In Ireland, we love to jump on the bandwagon… and by God, we don’t do it by halves.
Over the years, there have been a few crazes that caused people to completely lose the run of themselves, forsaking their health, style and dignity in the process.
In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a little trip down memory lane…
1) Line dancing
Chances are, there is not a person over 20 in this country who didn’t head up to their community hall of a Saturday to practice their ‘hitch’ or ‘kick-ball-change’… sure, even Colin Farrell was at it!
There was a dangerous risk of a resurgence when Garth Brooks announced his dates at Croke Park but thankfully, fate intervened.
2) Maniac 2000
Never has a song grasped the public’s imagination like Mark McCabe’s dancefloor classic. For years, you couldn’t venture near a nightclub without hearing that familiar refrain ‘yeah, yeah, funky yeah/she’s a craic/she’s a craic/she’s a maniac’.
Many have tried to recreate the buzz around this track but no matter how man dance remixes you make of old folk songs, this is still the original and best alternative national anthem.
3) Eurovision
As a country, we love things that we’re good at and if there’s one thing that we used to be good at, it’s the Eurovision.
Every year, on that special Saturday night in May, you’d head to the shop for stock up on sweets before setting in for a night in front of the telly with Marty. You’d cheer on Johnny Logan or Niamh Kavanagh smug in the knowledge that the words ‘Irelande’ and ‘douze points’ would not be separated for the rest of the show.
Ah, the good ol’ days…
4) Riverdance
Winning the Eurovision had become old hat by 1994 and there was no way that we were content with just another victory (courtesy of Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan’s Rock And Roll Kids – thanks lads!).
Instead, we unleashed a phenomenon that has toured the world ever since and inspired hundreds of thousands of us to learn our ‘one, two, three’s’.
It has also become the go-to song for any DJ looking to liven up a wedding reception – a few bars and every fella in the room thinks he’s Micheal Flatley.
5) GAA draws
Once one local GAA club cottoned on to the fact that you could make a handy few bob out of a weekly draw, everyone and their mother got involved.
If there wasn’t one at your local pub, there was a collection outside Mass and something about the fact that you knew all the winners each week made it impossible to resist.
We’re hearing that drive-through bingo is the next big thing so have your books at the ready!
6) Bebo
It was far from social networking we were reared but we caught on fairly quick once Bebo arrives on our shores.
From blackmailing friends with your ‘luv’ to picking your favourite ‘skin’ as a backdrop, it’s fair to say that many’s a teenager fight broke up over a photo from the school disco being posted on Bebo.
It’s back now… but we think we’ll stick to Facebook and Twitter.
7) Music festivals
We’ve always been a musical people and for every generation, there was a music festival.
From the heady days of Féile to the Beat On The Street, things kicked into a whole new gear with the launch of Witness (or Oxygen, as it’s now known) and suddenly, it wasn’t summer without a last-minute scramble for sleeping bag.
8) Miley & Fidelma doing the bad thing in Glenroe
In all honesty, we don’t think anything has outraged the nation as much as Miley and Fidelma rolling in the hay on Glenroe.
Spurned by Dr David O’Hanlon (aka Mario Rosenstock), Fidelma turned her attentions to Miley and our friendly farmer was powerless to resist.
Well Holy God, people were ringing Joe Duffy for months after.
