Talented Kilkenny youngster set to answer Ireland's Call in front of 50,000 at Ireland v Italy Six Nations clash

A talented Kilkenny youngster will sing the Irish rugby anthem Ireland’s Call to over 50,000 people at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, February 11.

Stevie Mulrooney (8), from the Kennyswell Road in Kilkenny, will be making the trip to Dublin to do the honours, with hundreds of thousands of people watching on television also. The young rugby fan gave a rousing rendition of Ireland’s Call on the Late Late show last November with viewers claiming it was the best version of the song they had ever heard.

Josh Van Der Flier, 2022 World Rugby Player of the year, who has strong Kilkenny links, called Stevie with the news inviting him to perform the song at Ireland’s first home game of the Six Nations championship versus Italy.

Stevie says the rugby players keep changing the ‘best day of his life’ — in reference to the Late Late show where Irish Captain Peter O’Mahony and the Guinness Writers 2023 Player of the Year Bundee Aki surprised Stevie during his performance of Ireland’s Call.

The recently turned eight-year-old was presented with a signed Irish rugby jersey by Andy Farrell’s men.

Stevie, who attends Gaelscoil Osraí Kilkenny and is fluent in Irish, English and Polish, performed the song at the start of the Provincial Towns Cup game between Kilkenny RFC and Clondalkin RFC on Sunday, February 4. He proved to be a good omen with the senior Kilkenny team running out 60-5 winners.