Talk of Stevie Mulroney quickly spread ahead of Ireland's Six Nations clash with Italy at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Sunday.
After limping through the pregame formalities, where Michael D. Higgins was escorted by two captains and introduced to two sets of players, we finally arrived at the long-awaited national anthem.
First, there was a wonderful performance of the Italian national anthem, “Il Canto degli Italiani,” by Jennifer Dalton of the gospel choir “Anthem Singers.” She then sang 'Amhran na bhFiann' beautifully.
stevie mulroney
Dalton was great, but she was bested by the 8-year-old Mulrooney. Mulroney stepped up and delivered her memorable rendition of the Irish call.
☘️🎶 Stevie Mulroney, take a bow! #Guinness M6N #IREvITA pic.twitter.com/PU04C20TRJ
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 11, 2024
Mulrooney, from Kennethwell Road, Kilkenny, first came to attention last November when he belted out an Irish call on The Late Late Show.
The production prompted calls from viewers to perform ahead of Ireland's Test match, which is currently taking place.
Ireland star Josh van der Flier rang Stevie and invited him to perform ahead of the Six Nations, but the youngster showed no signs of nerves and performed in front of the stadium's 50,000 fans. They performed wonderfully on TV in front of countless fans.
Josh Van Der Flier gave Stevie Mulroney a special call this week after his memorable performance of Irish Cole on The Late Late Toy Show! 💚#teamofus pic.twitter.com/ceiM5QrCPY
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) January 28, 2024
Was George Ford the right decision to refuse to convert in England v Wales?
One fan wrote on social media platform
@HarpinOnRugby added: “Arguably the best Irish Cole ever played.”
Meanwhile, Telegraph journalist Ben Coles had already named his man of the match after the national anthem.
His post read: “Player of the Match – Young lad singing the national anthem.”
Another fan added: “Stevie Mulroney, what an absolute star and a great performance. Chills.”
Another joked: “What a great rendition of Stevie Mulroney's 'Ireland's Call.'” When I was 7 years old, I was still eating Legos, let alone singing the national anthem in front of 52,000 people. ”
Young children sang their team's national anthem at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but the move ultimately didn't work out.
“A message to the French about how it's actually done. Very well done, loved the 'Come on Ireland' at the end,” one fan added after Mulroney's performance.
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