YouTube today announced YouTube Rewind 2018, the annual list of Ireland’s top trending videos and music videos for the past year, offering an insight into what caught our interest and imaginations these past few months. We also post on you and if you are not following us you can do so HERE where we bring you hands on tech videos every week.
At the top of the list is this year’s ‘person who broke the internet’, 12-year-old Mason Ramsey, who performed an a cappella version of the Hank Williams country and western classic ‘Lovesick Blues’ for customers of the Harrisburg, Illinois branch of Walmart. The video became a viral hit almost overnight, making young Mason an instant celebrity: soon afterwards he appeared on talk shows, met movie stars, signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and released his first single … all within a month of appearing on YouTube.
Three amateur Irish musicians dot the list this year, with 12-year-old Cork busker Allie Sherlock appearing on the immensely popular Ellen show in the US; Westmeath’s Fr. Ray Kelly giving a stirring rendition of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ on Britain’s Got Talent; and a version of Send In the Clowns by 81-year-old Evelyn Williams from Tallaght ensuring there was not a dry eye in the house on Ireland’s Got Talent. Rounding off the list was our first Eurovision finalist for five years, Ryan O’Shaughnessy, and his emotive song ‘Together’.
Both unity and division were also evident in 2018’s list: Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Travis Scott introduced the world to their daughter Stormi via the moving video ‘To Our Daughter’, while vlogger David Dobrik had somewhat less positive news in ‘We Broke Up’, a video with actress Liza Koshy in which they announce their tearful split to the world.
Finally, 2018’s version of “The Dress” was the “Yanny vs. Laurel” debate, which was solved using science by the AsapSCIENCE YouTube channel (spoiler: it’s laurel); Carpool Karaoke kept its perennial spot in the Top 10 with Ariana Grande’s energetic appearance on the show earlier this year; and before we beat the All Blacks last month, Irish rugby fans couldn’t get enough of Johnny Sexton’s epic last-minute drop-goal to secure the rugby Grand Slam for Ireland.
YouTube was also pleased to announce the Irish launch this year of both YouTube Music, the company’s new streaming music service that allows ad-free and offline access to YouTube’s extensive music catalogue, and YouTube Premium, which gives similarly ad-free and offline access to YouTube’s entire video content, including its exclusive YouTube Originals productions. The services are priced at €9.99 and €11.99 per month respectively – visit YouTube.com for more.
Top 10 YouTube Videos in Ireland 2018 (excluding major label music videos)
- Walmart Yodelling Kid
- Kylie Jenner: To Our Daughter
- 12-Year-Old Irish Busker Brings Her Amazing Talents to Ellen
- Britain’s Got Talent 2018 – Ireland’s Father Ray Kelly Sings a Version of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’
- Do You Hear “Yanny” or “Laurel”? (SOLVED with SCIENCE)
- “We Broke Up”
- Ariana Grande Carpool Karaoke
- Eurovision 2018 – Ireland’s Ryan O’Shaughnessy Sings ‘Together’
- Rugby Six Nations 2018 – Sexton kicks incredible 45m drop kick to win the match
- Ireland’s Got Talent 2018 – 81-year-old Evelyn stuns the judges