In Ireland, Christmas number ones are singles that are top of the Irish Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls.
The Irish Singles Chart was first published in 1962, and the first artist to top the chart at Christmas was Elvis Presley with "Return to Sender". The following year, Brendan Bowyer became the first Irish artist to claim top spot at Christmas with "No More". 2020 winner Dermot Kennedy ("Giants") is the first Irish national to achieve the feat since Mario Rosenstock in 2005.
The supergroup Band Aid, created by Irishman Bob Geldof, is the only act to have been number one at Christmas three times, each time with "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Four more acts have held top spot twice: The Beatles, Queen (both times with "Bohemian Rhapsody"), the Spice Girls and Eminem. Many acts that have topped the Irish Singles Chart at Christmas have also topped the UK Singles Chart at the same time.
From 2006 to 2013, every winner of the Irish Christmas number one came from the winning contestant of that year's series of the British reality contest The X Factor . Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars broke this streak in 2014 with their single "Uptown Funk". [1] [2] Irish bands such as The Rubberbandits ("Horse Outside" in 2010) [3] and The Saw Doctors ("Downtown" in 2011) [4] have contested for the honor during this time frame, but both fell well short.
Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reunited in 2018.
"The Power of Love" is a 1984 single released by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood which was written by Holly Johnson, Peter Gill, Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash. It was released on 19 November 1984 as the third single single from the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984).
"That's My Goal" is the debut single by British singer Shayne Ward, the winner of the second series of The X Factor. It was released as his winner's single on 21 December 2005. Ward was the first X Factor winner to release an original song as his winner's single; all other winners released a cover version of another song, until Matt Terry's "When Christmas Comes Around" in 2016. "That's My Goal" was later included on Ward's debut studio album, Shayne Ward (2006).
This is a summary of 2006 in music in the United Kingdom including the official single and album charts.
"Cannonball" is a song written and performed by Irish folk singer Damien Rice. It was released on 1 February 2002, as the second single from his debut album O. It was later re-released in 2003, 2004 and 2011.
The X Factor is a British television singing talent series. It was broadcast from 2004 to 2018. The winners, runners-up and other contestants of the show have seen varied levels of success, but have gone on to produce a total of 42 number ones and numerous UK chart hits. Sales figures show that artists from the show have sold around 30 million singles and over 18 million albums. One Direction have sold more than 65 million records worldwide, making them the most successful act to have ever appeared on any country's version of The X Factor and one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
The Rubberbandits are an Irish comedy hip-hop duo from Limerick. They consist of Blindboy Boatclub and Mr Chrome. During performances and interviews, they conceal their identities with masks made from plastic shopping bags. They are often accompanied by DJ Willie O'DJ, a silent masked caricature of local politician Willie O'Dea. The group describe themselves as artists, and have dubbed their movement as "Gas Cuntism".
The British music charts are compiled by the Official Charts Company to measure sales of recorded music on compact disc and digital download.
Jonathan Morter is an English radio DJ, social media pioneer and campaigner. He helped launch various internet campaigns. He launched the Condescending Corporate Brand Page, a page that harshly ridicules corporate social media techniques.
Must Be the Music is a British television musical talent competition contested by aspiring singers and musicians drawn from public auditions. The show is a music competition and reality show that was broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Auditions were held in Edinburgh, Manchester, London and also held in Ireland. The show began airing in August on Sky1, and was also simulcast in HD. Fearne Cotton presented the show. The first and only series was won by Emma's Imagination, a female singer from Dumfries.
Matthew Sheridan Cardle is an English pop singer and actor. He was born in Southampton and grew up in Halstead, Essex. Cardle has been involved in music since his early teens and has been a member of two different bands; Darwyn and Seven Summers. Cardle rose to fame after winning the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010, and received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music and later signed a deal with Columbia Records.
"Horse Outside" is a song by Irish comedy group The Rubberbandits. It was released on 8 December 2010, after its accompanying music video was aired on RTÉ Television programme Republic of Telly. The video gained almost 2.5 million views in ten days on YouTube and by November 2023 over 22 million views. It was targeted to become the Irish Christmas number one single of 2010, ultimately finishing second.
"Something I Need" is a song recorded by American pop rock band OneRepublic. It was released on August 25, 2013, through Mosley Music and Interscope Records as the third single from their third studio album, Native (2013). The song was written and produced by Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco. It peaked at number six in Australia, where it has been certified 3× Platinum, and number four in New Zealand, where it has been certified Gold.
Benjamin Bernard Haenow is an English singer and songwriter. In 2014, he was crowned as the winner of the eleventh series of The X Factor UK after beating Fleur East. Following his win, his debut single, a cover of OneRepublic's "Something I Need", was released in December 2014. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 2014 Christmas number one. Haenow released his self-titled debut studio album in November 2015, preceded by the single "Second Hand Heart", a duet with Kelly Clarkson.