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01st Jan 2017

The O’Donovan brothers went down an absolute storm on Graham Norton’s New Years’ Eve special

The Irish rowers charmed millions

Conor Heneghan

Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Frank Skinner were all on the couch and still the Olympic silver medal-winning brothers stole the show.

People tend to use the last day of a year to reflect on all that’s gone over the previous 12 months and while 2016 was a year to forget for many, it was one that Paul and Gary O’Donovan will remember for the rest of their lives.

The rowers secured silver medals in Rio, with Paul also winning a World Championship gold medal in Rotterdam 16 days later. In the process, the pair are enjoying newfound status as national treasures in their native Ireland. Capping off an impressive 2016, they charmed millions of people on one of the biggest TV chat shows in the world.

The show was pre-recorded, of course, and we had already got a glimpse of what was in store when the BBC released a teaser earlier in the week. Sensitive viewers be warned, there might be a masturbation reference or two in here…

Clip via BBC

That was just a taste, however, and millions of people got to see what so endeared them to Irish audiences throughout the Olympics in the summer.

Even if many of them, including Marion Cotillard hadn’t a clue what they were saying half the time…

https://twitter.com/hessooriginal/status/815334536372453377

https://twitter.com/flyingnelly/status/815333387464540160

https://twitter.com/smithalex_03/status/815346242964389888

https://twitter.com/Jeremy_Hayes/status/815341221522669568