Video « Thurles Information

Corrigan Brothers – There’s No One As Irish As Barack O’Bama

Three Irish brothers, born in the picturesque village of Puckane, Co.Tipperary, may well find themselves performing at Barack Obama’s presidential election celebrations in 38 days time. This is following the launch of their, now, household ditty and ode to the Illinois senator’s Moneygall ancestry. The song, “There’s No One as Irish as Barack Obama” which was officially launched worldwide today at Ollie Hayes’s bar in Moneygall, Co Offaly by Tipperary’s Local Radio station, Tipp FM, on the popular Fran Curry’s Classis Cafe live radio show, broadcast direct from Moneygall.

The Band consisting of Ger, Brian and Donnacha Corrigan, are presently living in Castletroy, Co.Limerick and have been gaining infamy over the last two years with their comedy ballad rap style band trading as the “Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys“. The band have made themselves well known to the Irish nation through their regular appearences on RTE’s Podge & Rodge and John Creedon shows. They are also well known through their lampooning of Irish Soccer players, Cork man Roy Keane and Thurles native Niall Quinn.

The brothers were forced to sing for visiting relations from an early age. They admit, however, tongue in cheek, to having received enough therapy to continue a musical career through their adulthood. Gerard, Brian and Donncha are multi instrumentalists who have individually had varied musical careers. Ger played in a rock band in the 80’s and competed in the Irish National Song Contest on two occasions while Brian and Donny followed a more folk style singing carreer which stretches back to the early nineties. The Corrigan Brothers came together four years ago as “Hardy Drew and the Nancy boys” and came to prominence with a rap in the native Irish language called “Cupla Focal” (meaning ‘a few words’). This year saw The Corrigan Brothers embrace the Irish roots of Barack Obama.

They have appeared on TV stations all over the world with this their new iconic song. They have featured in countless documentaries and performed the song on election night in Moneygall Co. Offaly, the confirmed ancestral home of Barack Obama.

Soon to be President, Obama’s Moneygall roots were brought to the forefront last year by Stephen Neill when it was revealed that the Illinois candidate’s third great grand grandfather, Fulmuth Kearney, (on his mother’s side) was the son of a Moneygall shoemaker who emigrated to the US in 1850.

Here’s the video.

And here’s the lyrics.

There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

You don’t believe me, I hear you say
But Barack’s as Irish, as was JFK
His granddaddy’s daddy came from Moneygall
A small Irish village, well known to you all

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama
There’s no one as Irish As Barack O’Bama

He’s as Irish as bacon and cabbage and stew
He’s Hawaiian he’s Kenyan American too
He’s in the white house, He took his chance
Now let’s see Barack do Riverdance

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama
There’s no one as Irish As Barack O’Bama

From Kerry and Cork to old Donegal
Let’s hear it for Barack from old Moneygall
From the lakes if Killarney to old Connemara
There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara
There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama
From the old blarney stone to the great hill of Tara
There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

2008 the White House is green, their cheering in Mayo and in Skibereen.
The Irish in Kenya, and in Yokahama,
Are cheering for President Barack O’Bama

O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara
There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

The Hockey Moms gone, and so is McCain
They are cheering in Texas and in Borrisokane,

In Moneygall town, the greatest of drama, for our Famous President Barack o Bama

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama
There’s no one as Irish As Barack O’Bama

The great Stephen Neill, a great man of God,
He proved that Barack was from the ‘Auld Sod’
They came by bus and they came by car, to celebrate Barack, in Ollie Hayes’s Bar

O’Leary, O’Reilly, O’Hare and O’Hara
There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

The Saturdays – Chasing Lights Album – Una Healy

The Saturdays are a new five piece girl group who are set to take the charts by storm with their debut album ‘Chasing Lights‘. Building on the success of the now immortal Spice Girls and reality TV show winners come superstars Girls Aloud, The Saturdays are starting to prove their might among their female pop star peers.

Their first two singles ‘If this is Love‘ and ‘Up‘ have heralded the beginning of the girls’ reign in the charts. And while Ireland remains synonymous for its successful boy-bands like Westlife and Boyzone, its girl groups (remember Bewitched and Belfire!) have never really fared as well as the boys.

While four of the five girls in The Saturdays are English, they are fronted by Thurles town native Una Healy.

Una should be very well known to our towns residents. She comes from a very musical background and began writing original music and playing guitar at the early age of thirteen. Una also fronted local rock band ‘Unreal‘ for a couple of years and was also a contestant on the RTE reality TV show ‘You’re A Star‘.

Before joining the Saturdays, Una won recognition in 2004 and 2006 by winning the Glinsk Song Contest. In 2006 she released an EP entitled ‘Sorry‘.

From RTE to MTV, Thurles is very proud to see Una achieve the success that has appeared to be so forthcoming for the last number of years. The Saturdays’ debut album ‘Chasing Lights‘ is in the stores now.

Spring Awakening – New Musical Hits West End Soon

Thurles has a strong association and appreciation of musical theatre, one which the town and its many musical groups and societies have been nurturing for many years. Vincé Productions and its Thoroughly Modern Musical brand have set a new precedent for musical awareness in Thurles one which has over the last two years has been introducing Thurles audiences to new musicals experiences. Spring Awakening is one such example.

Spring Awakening is arguably dramatic literatures best kept secret. Written in 1891, its author, one Frank Wedekind, remains synonymous for a play that’s depiction of the transparent forbidden indulgences and taboo real life experience of the teenage psyche, has seen it inherently banned from viewing audiences for well over a hundred years. The sexual consciousness and invariable unconsciousness of the play’s teenage contingent have remained Spring Awakening’s focus for contention, a contention which resonates as strongly in 2008 as it did way back in 1891. And yet Spring Awakening’s reinterpretation, it’s reawakening as a piece of musical theatre on 21st century Broadway has spawned more support, goodwill and success than any controversy attributed to its content ever has.

Debuting on Broadway in late 2006 and hitting the West End this coming January 2009, Spring Awakening is perhaps the most refreshing, unforgiving and emotionally charged musical set piece to have taken to the stage in years. It is so beautifully balanced and crafted. It’s gritty and subversive themes are interwoven with a brilliant rock and popscore provided by Duncan Sheik, with lyrics by Steven Sater. It’s a musical for the Ipod and MTV generation, something that teenagers and young adults the world over can appreciate.

The original Broadway cast featured the talents of Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele and John Gallagher to name but a few, all of whom has unwittingly become the voices for a teenage generation struggling to interpret the world around them. Songs such as ‘My Junk’, ‘Bitch of The Living’, ‘All That’s Known’ and ‘Song of Purple Summer’ have all in there own subtle way become the musical anthems for this new generation. Eight Tony Awards later and as anticipation builds for its arrival in London next January, Spring Awakening and the power of its message cannot be underestimated. This is a musical which is rewriting the rules of musical theatre as it sees fit.

A Modern Day Tour Of Thurles And Surrounding Villages

Pictures illustrated in this video show the modern day town of Thurles together with some of the churches from surrounding villages. The following picturesque and historial buildings are included in the video;