Winners of the 'Storyland' competition on www.rte.ie, web stars The Hardy Bucks make their network television debut on RTÉ Two on Tuesday, 12 October at 10:50pm. Harry Guerin met main men Eddie Durkan and Buzz McDonnnell outside the gates of RTÉ to discuss the new show.
Harry Guerin: Your web series on www.rte.ie/storyland showed your wild adventures in your hometown of Castletown, Co Mayo. What's coming up in the new show?
Eddie Durkan: There's a fair bit going on - jostling, a bit of driving 'round country lanes in a tuned-up Japanese hatchback - sorry, coupé. It gets repossessed and I get very upset about that. Foolishly, on bad advice, I took a loan from a Ukrainian loan shark called Boris. He had hands on him like Volkswagens.
Harry Guerin: So the money hasn't been rolling in since you won 'Storyland' on www.rte.ie and became youtube stars?
ED: I've seen no money, no money whatsoever. I would've liked to have seen some money now because the financial burden is getting to me. I'd to borrow some money off the oul' lady now to come down here to Dublin. She told me to go into Dunnes Stores and get an oul' shirt for myself so I got this [points to frilly white dress shirt].
HG: With the huge success you've experienced on the web, are you bothered for autographs?
ED: We're told to get out of places when we walk in because they know about our reputation for being 'Wild Men'. We're nice fellas; we don't be up to much. We wish goodwill wherever we go. It's just that after a few pints...
HG: Have you met anyone famous?
Buzz McDonnell: Packie Bonner was up at the house for the last sup of the tea. He's a great man for the push-ups after midnight.
HG: You're making your network television premiere with your new show on RTÉ Two. Have you any other programmes in the pipeline?
ED: You've seen 'HARDtalk' on BBC News? Well I'm going making a programme now called 'SOFTtalk'. Basically, you go and get a few pints into you, you go out to pubs - could be anywhere in Ireland, you don't know where it is - and chat people up.
BMcD: They'll blindfold Eddie and just drive him to a random town - he doesn't know what town it's going to be - and put him in the pub.
ED: When I'm blindfolded and put in the pub then I go up to women after a few pints with oul' soft talk like: 'I always liked ya. You were a grand girl in school; you never gave me any bother. I can get you work. I know lads on building sites that will give you a start, like - cash-in-hand. Don't worry about the taxman.'
HG: Given your high profile now, are people in Castletown bothering you with requests for jobs in the media?
ED: There was a lad called B Bob McNulty, local hard man, was in Youthreach in Coillte Mach. He was going around there asking could we get him a job as a weatherman.
HG: What about merchandise for the new series?
BMcD: What about him?
ED: The Boo [co-star] was going making novelty nunchucks with our faces on the side of them. But the bad thing was if they were used at a crime scene you could see our faces on it and trace it back.
BMcD: The website was on them as well and our phone number.
HG: If you could sum up the new series in a sentence, what would it be?
ED: Absolutely mad, man. It's like 'Bill & Ted' set in Mayo, without special effects.
BMcD: Too cool for school, I'd say. Leave school, that's the last thing I'll tell ya. Don't be reading them books; get over that craic.
'Hardy Bucks' begins on RTÉ Two on Tuesday, 12 October at 10:50pm.
