The Dubliners
Encyclopedia
The Dubliners are an Irish
folk
band founded in 1962.
in Dublin. The change of name came about due to Drew's unhappiness with the name, coinciding with the fact that Kelly was reading Dubliners
by James Joyce
at the time. Founding members were Ronnie Drew
, Luke Kelly
, Ciarán Bourke
and Barney McKenna
.
Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna had originally teamed up for a fundraising concert and then went on to work in a revue with the Irish comedian John Molloy at the Gaity Theatre in Dublin. They used to sing songs between acts.
Before joining the Dubliners full time, Luke Kelly had spent some time playing at English folk clubs such as the Jug o'Punch in Birmingham, run by the folk singer Ian Campbell.
The group played at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963 and that led to them being featured on a BBC programme called Hootenanny. The extra exposure helped them to win a contract with Transatlantic Records, with whom they recorded their first album, called simply The Dubliners. They also recorded their first single featuring Rocky Road to Dublin and The Wild Rover.
Drew spent some time in Spain in his younger years where he learned to play Flamenco guitar
, and he accompanied his songs on a Spanish guitar. Drew left the band in 1974 to spend more time with his family, and was replaced by Jim McCann. He returned to The Dubliners five years later, but left the group again in 1995. Ronnie Drew died at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Dublin on 16 August 2008 after a long illness. Paddy Reilly took Drew's place in 1995. Some of Drew's most significant contributions to the band are the hit single "Seven Drunken Nights
", his rendition of "Finnegan's Wake
", and "McAlpine's Fusiliers".
Luke Kelly was more of a balladeer than Drew, and he played chords on the five-string banjo
. Kelly sang many defining versions of traditional songs like "The Black Velvet Band
", "Whiskey in the Jar
", "Home Boys Home"; but also Phil Coulter
's "The Town I Loved So Well
", Ewan MacColl
's "Dirty Old Town
", "The Wild Rover", and "Raglan Road
" , written by the famous Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh
. Kavanagh met Kelly in a pub, and asked him to sing the song.
In 1980, Luke Kelly was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Occasionally Kelly was too ill to sing though he was sometimes able to join the band for a few songs. While on tour in Germany he collapsed on stage. When Kelly was too ill to play, he was replaced by Seán Cannon
. He continued to tour with the band until two months before his death. Kelly died on January 30, 1984. One of the last concerts in which he took part was recorded and released: Live in Carré, recorded in Amsterdam, Netherlands, released in 1983. In November 2004, the Dublin city council voted unanimously to erect a bronze statue of Luke Kelly. Kelly is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
Ciarán Bourke was a singer, but he also played the guitar, tin whistle and harmonica. He sang many songs in Irish ("Peggy Lettermore
", "Preab san Ól"). In 1974 he collapsed on stage after suffering a brain hemorrhage. A second hemorrhage left him paralyzed on his left side. Bourke died in 1988. The band did not officially replace him until his death.
Barney McKenna is a renowned tenor banjo and mandolin player. In The Dubliners' stage shows he sings sea shanties and love songs to minimal instrumental accompaniment.
John Sheahan and Bobby Lynch joined the band in 1964. They had been playing during the interval at concerts, and usually stayed on for the second half of the show. When Luke Kelly moved to England in 1964, Lynch was taken on as his temporary replacement. When Kelly returned in 1965, Lynch left the band and Sheahan stayed. According to Sheahan, he was never (and still has not been) ever officially asked to join the band. Sheahan is the only member to have had a musical education. Lynch committed suicide
in Dublin in 1982.
Other line-ups
These line ups do not count as official line ups but they are worth mentioning. Sometime in the early seventies Jim McCann (musician) joined as a temporary replacement for Ciaran during his illness. All seven of them in 1984 and 2002 appeared in RTE's Festival of Folk and the 40th Anniversary concert.
" and "The Black Velvet Band
" were released on the fledgling Major Minor
label, and were heavily promoted on pirate radio
station Radio Caroline
. The result was that both records reached the top 20 in the UK pop charts. A third single, "Maids, When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man" reached number 43 in December 1967. It was their last UK hit single till they recorded with The Pogues in 1987.
