"32 Counties" is a 1999
novelty
Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...
single by Irish puppet character
Dustin the Turkey
Dustin the Turkey, a character performed by John Morrison is a former star of RTÉ television's ''The Den'' between 1989 and 2010 and from 2020. He has been described as "the most subversive comedy force on Irish television".
A turkey-vulture w ...
.
Lyrics
The title features John Morrison, in character as Dustin the Turkey of
''The Den'', singing a song about the 32
counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland (Irish language, Irish: ) are historic administrative divisions of the island into thirty-two units. They began as Norman structures, and as the powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the Old English (Ireland) ...
and notable features and traditions found in each. Some counties are mentioned in a derogatory context, intended to be satirical/insulting; these are marked with (†) below.
Release
The single was sold to raise funds for the
National Children's Hospital
The National Children's Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Náisiúnta na Leanaí) was a children's teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998.
History
The hospital was founded by Sir Philip Crampton, S ...
.
The song reached #1 in Ireland in November 1999.
Dave McEvoy wrote of it, "If you ask me, Dustin the Turkey should be our real cultural icon. He taught generations of kids what it meant to be Irish. Discredit authority, make fun of people from other counties, begrudge other people’s success, sing loudly even if you can’t and by no means praise anyone in government."
See also
*
List of number-one singles of 1999 (Ireland)
References
{{authority control
1999 singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Irish novelty songs
1999 songs