Much like the picture of Hollywood superstar Matt Damon posing with a shopping bag in Dalkey, Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi’s busking session was the surprise celebrity footage that we didn’t know we needed.
s welcome a sight as the mercury-busting temperatures in our weather forecast is this week, you don’t have to be a fan of the One Direction star to relish seeing Horan taking a leaf out of Bono’s book with a free music session.
It was shortly before 7pm on Friday that news broke of his unexpected session at the top of Grafton Street in Dublin city centre, sparking a stampede of fans keen to catch a glimpse of the action.
Horan and his Scottish pal performed a number of tracks during their free session, including his monster hit Slow Hands, Coldplay’s Yellow and Capaldi’s Before You Go.
The pair, who had been at the Guinness Storehouse earlier in the day, gatecrashed busker Jacob Koopman’s set as he performed on Grafton Street, and he looked naturally delighted to be joined by the two mega-stars.
Their high jinks didn’t stop there. The following day saw them heading to Horan’s home town of Mullingar, Co Westmeath, to take part in the town’s hosting of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
As proof that the 28-year-old certainly knows how to make an entrance after all his years in the business, footage emerged of him climbing through the window of Clarke’s bar to join in the session.
Taking a seat on one of the stools and playing a guitar, he then performed covers of hit songs including Take it Easy, Free Fallin’, This Town and Chasing Cars.
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At one point, they visited the statue of the late Joe Dolan, and Capaldi reportedly called out to onlookers: “Joe Dolan – the true king of Mullingar!”
The two singers were followed on their jaunt by a film crew, and a picture was later shared by Guinness of the famous pair sitting in the window of Clarke’s enjoying a pint, with the caption: “Good things coming.”
Sparking suggestions of a collaboration with the drinks company, the Mullingar man tagged Capaldi and responded to the Tweet by saying: “Can’t wait!”
But Horan’s friendship with Capaldi is one that goes back years and was forged during the early days of his solo career. He even invited the Scot to support him on some of the dates on his Flicker world tour.
Horan, who is worth over €50m, contacted Capaldi online after the Scot released Lost On You in 2017 and said he was a “huge fan of this man”.
But it wasn’t until March 2018 that they met for the first time in person. Horan described how they bonded over a shared love of rugby.
“It started a couple of years ago when I first brought out my album (2017). I did a few shows and then I think it was March 2018 when I met Lewis for the first time,” he told FM104.
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Lewis Capaldi and Niall Horan
“I had written to him on Instagram and told him I was a fan of what I’d seen so far and then [I asked him] if he’d like to come and play a few songs before me at a gig in Glasgow.
“We had a few pints then when Ireland played England in the Grand Slam a few years ago and then we just became really good friends.”
Just like the sunny weather, this may not be the last we see of Horan this week. On Wednesday he is one of the invited guests at the Pro Am at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Galgorm, Co Antrim.
The golf-mad singer will be joining a host of stars at the event including Robbie Keane, James Nesbitt, Bressie, Stephen Ferris, Greg O’Shea and Valerie Mulcahy.
