15 May 2008 '4 Minutes' is Madonna's last Irish number one single. After that, she has two singles in 2008-09 that both peak at number 10, then a 2012 track that only reaches no. 11... and since 2012 Madonna hasn't had any single crack the Irish top twenty. Not that the House of Ciccone will … Continue reading Madonna and Justin Timberlake – ‘4 Minutes’
Author: Aidan Curran
Sharon Shannon with Mundy – ‘The Galway Girl’
10 April 2008 When Johnny Cash saw a late-career resurgence with sparse, stripped-back acoustic covers of 'Hurt' and 'Personal Jesus' in 2002, I waited to hear if the new Cash fans in Ireland would also rave about 'Forty Shades Of Green'. I waited in vain. Not that I have anything against that harmless ballad; I'm … Continue reading Sharon Shannon with Mundy – ‘The Galway Girl’
Glenn Keating and Greg Ryan – ‘The Munster Song’
3 April 2008 We've had nine Irish number ones about Irish and Man United soccer (not counting two football-related charity fundraisers plus a comedy ballad with a verse about a footballer from Cork), one about Wexford hurling, another that asks will Galway bate Mayo (answer: not if they have Willie Joe) but this is Ireland's … Continue reading Glenn Keating and Greg Ryan – ‘The Munster Song’
Del Shannon – ‘Little Town Flirt’
1 March 1963 As with Frank Ifield in 1962, our new-fangled official Irish singles chart comes a bit too late for Del Shannon's signature track, his wonderful 1961 hit 'Runaway'. I presume 'Runaway' sold plenty in Ireland anyway, but so far as Irish chart history is concerned it wasted its sweetness on the desert air. … Continue reading Del Shannon – ‘Little Town Flirt’
Jet Harris & Tony Meehan – ‘Diamonds’
22 February 1963 Pop pickers of 1963 surely knew Jet Harris and Tony Meehan as previously the bass player and drummer with The Shadows. Pop pickers of more recent origin won't recognise those names but instead will no doubt remark on how the acoustic guitar and bass on their hit single 'Diamonds' were played respectively … Continue reading Jet Harris & Tony Meehan – ‘Diamonds’
Flo Rida ft. T-Pain – ‘Low’
27 March 2008 Our first Irish number one from a San Marino Eurovision entrant, 'Low' is also the first of Flo Rida's six chart-toppers here. Given his chart dominance in the late '00s and early '10s, his unlikely Sammarinese repping in 2021 felt like a punchline to the gag of how far Flo Rida's star … Continue reading Flo Rida ft. T-Pain – ‘Low’
U2, The Dubliners, Kíla and A Band of Bowsies – ‘The Ballad Of Ronnie Drew’
6 March 2008 Christy Dignam, who has died just a few days before I write this, didn't have an Irish number one single with his band Aslan. However, as a credited member of A Band of Bowsies, the collective noun for the plethora of Irish singers appearing here, this is the third time we've seen … Continue reading U2, The Dubliners, Kíla and A Band of Bowsies – ‘The Ballad Of Ronnie Drew’
The Shadows – ‘Dance On!’
8 February 1963 Elaine Murtagh from Cork, a singer with English-based vocal group The Avons, co-wrote 'Dance On!' with her English sister-in-law (and fellow Avon) Valerie Murtagh. This gives Elaine Murtagh and Cork the distinction of the first Irish person to write an Irish number one single - in fact, the first Irish person to … Continue reading The Shadows – ‘Dance On!’
Cliff Richard – ‘The Next Time’ / ‘Bachelor Boy’
11 January 1963 The first full year of the official Irish singles chart brings us three number ones from Cliff Richard. What's more, one of those three will be Cliff's first Christmas Irish number one. I'm amazed they didn't give up on the new charts after that, just re-think the clearly ill-starred enterprise. For those … Continue reading Cliff Richard – ‘The Next Time’ / ‘Bachelor Boy’
Duffy – ‘Mercy’
28 February 2008 The title and chorus lyric of 'Mercy' feel unfortunate since Duffy revealed the appalling ordeal she subsequently endured. (Content warning for that link: genuinely traumatic events.) Anyway, despite only topping the Irish charts for two non-consecutive weeks this was one of the biggest songs of 2008. A work client of mine even … Continue reading Duffy – ‘Mercy’
