| "There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Hardy Drew & The Nancy Boys | |
| Released | 2008 |
| Genre | Folk,novelty,comedy |
| Songwriters | Ger, Brian and Donnacha Corrigan |
"There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama" is a humorous folk song written in 2008 by the Irish band Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys[1] (later known as the Corrigan Brothers), and set to a tune derived from a traditional air.[clarification needed] The song celebrates the Irish ancestry of the thenDemocratic candidate forPresident of the United States,Barack Obama. The song was a minor hit in the Irish charts, peaking at number 24 in November 2008.
Obama's maternal roots have been traced back toMoneygall inCounty Offaly,Ireland in the 19th century.[2] Moneygall has a population of 298 people.[3] Obama had previously remarked, "There's a little village in Ireland where my great-great-great grandfather came from and I'm looking forward to going there and having a pint," prompting the IrishTaoiseachBrian Cowen - also a native of County Offaly - to invite him to do so.[4]
Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys consists of brothers Ger, Brian and Donnacha Corrigan fromCastletroy,County Limerick.[5] The song was performed by the band's lead singer Ger Corrigan, with Aedhmar Flaherty, Róisín O'Brien and Aodhán Ryan, in Ollie Hayes's pub in Moneygall.[4] It was originally written by the established group in February 2008, and the group have since appeared on several Irish television and radio shows.[6] It has since been featured onMSNBC showHardball with Chris Matthews.[5][7]
The song, which received huge publicity in America and was described as a "web hit" by theBBC,[2][5] became popular after being released on YouTube,[2] and as of 6 November 2008 it had over 50,000 hits (80,000 by 10 November, 300,000 by 15 November, whilst Black's version had 700,000); the band reported that they had been invited to perform in the anticipated victory celebrations for Obama, and at theIrish-AmericanDemocrats inauguration party in Washington in January 2009.[8]
Ger Corrigan alleged that Shay Black, brother of Irish musicianMary Black, "hijacked" the song and claimed a co-writing credit while failing to acknowledge Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys' authorship of the original version, a charge Black denied.[5][6][7]
It is very simple, he sent me an email in June asking if he could add some verses for aband camp he was holding … It was then posted onYouTube as if it had been written entirely by him - a claim repeated on his own website and by bloggers and national media. He never gave us any credit.... We demanded he take it down but he refused. This is a complete hijacking; if I add two verses to "Hey Jude" it doesn't mean I wrote it. To say we are not impressed is an understatement - this is pure opportunism.
— Band member Ger Corrigan in reference to Shay Black, as reported by theLimerick Leader.[5]
Both sides sought legal advice; the band contacted YouTube's solicitors as well as a copyright solicitor before announcing in a press release that the dispute had been resolved.[5][6][9]
JournalistFintan O'Toole criticized the song inThe Irish Times for "its ignorance of cultural history", claiming that it was inappropriate givenIrish Americans' history of racism againstAfrican Americans, and that emphasizing Obama's Irish heritage would be "muscling in on his parade".[10] Canon Stephen Neill, the rector of Moneygall who accompanied the band on their American trip, responded that it was only a pop song, and that African Americans had universally welcomed them.[11]
Ger Corrigan later reported that the Corrigan Brothers had signed a deal with Universal for two singles and one album, with an option on a second album.[12][13]
In March 2011, the Corrigan Brothers released a new version of their song for radio play to celebrate Barack Obama's visit to Ireland the following May. EntitledWelcome Home President Barack O'Bama, the song focused on Obama's visit to his ancestral home in Moneygall.[14]
The song was later used in a humorous Instagram post by Obama celebrating St. Patrick's Day for 2024.[15]
