Rory Gallagher’s YouTube sensation 'Jimmy’s Winning Matches' will have to be performed solo on tour this week after his sidekick 'Jimmy' failed to get a visa to enter Ireland in time.
Former Revs frontman Gallagher, a native of Kilcar, Co Donegal, posted a song on the video-sharing website last month after his native county defeated Kerry 1-12 to 1-10 in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Gallagher, a resident musician in Lanzarote, was joined for the song by a Senegalese native, nicknamed 'Jimmy Barry Murphy' after the Cork hurling manager, who portrayed an uncanny knack of naming a host of towns and villages from the four All-Ireland semi-finalists, Donegal, Dublin, Cork and Mayo.
Gallagher admitted the video was posted for fun but its popularity soared when it was shared on social networks Facebook and Twitter by Donegal players Mark McHugh and Paddy McBrearty, who are also from Kilcar.
In just over a month, the video has 335,000 YouTube hits, as well reaching number one in the Irish iTunes rock charts.
Gallagher has a number of stops in his native county this week on tour, as well as being Donegal’s musical representative on RTE’s pre-All-Ireland final show next Saturday, ‘Up for the Match.’
Operating under the stage name ‘Rory and the Island,’ Gallagher will also perform live gigs next Saturday and Sunday in Dtwo NightClub, part of the Donegal-owned Harcourt Hotel in Dublin.
Should Jim McGuinness’s side defeat Mayo in the All-Ireland final on Sunday week, Gallagher will also play at the team’s post-match banquet in the Burlington Hotel, which will be screened live on ‘The Sunday Game.’
Gallagher had hoped ‘Jimmy’ would be able to join him for the tour. But despite the assistance of North-West MEP Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher, his friend was unable to get a visa ahead of the final at such short notice, although he could make the trip next month.
“After lengthy discussions with Pat the Cope, unfortunately with the time frame being too short it was not possible to obtain a visa in time for Senegal Jimmy to come to Ireland next week,” Gallagher said.
“Jimmy flew to Madrid to the Embassy of Senegal in hope of being able to do the paperwork from there but was advised he has to return to Senegal to obtain the visa required. Jimmy hopes to get to Donegal by mid-October and hopefully the celebration might be still going!
“I am totally gutted but would like to thank Pat the Cope for all the effort and everything would have been fine on the Irish side but unfortunately red tape wins again! I hope everybody will scream Jimmy's reply lines at the gigs next week, but I still say we should sneak him on a fishing boat into Killybegs under a blanket!”