Over Christmas last year, Irish independent creative agency The Public House launched their ampaign for EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum featuring a choir of NYPD veterans, correcting a musical myth at the heart of The Pogues’ classic Fairytale of New York.
The most played Christmas song of the 21st century, ‘Fairytale of New York’ features the classic chorus “...the boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay…” - but there was never a NYPD choir, nor did they ever sing Galway Bay… until now.
So, 36 years after the initial Pogues’ record release, The Public House, in conjunction with Dublin-based EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, recruited a handpicked group of retired NYPD officers, joined by a local amateur choir, to gather in a recording studio in the heart of New York City to lend their voices to the beloved ‘Galway Bay’.
The result is a breathtaking rendition of Galway Bay - a timeless Irish song, penned by emigrant Dr. Arthur Colahan as a tribute to his homeland and his brother, complemented by a music video that Irish diaspora all over the world can resonate with.
To learn more, we spoke to Colin Hart, Executive Creative Director at The Public House.
What was the brief?
Essentially, there wasn’t really a brief. We’ve been working with EPIC since 2018 and during that time we’ve always worked off the same enduring brand positioning. As a result, we instinctively know when an idea feels right for the brand and we’re always on the lookout for proactive ideas that can bring their brand story to life, cut-through and get some attention.
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, tells the story of what it means to be Irish by telling the story of the impact our emigrants have had on the world. And for us, Christmas is a time when emigrants, wherever they are in the world, have a hankering for home. So whilst there wasn’t a brief, we instantly knew there was an opportunity there for EPIC to do something interesting.
But it had to be something with depth and meaning rather than schmaltzy and fairylights (Oh yeah, we do feature some fairy lights in this.)
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
We have honestly been pitching this idea to EPIC for 4 years. It’s become a in-joke as I always pulled this out at the end of every Christmas presentation but this year, they actually asked for this idea and said ‘it is time’ and here we are.
I always accompanied the idea with an extension of a 96 sheet in Dublin with another line from the song ‘Merry Christmas yer arse’ but that hasn’t ever been asked for again! Maybe next year team EPIC?
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
Advertising at Christmas is so clichéd and one dimensional (there I said it) and the brand positioning for EPIC is about looking beyond the cliches and stereotypes of Ireland and the context of Christmas gave us our in. We looked at the most interesting parts of Irish culture at Christmas and wanted to see where our heads could go to build on it, add to it, create an unexpected twist around it.
The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York is a massive Irish anthem belted around the world at this time every year. And it’s actually an ode to Irish emigrants. We listened to it over and over and this line stood out so I looked into it and saw that there was a story about this song never being sung, because there never was an NYPD choir. So that was where it came from.
What was the production process like?
This was a production nightmare. We needed to find a choir, we needed to make the budget work to get to NYC and then we needed to figure out who was going to help. Then a few spanners in the works on licensing etc. Our producer had her hands full and there were plenty of late nights and meetings on it.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
The main issue was researching which version of Galway Bay was the correct one as there are two. They both worked but only one was the right one. We got a lot of evidence that it was the original one which was then verified by Shane MacGowan.
There was also a lot of debate around the tone of this piece. We wanted to make it feel warm and emotive so the arrangement and the whole feeling of it needed to portray this…easier said than done.
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
Mainly MaleVoiceChoirMouths 2.0
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
Our NYPD lads were awesome. They were full of cracking stories about multiple celebrities who they had to ‘Deal’ with, Email me for the details. Also getting the Americans to say ‘Galway’ and ‘Ireland’ correctly.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
EPIC gives you an insight into the fact that there is more to Ireland and the stereotypes and cliches. This campaign delivers on proving that there is so much more to the things we take for granted as ‘Irish’ and makes us think more about who we are or who we think we are.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
4 Years in terms of the sell….6 months in terms of making.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
The team at The Public House and at EPIC have always set out to make EPIC a true educator of culture and true Irishness through our comms and the attitude, so we hope that comes across. But selfishly, we wanted a better relationship with the NYPD in case we ever get over to New York and get into trouble…
Credit list for the work?
CREATIVE AGENCY CREDITS: The Public House
Executive Creative Director: Colin Hart
Creative Director: Dillon McKenna
Associate Creative Director: Mikey Curran
Head of Design: Eimear O’Sullivan
Production Lead: Trevor Nolan
Motion Graphics Designer: Kevin Hughes
Head of Strategy: Sarah Walsh
Managing Director: Catrióna Campbell
Group Account Director: Terri Turner
Agency Producer: Claire Boylan
PR AGENCY CREDITS: Vroom Digital
Head of PR: Niamh Walters
MEDIA AGENCY CREDITS: MWi, part of Mediaworks UK Group
Managing Partner: Declan Kelly
Account Manager: Jane Daly
CLIENT: EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
CEO: Aileesh Carew
Director of Marketing: Yvonne Murphy
Head of Exhibitions and Programming: Nathan Mannion
Social Media Lead: Audrey Abaca
Director of Sales: David Cleary
Business Development Executive: Lindsay Leach
Digital Marketing Executive: James Kielty
PRODUCTION CREDITS: Out of the Blue Productions
Director: Michael Uys
Producer: Federico Negri
Editor: David Dessel
Vocal Arrangement: Jon Burr
Music Mix and Mastering: The Bridge Studio
Choir: The Crickets
Retired NYPD: Sergeant Gerard Flanagan, Detective William “Billy” McDonald, Officer John Behan & Officer Michael Daly
