WE’VE ALL HEARD about the Irish team’s customary initiation song by now and this week we managed to catch a glimpse of what actually goes down when a clip of Shane Duffy taking to the stage surfaced.
The Everton youngster is unnerved by the presence of his chuckling team-mates and stumbles through the words of The Foundations favourite before he is put out of his misery by a round of applause.
While Duffy clearly won’t be packing in the day job any time soon, the list below is evidence that many a household name in the sporting world can hold their own behind the mic.
YouTube credit: noxy06. H/T: Balls.ie
1. Damien Varley – Ordinary Man
Munster hooker Damien Varley got a late call-up to Ireland’s World Cup squad last September when Jerry Flannery was ruled out of the tournament with injury and impressed his team-mates by showing off one of his hidden talents at Rotorua airport. Varley belted out the Christy Moore classic Ordinary Man after borrowing a guitar and even earned himself a few quid while he was at it.
YouTube credit: niallscore
2. Manny Pacquiao (featuring Will Ferrell) – Imagine
One of the most bizarre combos you will ever see performed a once-off duet on Jimmy Kimmel Live back in 2010. The pair surprisingly managed to keep straight faces all the way through their horribly bad version of John Lennon’s Imagine.
YouTube credit: MrMixfactor
3. John Daly – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
It turns out golf’s colourful character John Daly is surprisingly good at stringing a tune together, as he showed during the Thailand Golf Championship in December. Dressed in a stars and stripes-covered blazer, the 45-year-old Californian gives the crowd a treat with Bob Dylan number Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.
YouTube credit: golfingworld
4. Andy Murray, Robin Soderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Various
Three of tennis’ biggest stars willingly take the mickey out of themselves in a jukebox skit at the French Open in 2010. Introduced by Roger Federer, Tsonga tries his hand at the Black Eyed Peas, Murray dons an Afro wig for a bit of The Jackson 5, and Swede Soderling pays a tribute to Abba.
YouTube credit: HabHelpCenter
5. Johnny Giles – The Very Thought of You
The loveable great-uncle of Irish football celebrated his 70th birthday as a guest with O’Herlihy, Brady and Dunphy on the Late Late Show two years ago and duly obliged when asked to sing out the programme by presenter Ryan Tubridy. After initially making a mess of the words, Gilesy has a second shot at crooning his way through The Very Thought of You, a song made famous by the likes of Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday.
YouTube credit: rte
6. Carl Lewis – The Star Spangled Banner
Time included this musical horror show in their Top 10 Worst National Anthem Renditions of all-time, and deservedly so. US Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis absolutely murders The Star Spangled Banner before a game between the New Jersey Nets and the Chicago Bulls in 1993. Are we the only ones who find the ESPN anchor’s fits of laughter infectious?
YouTube credit: OscarGamblesAfro
7. LeBron James – Staying Alive
We’re not quite sure whether the most famous player in the NBA is auditioning for American X Factor or what exactly is going on here. LeBron, who played for the Cleveland Caviliers at the time, looks to have a laugh by hitting the high notes on the Bee Gees hit from Saturday Night Fever and adding a dance routine which John Travolta would be ashamed of.
YouTube credit: nbafan103
Also worthy of a mention: Shane Long giving the Bob Marley classic No Woman, No Cry a go, Ronan O’Gara belting out I Want to Break Free by Queen in the car and Robbie Keane’s rendition of Put ‘Em Under Pressure.
