Presenting Big John and the Buffs with ‘Wonderful Whistling Willy’.
There was so much going on at Electric Picnic over the weekend that it was hard to take everything in, but we’re sure a few Father Ted fans made a trip to ‘My Lovely Ranch’ to take in the ‘Rubbish Song for Europe’ contest on Sunday.
Based on the ‘A Song for Europe’ contest in the famous Father Ted episode, entrants to ‘A Rubbish Song for Europe’ were asked to compose an original song with a video bearing all the hallmarks of a tight budget. All proceeds (participants had to pay a €10 entrance fee) went to My Lovely Horse Rescue Charity.
Following heats in Limerick, Galway, Kilkenny, Cork and Dublin, the competition was whittled down to 15 contestants who performed at a contest that was MCed by Pauline McLynn (Mrs. Doyle).
Neil Hannon (the composer of ‘My Lovely Horse), Cathy Davey, Joe Rooney (Fr. Damo) and Patrick McDonnell (Eoin McLove) were the judges on the day.
The winning song was a composition known called ‘Wonderful Whistling Willy,’ by Big John and the Buffs, a band made up of Jamie Mulrooney from Foxford in Mayo and Rory Selby Smith and Steven Conway, both from Easkey in Sligo.
Steven couldn’t make it to Electric Picnic as he is currently travelling in Lithuania but Jamie (the one with the bad facial hair) and Rory (Whistling Willy) were there to perform it and a fine job of it they did.
Big John and the Buffs (Live from Electric Picnic) – The Wonderful Whistling Willy from Doppler on Vimeo.
We can’t wait to see the reception they’ll get when they go onto compete in the European edition of the event* later this year…
*Such an event does not actually exist
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
