The year was 2007 — Bertie Ahern was Taoiseach, Brian McFadden had a solo single at the top of the charts, and RTE released its reality show, Celebrities Go Wild.

If you cast your minds back, you may remember the reality TV show that tested Irish celebrities by forcing them to turn their backs on their lives of luxury and embrace one another in the depths of the wild — Connemara.

Yes, eight well-known faces signed up to be a part of the challenge which took place over the course of seven days.

The show was hosted by then-RTE favourites, Aidan Power and Anna Nolan who were already regularly featured by the national broadcaster on shows like The Afternoon Show and The Cafe.

Aidan was responsible for covering the live shows from camp, recapping the trials of the day and speaking with the on-site wilderness expert, Jamie Young.

While Anna found herself based in camp, helping the celebrities make it through a week of tough challenges.

The lineup was a blend of actors, musicians, models, and politicians, making up one of the most eclectic groups you’d ever imagine encountering in the wilds of Connemara.

The late Fair City actor Alan O’Neill and model Katy Fench were both a part of the lineup — Katy taking part just two months before her death in December 2007.

Daithi O Se, Michelle de Bruin, Victoria Mary Clarke, Tony Kenny, Mickey Joe Harte, and Michael Healy-Rae were the remaining six celebrities to ‘go wild’.

The show and its contestants were all working to raise thousands of euro for RTE’s People in Need Telethon.

After seven days being put to through their paces, Independent politician Michael Healy-Rae reigned supreme and was crowned The Wild Man of the West after the final three finalists arrived back in Westport for the results show.

However, four years later, news broke that of the votes cast in support of Healy-Rae, thousands of them were made from a phone inside Leinster House.

In 2011, it was revealed that over 3,600 calls were made in support of Michael Healy-Rae from a phone line within the Oireachtas.

The phone calls came at a cost of €2,639 to the taxpayer for the premium line used to make the calls.

Reports said the calls were all made over a 31-hour period, suggesting that whoever made the call was simply redialling for hours on end.

At the time, Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett said the calls were an ‘outrageous abuse of facilities’ with then-newly appointed Taoiseach Enda Kenny calling for the entirety of the taxpayer money spent on calls to be paid back.

Healy-Rae continued to deny that he had anything to do with the calls but did eventually agree to pay the money back.