Dermot Kennedy claims Ireland’s Christmas Number 1 single and album with Giants and Without Fear

Dermot is the first Irish act at Number 1 for Christmas since 2005.
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Dermot Kennedy rounds off 2020 in style, claiming Ireland’s Christmas Number 1 single and album with Giants and Without Fear.

The singer-songwriter from Rathcoole is Number 1 and Number 2 on this week’s Official Irish Singles Chart for the fourth consecutive week – Paradise, his collaboration with Meduza, is in the Xmas runner-up slot.

Dermot is the first Irish act at Number 1 for Christmas in 15 years, since Irish comedian Mario Rosenstock was back in 2005 with Leave Right Now.

MORE: Dermot Kennedy makes chart history with Official Irish Chart Double for a third consecutive week

On the Official Irish Albums chart, Dermot picks up a 15th non-consecutive week at Number 1 with Without Fear, tying Lewis Capaldi’s Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent for the most weeks at Number 1 this millennium for a debut album.

Claiming the Christmas Number 1s are the latest impressive achievements for Dermot in recent weeks, following him becoming the first Irish act to top the singles chart in five years, the first homegrown act in nine years to claim more than one chart topper in a calendar year, and the only Irish soloist in modern chart history to top the Official Irish Singles and Albums Charts in the same week.

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Official Irish Singles Chart

It wouldn’t be the festive season without Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You returns to its chart peak of Number 3, first achieved on release in 1994 and matched in 2017.

Rounding out the Christmas Top 5 are Wham’s Last Christmas, up five slots to 4, and Tiesto’s The Business drops one place at 5.

Two more Christmas songs enter the Top 10 this week – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee reaches its highest chart position in its 62 year history at Number 6, and The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s Fairytale of New York lifts to Number 7.

MORE: The acts who have scored the Official Irish Chart double

Plenty of festive favourites reach new peak positions in this week’s Top 20 including Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me (11), Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock (14), Underneath The Tree by Kelly Clarkson (15) and It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year from Andy Williams (16).

Breakthrough hit Get Out My Head by Irish DJ Shane Codd breaks into the Top 20 this week too, climbing five places to Number 18. Ed Sheeran’s new ‘fan track’ Afterglow, a Christmas present to his fans, debuts at Number 23, becoming his 42nd Top 50 hit.

More yuletide offerings that climb higher than ever before on Ireland’s Top 50 include The Ronettes’ Sleigh Ride at 27, A Holly Jolly Christmas from Michael Buble at 32 and Snowman by Sia at 43.

See the full Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50

Listen to The Official Chart with Bláthnaid Treacy at 7pm every Friday on RTÉ 2FM.

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Official Irish Albums Chart

Bruce Springsteen claims the Xmas Number 2 album with Letter To You, which became The Boss’ ninth chart-topping album in Ireland on release in October.

Bruce was ahead all week (and has the most physical sales of the past seven days) but was pipped to the post at the final festive hurdle. Letter To You is Ireland’s fastest-selling album of 2020, and helped Bruce tie with Eminem to claim the joint-most Number 1 albums among solo artists this millennium.

MORE: Acts with the most Number 1 albums this millennium on the Official Irish Albums Chart

Andrea Bocelli’s Believe returns to its peak position of Number 3, Christy Moore’s The Early Years: 1969-81 hits a new peak of Number 4, and Taylor Swift’s Evermore rounds out the Christmas Top 5 at Number 5.

A year on from claiming the 2019 Christmas Number 1 album, Harry Styles’ Fine Line returns to the Top 10 at 8, while Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black could be the start of many new record collections this Christmas, climbing 33 spots to 12.

Paul McCartney clocks up this week’s highest new entry at 14 with McCartney III, and finally, Eminem’s Number 1 album from January Music To Be Murdered By returns to the Top 50 at Number 15 after the release of its deluxe edition.

See the full Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50

© IRMA

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thierry henon

2

15 weeks at number 1 on the album chart: congrats DERMOT! and so well deserved!! Another WEEK and he will claim the longest run at number 1 for a debut album!!