THE YEAR WAS 2000.
Brendan O’Connor was a journalist with the Sunday Independent and a fixture on RTÉ 2′s Don’t Feed The Gondolas. During his stint on Don’t Feed The Gondolas, O’Connor developed a trendy priest character named Father Brian.
Here’s a sketch in which Father Brian wanders arond Temple Bar and attempts to cajole tourists into “dancing for Christ”.
In May 2000, Brendan O’Connor became an unlikely pop star of sorts when his novelty rap single Who’s In The House? reached number 3 in the singles chart. (Incidentally, Bad Touch by The Bloodhound Gang and Maniac 2000 beat it to number one.)
The song featured O’Connor dressed as Father Brian, enthusiastically rapping lines like:
Well I like to bring the ladies out to Medjugorje/No truth in the rumour that we’re having an orgy
And…
Like all good homies, I have a twelve-man posse/One called Peter, none called Mossy
*dies*
One of Ireland’s most prominent columnists and broadcasters was once the frontman of a group called Father Brian and the Fun Lovin’ Cardinals. Let that sink in for a moment.
Who’s in the house? Jesus in the house…
The song peaked at no. 3 and stayed in the charts for 15 weeks.
Imagine there are thousands of copies of Who’s In The House? lying around Irish homes.
Seventeen years later and the chorus is never far from Irish people’s brains…
What a peculiar little country we are.
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