YouTube’s Rewind of 2014 – the 10 most popular videos in Ireland this year

9 Dec 2014

YouTube has released the list of Ireland’s most watched, shared and talked about videos of 2014, including everything from Frozen, a singing priest, a mutant spider dog and an Ice Bucket Challenge Fail.

YouTube is a lot of things.

It is our jukebox, it is the world’s second biggest search engine after Google and mostly it is increasingly the best expression of our culture and interests at any given time.

The video search engine has produced its YouTube Rewind 2014 takes a look back at a year of culturally defining moments with top 10 lists featuring the biggest trending videos, music videos and channels on YouTube both in Ireland and across the globe.

2014 was made conspicuous by Ice Bucket Challenges, kids with attitude who dig Frozen, pranks, priests and cute animals.

So here’s the list of the top ten things that captivate, enchanted and amused Irish YouTube viewers in 2014.

The top 10 most popular videos in Ireland in 2014

1. Frozen – Let It Go Sing-along

This is probably the definitive song of 2014 and if you weren’t listening to the real thing, you were watching adorable videos of moms and daughters miming or singing the song pitch-perfect. The Official Let It Go sing-along notched up an impressive 247.2m views (and counting).

2. Chris and Lea Wedding 5 April 2014

Mouths dropped across Ireland and the world when singing priest Fr Ray Kelly did his amazing rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic Halleluja with modified lyrics. Since then he has signed a deal with Universal Music Ireland and is working on his first album. This video was viewed a whopping 38.7m times.

3. Bars & Melody – Britain’s Got Talent 2014

Simon Cowell was moved to hit his Golden Buzzer during this year’s Britain’s Got Talent when youthful duo Bars & Melody wowed the audience with their singing and rapping. This was watched over 56.8m times.

4. Look Up – Gary Turk

“This media we call social is anything but,” laments Gary Turk in Look Up, a spoken word film for an online generation. Turk points out that we’ve become slaves to the technology we’ve mastered. But that didn’t stop the impressive film from being watched 48.2m times. Good work Mr Turk.

5. St Patrick’s Day 2014 – Bord Failte

People who’ve had enough of talk of recession, Irish Water and the latest jackass behavior of politicians flocked to watch this Bord Failte video celebrating the good things about Ireland just in time for St Patrick’s Day 2014. The video was watched 1.2m times.

6. Mutant Giant Spider Dog (SA Wardega)

What can be scarier than a giant mutant spider the size of a dog? Well it seems a dog dressed up as a giant mutant spider is scary as hell, at least according to this impressive prank video which was watched 113.4m times and counting.

7. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Fail – Teresina Bell

If the Ice Bucket Challenge was a breakthrough for video sharing and entertained much of the world in the closing days of summer, there was hardly a person in Ireland who didn’t wince when Teresiina Bell cracked her noggin during this ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Fail. As funny as it is painful, it was watched 2.9m times and is still being enjoyed/endured (you decide). At least they had loads of ice for the bump.

8. Funny 2 year-old shouting at her mummy for laughing while singing Disney’s Frozen

We can’t get away from Frozen, can we? This two year-old berating her mammy for apparently laughing while she was singing a song from the movie is probably more entertaining than the movie. Watched 7m times.

9. Sadie doesn’t want her brother to grow up (Original)

It seems little girls have taken over the internet from cats. In this video Sadie is bereft to learn that her little brother may grow up. She doesn’t want her brother to grow up. Aw. Watched 30m times.

10. Dog passes out from overwhelming joy

Man’s best friend is known for its unconditional love and loyalty. In this case Casey the dog after seeing the return of a family member who was away for two years practically faints with joy. Watched 38.8m times.