Dungannon harpist's soothing version of Fairytale of New York becomes an early Christmas internet hit

Christmas would not be the same without a maudlin rendition of The Pogues hit song reducing us to tears and getting us into the festive spirit.

This year, toe-tapping Gerard Carroll, an Irish dance teacher with a string of accolades, has got the countdown to Christmas started after posting a video of him singing and plucking the song on a harp festooned with twinkling Christmas tree lights.

Amazingly, Gerard’s harp-playing manages to turn the raucous and sentimental Christmas favourite into something soothing and melodious.

Within a few days, the video has already racked up almost 17,000 views on Facebook, and is sure to rocket as Christmas draws closer.

Surprisingly, the dance maestro only started playing a year ago and has performed for friends at their weddings, but said it was still “very much only a hobby”.

Gerard was an internet hit earlier in the year after posting a video of him plucking the harp and singing Shut Up And Dance.

He was delighted that the video reached a huge internet audience, and described it as ‘mental’.

Gerard, who teaches Irish dancing to children in the Dungannon area, including some who have gone on to clinch major titles, says he has since received a number of enquiries from people interested in having him play the harp at future events.