"Killeagh" is a song by Irish folk group Kingfishr. It was originally released as the B-side of "Bet On Beauty", released in December 2024.[1][2]
| "Killeagh" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kingfishr | ||||
| from the album Halcyon | ||||
| Released | 28 March 2025 | |||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | David Anthony Curley | |||
| Kingfishr singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In March 2025, the song was officially serviced to Irish radio on 28 March 2025.[3] The single peaked at number 1 on the Irish Singles Chart in May 2025, remaining at the top for 17 weeks.[4] The official acoustic video was released on April 2025.[5]
In December 2025, it was announced as the most streamed song in Ireland in 2025.[6]
It has been described as an Irish "cultural phenomenon" by The Irish News.[7]
Background
editIn mid-2024, Eoin Fitzgibbon was asked by former hurling coach Phillip O'Neill to write a song for Killeagh GAA to which he agreed if the juniors made the east Cork final that year. Fitzgibbon believed it was unlikely as team hadn't made the final since 2001. Fitzgibbon said, "lo and behold, October arrives and they get to the final" and he is contacted by O'Neill.[2][8]
The song was written in 20 minutes, with the group saying "It literally could not have been more of a slapped-together job" referencing the sport of hurling, the focal point it provides for local people and County Cork broadly. The group also joked in a video recording from October 2024, "Welcome to the best thing we've ever written".[2]
The first live performance of the song was by the Killeagh junior hurlers, who went on to win their final.[2] The song was recorded by the group in November 2024 and released in December 2024 as a B-side on their single "Bet on Beauty".[2]
In February 2025, the song gained traction on TikTok, where it became anthem of nostalgia, this continued through St Patricks Day.[9] It was sent to Irish radio in March 2025.[2] The song peaked at number one on the Irish Singles Chart on 2 May 2025.
Reception
editDr Sandra Joyce and Dr Róisín Ní Ghallóglaigh from University of Limerick note the song employs phrasings typical of Irish traditional music, with a verse's second line ending on a minor note before resolving itself on a major one. Ní Ghallóglaigh described it as "a great song" and that it is "a modern addition to the Irish folk canon. 100%".[2]
In an album review, Matthew Caslin from When the Horn Blows said "'Killeagh' feels like a real marker of remembering where we all come from, appreciating our homes and our backgrounds."[9]
Charts
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Kingfishr Releases Two New Songs "Bet On Beauty" & "Killeagh"". pm studio. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Killian Faith-Kelly (24 July 2025). ""We rattled it out in 20 minutes": how Kingfishr made a hurling team song into an Irish folk smash hit". The Guardian (newspaper). Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "RTÉ Radio 1 Recommends 28 March 2025". RTÉ. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Kingfishr Announce 3 Huge Irish Outdoor Shows 2027". Total Ntertainment. 23 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Kingfishr - Killeagh (Acoustic)". 16 April 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Kingfishr react as "Killeagh" revealed as Ireland's most-listened to song on Spotify". 4 December 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Kingfishr announce major Irish headline shows in Belfast, Dublin and Limerick". The Irish News. 18 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "The success of Kingfishr's Killeagh: A song made in 20 minutes that started "as a joke"". Irish Times. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Album Review Halcyon". When the Horn Blows. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart on 5/6/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2026.