Richie’s grandson CJ takes internet by storm with new Aon Focal Eile
Richie Kavanagh and his grandson CJ
A SEVEN-year-old from Carlow has taken the internet by storm after recording a new version of his famous grandfather’s iconic song and the response has left the family stunned.
CJ Kavanagh, grandson of Carlow entertainer and Irish music legend Richie Kavanagh, joined his granddad to record a fresh take on to mark the 30th anniversary of the comedy classic that once knocked Take That off the top of the Irish charts.
The family uploaded the video to social media on St Patrick’s day evening and it quickly took on a life of its own.
“When I came home from the St Patrick’s day parade, I said I’d put up a few pictures of the parade online and then the wife said: ‘why don’t you put up that video of CJ and Richie singing, it’s lovely.’ So, I put it up and I couldn’t really believe the response to it,” James Kavanagh, Richie's son and CJ’s dad, told .
Within only two days of going online, the video had racked up over 440,000 views on TikTok alone – where Richie has more than 30,000 followers – with the combined views across TikTok and Facebook approaching the million mark.
The song is already receiving airplay on radio stations across the country. The full version is available to stream on Spotify and there is more in the pipeline - James says a dancier remix is being recorded. “Something that could be played on BeatFM. It’s kind of a cross between Chasing Abbey and Mark McCabe,” he explained.
It is not young CJ’s first time in the spotlight. Last November, at the launch of Richie’s book , he performed live after KCLR DJ James Lakes called him up on stage – and he rose to the occasion without missing a beat. His classmates at Drumphea National School, Garryhill have been enjoying the viral video, too.
For Richie, the anniversary has taken on extra meaning, thanks to his grandson’s involvement. “It’s hard to believe it’s 30 years since first took off,” he said. “Recording it again with my grandson was something really special … here’s to the next generation of Aon Focal Eiles.”
The longevity of the song’s appeal continues to surprise even those closest to it. “Richie thought when CDs and DVDs were gone that was the end of it,” James said. “But it’s mad to say he’s very popular on YouTube and all that. After all these years we get emails from – it could be New Zealand or Australia or anywhere – people just saying ‘we love your music’.”
Originally released in 1996 after Gerry Ryan gave it airplay on RTÉ 2fm, Aon Focal Eile spent seven weeks at number one, went triple platinum and earned Richie an IRMA award for best single of the year. It kept international hits including by The Prodigy and by Mark Morrison off top spot and remains the 15th bestselling single in Irish chart history.
Remarkably, the song was never intended as a single. “When that album came out at the time, it was called because we felt that was the strongest song,” James recalled. “ was kind of pushed to the back of the album.”
Thirty years on, it seems the song has found its next generation and, if the reaction online is anything to go by, is far from done yet.
