WATCH: The Weeknd's famous 'Blinding Lights' song is reworked for Limerick hurlers' big weekend

THE BIG weekend is finally upon us and one local woman has released a rework of The Weeknd's famous “Blinding Lights" song in tribute to the Limerick hurlers.

Charlie Cassey was at home in Castletroy on Tuesday when her attention was drawn to the letter penned by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Colm Kelleher, in which he asked the Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Daniel Butler, to arrange for the Liam MacCarthy cup to be collected “and rightfully returned to Leeside”. 

“When I heard the song, the first line of it sounded like ‘Is he coming home?’ and it made me laugh with the Cork mayor in the letter saying he’s coming home,” Charlie recalled.

“That was Tuesday so I wrote the lyrics on Tuesday, recorded it on Tuesday, filmed it Wednesday, edited it Wednesday night and had two hours sleep. I did it all in 24 hours which is mad!” she laughed.

The video for the song entitled Liam's Touch was produced in St Patrick’s GAA Club in Limerick city ahead of Limerick's big clash with Cork in the All-Ireland final this Sunday. Charlie stars in the video as the Limerick girl with the painted face. Also featuring is Amy Ni Chuirc, a teacher in Gaelscoil Chaladh an Treoigh in Castletroy, Michael Green, a dancer and Cork supporter, well-known Limerick actor Myles Breen who plays the role of a Cork supporter, and Charlie’s children Tierney Cassey - Jordan, and Merlin Cassey - Jordan. Charlie’s husband Niall was on camera and production.

Charlie was born in the UK and came to Limerick in the year 2000.

“I’ve lived here in Limerick longer than I’ve lived anywhere else in my life. My family are Irish - three generations on both sides and when I came across it felt like I was coming home.

“I absolutely consider myself Limerick now. My family were originally from Cork actually. They were Casey in the famine and then they went to America on the famine boats and added another ‘s’ in to disguise the Irishness apparently. They were dancing girls - there were seven of them, the Casey Sisters.” 

Charlie has a website called TheLimerickGirl.ie and she writes bespoke poetry.

“I write for weddings, I do ceremony poems, invitations - very light-hearted is my style. I do rewrites as well, I rewrite songs - change the lyrics.”

So how did she rope in well-known actor Myles Breen into the production at such short notice?

“Myles and myself are in a group called Choke Comedy doing improvised comedy and we have acted together,” Charlie explained.

She wrote the song in the space of half an hour, put together some ideas for the video and then rounded up the troops.

“When I contacted people I just said ‘could you just learn the dance for Blinding Lights’. We hardly had time. I think I looked at it for about 10 minutes before we filmed. Michael looked at it on the bus,” she laughed.

“It was great fun - we had good weather and St Pat’s were great. My kids train there in St Patrick’s GAA Club Rhebogue.”