Danny Boy
we banned.
The Bar that Banned Danny Boy
here's the story
In 2008, Shaun Clancy became known worldwide as the owner of “The Bar That Banned Danny Boy” for the month of March. The reason? Danny Boy ranks among the 25 most depressing songs of all time, is overplayed at the expense of other great Irish songs, and was written by a man who never set foot in Ireland!
The “Danny Boy ban” was covered by the Associated Press, major TV news networks, hundreds of radio stations, and over 800 newspapers worldwide. The ban was the subject of a hilarious skit by Stephen Colbert and sparked discussions across the Atlantic on the BBC and RTE (Ireland) about how Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
On April 2, 2008, Foley's hosted a “Welcome Back Danny” Party featuring Eily Patterson (widow of famed tenor Frank Patterson), actor/author Malachy McCourt, and Ciarán Sheehan, who starred in over 1,000 performances of Phantom of the Opera and sang the first post-ban rendition of the song at Foley’s.