A transatlantic collaboration by two of County Donegal’s best loved exports has resulted in a superb Christmas song!
Mickey Joe Harte and Rory & the Island have unveiled a belter of a Christmas duet called ‘Hey! Home for Christmas’ that is sure to light up our radios and Spotify playlists this December!
The single is a very modern feat written by Mickey and Rory over Zoom and WhatsApp, and similarly recorded in two different countries with Mickey recording his guitar and vocals in Donegal and Rory recording his parts in Lanzarote.
It’s something that could not be done 20 years ago, and the project is a nod to the many Irish abroad.
The lyrics focus on the phenomenon of young Irish people returning home from their current abode in Australia, Dubai, London, New York etc and walking into their local pub and seeing an ex-partner with feelings lingering, perhaps sadly only on one side of the relationship.
The groove of the song is both happy and sad which adds a hidden depth that can be overlooked in most jolly Christmas releases.
Have a listen here:
Mickey Joe Harte needs little introduction since becoming a household name in Ireland in 2003 when he proudly represented us with his hit single ‘We’ve Got the World Tonight’. This song has since become a cult classic being played in student clubs, weddings, parties and Irish pub jukeboxes all around the world. It even had a Top 20 chart e-entry last summer when it was released “As Gaelige” and earned Mickey a slot at this year’s Electric Picnic.
In between all this Mickey has released 3 studio albums and co-written and recorded with the likes of Paul Brady, Moya Brennan and even The 2 Johnnies… who wrote a cheeky tribute song for him “Mad for Mickey” on their recent no. 1 album.
Rory Gallagher (Rory & the island) has had a very colourful career in the music business since bursting onto the scene with his previous band The Revs in 2001.
After The Revs’ debut single ‘Wired to the Moon’ entered the Irish Top 20 in the summer of 2001 they scored 2 top 5 albums in Ireland and toured the world playing Slane Castle and supporting the likes of Oasis and Greenday.
After the Revs disbanded in 2008 Rory set up his solo music project Rory & the Island and achieved great success opening his own music live venues in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, co-recording with the likes of the late great Shane McGowan, releasing four studio albums, and racking up over three million listens on Spotify with his quirky GAA hit ‘Jimmy’s Winning Matches’ entering the Irish top ten in 2012 and again recently in 2024. Rory and his wife Cara currently own ‘The Irish Viking’ pub in Lanzarote where Rory is now resident musician 6 nights a week.