be there.

We had our second tie-break of the season with Martin and Patrick in close contention. Their subject: What do women want? I missed Patrick's account but believe that the sight of a jock removing his jocks on stage to show just exactly what those boys wear under their kilts was the punchline to a dramatic understanding of the fairer sex. Martin 'hey heyed' us through some questionnable dance moves and the thought of being 'strangely attracted' to this on-stage character crossed many a mind.

At the end of the day though - with two points in it - the man from Scotland took home the cup! Patrick McMenamin is the 2012 Gift of the Gab champion in Budapest.

Am still doing the math so more will follow when I figure out the final total. Thanks to all who took part on Wednesday. And thanks, too, to the judges - Gaston, Emese, Valerie, Brian and the democratic Czech Republic. 'Twas a great night...

Due to a last-minute cancellation, and thanks to my angel of mercy, the man who made something of Michael Jackson's glove will be on stage again this evening. Pat Loughran, our only tie-break competitor this season, will take the stage in place of Julian Ingram. You'll remember something similar happened (though not so last-minute) in the first GOTG when tie-breaker Steven Nelson stood in for heat winner Peter Fekete.

Doors open tonight at 6.30pm for those who'd like to get something to eat beforehand. The show itself starts at 8pm. See you all there.

The Irish Wheelchair Association has been in contact with Jack Doyle's and has asked that the Irish in Budapest can see what we can do to help their St Patrick's Day cause. Each year they sell their Angel Pins for €2.00 with all proceeds going to the IWA. They're cuter than all git out (God only knows there what American southernism just came from!). Anyway, pop a €2 coin in your pocket when you come along to the GOTG final on Wednesday and buy your pin there (I really really hope you've booked your table with the Orfeum by now!) If you're all out of euro, then it'll be 600 huf. Cheap at half the price. They make great St Patrick's Day 'bits of green' and a good cause is a good cause.

See ye all on Wednesday!

I've just been down to the Orfeum to buy my ticket (yes, even I have to buy one!) and tickets are going fast. We're limited to 140 places so call them soon to reserve your table. We're not yet appearing on their website so don't worry if you don't see us listed. Just pick up the phone and call. For details see www.orfeumclub.hu

The inimitable Mzs Bozo and Zoller are in full swing and everything appears to be under control (touch wood). We have the speakers, the scorekeeper, some great prizes, some excellent music , and a very supportive audience. What a great start to the St Patrick's Festival!

A huge thanks to those who have sponsored prizes for the final... so far we have Granthill Telecom Solutions, Erika Nash, Fox Auto Rent, Des and Judy Nix, Jameson, Guinness, Dez O'Connell, Hunters Harvest Wines and the IHBC...you're all angels! I say 'so far' because I know there are more of you out there just ready, willing and able to support this great cause. Just drop me an email at [email protected]. And we are working with Daniel at the Orphange to track down a suitable bed for Norbert. Don't forget to reserve your table through the Orpheum! See ya'll next Wednesday.

It's hard to believe that we're nearing the final - seems like only yesterday that I was roping in Tim O'Sullivan to participate in Round I. As you know, we're heading for the Orfeum for the grand occasion and plan a night full of entertainment and surprises. As the next day (March 15) is a holiday, we figured that you might want to party on after the speeches have finished and the winner has been crowned so THE JOKERS will be on stage with some great music and to tempt those budding singers amongst you to join them in a few songs. It'll be open mic for anyone who wants to be able to tell their mates that they 'played the Orfeum in Budapest'. Lots of bragging rights in that little sentence.

The event will be seated so tickets are limited. When you book your tickets you will also book your table. The gig itself will start at 8pm and you'll be able to come along earlier to eat. We'll have full table service throughout  - for those of you who haven't seen this place, you're in for quite the experience.

We've raised more than 400 000 huf so far and our aim is to put a minimum of 600 000 in the bank towards that bed for Norbert. Tickets for the final are 2000 ft each and need to be booked in advance. You can book them directly through the Orfeum website or buy from their box office any evening from 4pm onwards.  We'll be working with them this weekend and booking should be fully operational by Monday. Looking forward to your continued support and to seeing you there on March 14.