INTERNET SINGING sensations Crystal Swing had their first high- profile US television exposure on Monday night when they appeared on the widely watched Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The family trio from Midleton, Co Cork – Mary Murray-Burke and her children Dervla and Derek – performed two songs and were interviewed by the host.
Crystal Swing rose to prominence earlier this year when a video of them performing a cover of He Drinks Tequilabecame one of the most watched and discussed items on YouTube.
DeGeneres, a well-known US comedian turned chat show host, featured the video on her show last month and said how much she wanted the group to travel to Los Angeles to appear live on the show. On Monday night's show, Mary Murray-Burke presented DeGeneres with a bottle of Jameson Irish whiskey which she said "was crafted in our local town of Midleton". The group then performed a very well-received rendition of He Drinks Tequila, followed by Derek doing a performance of his now signature number, The Hucklebuck.
Although not as well known as Oprah Winfrey's talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Showrepresents important media exposure for Crystal Swing. The DeGeneres show is perhaps best known for having Barack Obama showing off his dance moves shortly before he was elected US president.
Further high-profile bookings for Crystal Swing in the US are expected on the back of their successful slot on the show.
The YouTube video of the performance has attracted the same type of comments that the original He Drinks Tequilaclip did. Writing on the site, many Irish people are expressing their "mortification" that the old-style showbiz of Crystal Swing is being held as representative of the country's musical output.
Amid all the negative reactions came a contrary argument, which reads: “To be honest I think the capitalist scum, greedy builders, politicians (with their hands in all our pockets) and regulators who have left our country (Ireland) in the current mess we are in, are actually more of an embarrassment to our nation instead of this trio.”
