Jimmy's Winning Matches

This article is about the song. For the documentary, see Jimmy's Winnin' Matches.

"Jimmy's Winning Matches"
Song by Rory and the Island
Recorded2012, Lanzarote
LengthVariable
Songwriter(s)Rory Gallagher

"I remember seeing Florence and the Machine, Noah and the Whale, The Divine Comedy. So I thought I would go with Rory and the Island".

– Rory Gallagher speaking about the moniker in 2022[1]

"Jimmy's Winning Matches", originally called "Jimmy Selling Watches",[2] is a song performed by Rory and the Island —and the anthem of Donegal's march towards the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. Considered an Internet and YouTube sensation, "Jimmy's Winning Matches" hit number one on the iTunes chart.[3][4]

With the title referring to the then Donegal team manager Jim McGuinness,[5][6] the song was compared both to the legendary sports anthem "Put 'Em Under Pressure" as well as the iconic song "Give It a Lash Jack".[7][8]

Morning Ireland, normally a conservative public service programme on RTÉ Radio 1 dealing with formal issues such as politics, played the song on consecutive days after Donegal won the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. Numerous alternative versions have emerged on YouTube, including one by a "four-year old kid" and one from an "accordion-wielding band".[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference dn_10032022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Jimmy's Winning Matches". Rory and the Island. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference joe_visa_problem was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "My Donegal – with Rory "Jimmy's Winning Matches" Gallagher". 25 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Jimmy's winning matches because Donegal dance to their own beat". Leitrim Observer. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Jimmy's winning matches: A song for Jim McGuinness". Irish Independent. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  7. ^ "Jimmy's Winning Matches". Donegal Democrat. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  8. ^ Hannigan, Mary (24 September 2012). "We'll be singing 'Jimmy's Winning Matches'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 September 2012. Well, that was very, very lovely, all the more so because it was a whole 20 years in the making. The only downside, really, is that we'll be singing 'Jimmy's winning matches, Jimmy's winning games' in our sleep, kind of the 'Give it a lash Jack' of our time. And try crooning 'he's not from Senegal, he comes from Donegal', while you're waiting for your battered cod and onion rings to be carbonised and you'll understand the true meaning of "discombobulated looks".
  9. ^ Carroll, Jim (28 September 2012). "How Rory Gallagher found a new niche in sports songs". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 September 2012.