This Quirky Rap By Irish Kids Is 'The Song Of The Summer'

An unlikely song made by Irish school children is being deemed as ‘the song of the summer‘. Titled The Spark, the track was created by a group of kids from Cork, a city in Ireland. The song was the result of a collaboration with Rhyme Island, a youth rap initiative in Cork, local producer GMCBeats, and The Kabin Studio, a creativity-focused nonprofit firm also based in Cork. The group made this 2-minute and 33-second song featuring 30 kids who are aged between nine to 12, some of whom are from a refugee accommodation in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare.

The Spark was created in advance of the occasion of Cruinniu na nOg, an annual ‘national free day of creativity for young people’ in Ireland. This highly popular event boasts over 1,000 free events for kids and teens across Ireland. It is sponsored by the Irish government and publicised by Irish public broadcaster RTE.

The Cruinniu na nOg initiative was started in 2018 and this year, it will be held on Saturday, June 15. As per the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan, Ireland is the first and only country in the world to have a “national day of free creativity” for those under the age of 18.

RTE released The Spark on X on May 16 and so far, it has over 8.6 million views. In the comments, many people urged the songmakers to put it on Spotify and some even argued that The Spark could be Ireland’s entry to Eurovision.

An X user wrote, “Some banging tune! Those kids deserve a homework pass for the rest of the school year and a very big clap on the back. Amazing stuff.”

According to the song’s producer Garry McCarthy, who goes by the name GMCBeats, the idea came back in March during Kabin Studio’s weekly workshops. McCarthy added that they often make songs with kids, but The Spark is the first one to go viral. The track’s music video was shot in just a day on a small budget.

The 28-year-old told The Guardian, “We do things quickly. We’re doing this all the time – new songs every week. This one just happened to go a little bit further. We don’t want to make money off it. If it does make money we want it to support Kabin Studio and kids in direct provision.” As of now, The Spark is not listed on any music streaming platforms except on Rhyme Island’s Soundcloud.