JOE Men of the Year Awards 2015: Viral Internet Hero of the Year

This year’s Harlem Shake and ice bucket challenge rolled into one.

We probably don’t say it often enough, but here at JOE we can’t express enough gratitude to the readers who provide us with such great content on a regular basis. Not a day or a week goes by that we don’t see, hear or read about the experiences of our readers and some of those tales end up making an impact far beyond this website. The five nominees for Viral Internet Hero of the Year below did just that; cast your vote for your favourite at the bottom of the page.

The three Irish dancers in UCC

As soon as we set eyes upon this video, we predicted that the three men in it would be superstars and just under 78,000 shares of the story would appear to validate that opinion. The three lads in question are Kieran Hardiman, Alan Kenefick and Ciaran Plummer and the video, filmed by Brian Doherty on the grounds of University College Cork, sees them perform a routine called Freedom, set to a speech by Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator, with music by The Glitch Mob. If you haven’t seen it, watch it now and even if you have, watch it again; it’s that good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thjctEd7O_Y

The Westmeath Dad reacting to their Leinster Championship victory over Meath

Some say the Leinster Football Championship doesn’t matter anymore, but it mattered a whole lot to the Westmeath fans who witnessed their first ever Championship victory over Meath back in July. It wasn’t just the victory itself, it was the manner of it – overturning an eight-point half-time deficit to win by four points after an incredible comeback – that made it so sweet. Nobody enjoyed it more than this guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1kXfLbvoZw

Ruairí McSorley – The ‘Frostbit’ Kid

It’s not often that one line can propel a man to stardom, but as soon as everyone heard Ruairí McSorley’s brief weather forecast last January, they knew that he was a star in the making. After a few weeks of hanging on his every word, we haven’t seen or heard much of Ruairí lately, but with the cold weather about to return, his warning will soon be as relevant (and hilarious) as it was when he first uttered it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLMrHRuhxO4

The Irish guys who blagged their way into the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is unquestionably one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. It is watched by millions worldwide, tickets are like gold dust and the level of hype that surrounds it is on another level, even for US Sports. So to be there is kind of a big deal. Two Irish lads were in Arizona for this year’s edition and not only did they get into the University of Phoenix Stadium, they got in by walking straight through the front door. For free. They then sat in the best seats beside an NFL legend, Lawyer Milloy (and wore his Super Bowl ring above) were interviewed on TV and generally had a whale of a time. Legends.

The Irish guys who went on their Debs and ended up in Paris

The Debs is supposed to be a memorable experience for Leaving Cert students, a night to celebrate the end of one of the toughest years of your life with your friends before your lives take different paths. If there’s one night where you might as well sit back and let the wind take you wherever it might, the Debs is the night for it. A couple of fellas from Lucan Community College did just that during the summer… they let the wind (and an airplane) take them all the way to Paris, in fact. It may have been a whim, but what a whim it was and they made sure to document the whole thing on Snapchat while they were at it. Leaving Cert class of 2016, try and beat that.