The song was a huge hit and spent 27 weeks in the charts and made it to number one for 7 weeks. It won an IRMA Award and even managed to beat The Spice Girls. For Richie it was a dream come true.After years of having a job and a spare job to help support his large family he now has financial security giving him the chance to write other material. Having a huge hit means he also get to travel the world - each year Richie is invited to Monte Carlo to perform his songs at an annual party attended by the jet set and royalty. Another big supporter of Richie's are native Irish speakers who send him many letters thanking him for his song - it was the first time in years that a song with an Irish Title has been number one.