In 1974, Ronnie Drew decided to quit the band, to spend more time with his family. He was replaced with Jim McCann. Before joining the band McCann had a TV show in the early seventies called The McCann man. He is best known for his incarnations of "Carrickfergus
", Makem's
"Four Green Fields
", and "Lord of the Dance
". He stayed with the band until 1979 to start a solo career; then Ronnie Drew rejoined the band. First Ronnie went to Norway to record two songs in the Norwegian language with the Norwegian band Bergeners.
The Dubliners also gained popularity amongst famous musicians such as Bob Dylan
, Roy Orbison
, Jimi Hendrix
and Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason
, who were all self-proclaimed Dubliners fans.
In the 1960s, The Dubliners sang rebel songs such as "The Old Alarm Clock", "The Foggy Dew" and "Off to Dublin in the Green". However, due to the conflict in Northern Ireland
from 1969 onwards, they dropped most of these from their repertoire. They have begun to occasionally perform songs such as these again only in recent years.
, long time friend and guest musician. He introduced them to The Pogues
, and their collaboration resulted in a hit with "The Irish Rover
". It reached number 8 in the singles charts. In 1990 their final hit single was "Jack's Heroes/Whiskey in the Jar", again with The Pogues, which reached number 63. Campbell, who plays the guitar on stage, has been touring with the band ever since. Christy Moore
, Paddy Reilly
and Jim McCann also featured on the CD; Moore sings a tribute to Luke Kelly, and McCann sings the song "I Loved the Ground She Walked Upon", written by Phil Coulter
and Ralph McTell
. The following year, to coincide with Dublin's millennial celebrations, Radio Telefís Éireann produced an hour long special on the band and the city's influence on their music, titled The Dubliner's Dublin.
In 1996 Ronnie Drew quit the band, and Paddy Reilly
came on to replace him. Reilly, a long time friend of the group, toured with them before on several occasions; he was already a successful solo artist in Ireland, scoring hits with "The Fields of Athenry
" and "The Town I Loved So Well
".
After the tour, Jim McCann was diagnosed with throat cancer and, though he fully recovered, his voice was severely damaged, and he has not been able to sing since his illness. Despite this, Jim regularly acts as MC at folk gigs, notably at Dubliners reunion shows and at the 2006 'Legends of Irish Folk' shows (where he also played guitar in the finale).
In 2005, Paddy Reilly moved to the United States
, and Patsy Watchorn
joined the group. Watchorn made a name for himself with The Dublin City Ramblers; like Kelly, he accompanies his songs on the five-string banjo.
After 49 years, the band still tours Europe every year, though instrumentalists Barney McKenna and John Sheahan are the only original members left in the band.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
folk
Folk music of Ireland
The folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland.-History:...
band founded in 1962.
Formation and history
The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's PubO'Donoghue's Pub
O’Donoghue’s Pub is a historically significant drinking establishment located near St. Stephen's Green on Dublin’s south side. Built in 1789 as a grocery store, in 1934 it began operating full-time as a pub when purchased by the O’Donoghue family....
in Dublin. The change of name came about due to Drew's unhappiness with the name, coinciding with the fact that Kelly was reading Dubliners
Dubliners
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century....
by James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
at the time. Founding members were Ronnie Drew
Ronnie Drew
Joseph Ronald "Ronnie" Drew was an Irish singer and folk musician who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin...
, Luke Kelly
Luke Kelly
Luke Kelly was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin, Ireland, notable as a founding member of the band The Dubliners.-Early life:...
, Ciarán Bourke
Ciaran Bourke
Ciarán Bourke was an Irish musician and one of the original founding members of the Irish folk band The Dubliners.-Early life:...
and Barney McKenna
Barney McKenna
Bernard Noël "Barney" McKenna or Banjo Barney as he is known amongst his fellow musicians, is an Irish musician who plays the tenor banjo, mandolin, and melodeon. He is most renowned as a banjo player...
.
Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna had originally teamed up for a fundraising concert and then went on to work in a revue with the Irish comedian John Molloy at the Gaity Theatre in Dublin. They used to sing songs between acts.
Before joining the Dubliners full time, Luke Kelly had spent some time playing at English folk clubs such as the Jug o'Punch in Birmingham, run by the folk singer Ian Campbell.
The group played at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963 and that led to them being featured on a BBC programme called Hootenanny. The extra exposure helped them to win a contract with Transatlantic Records, with whom they recorded their first album, called simply The Dubliners. They also recorded their first single featuring Rocky Road to Dublin and The Wild Rover.
Drew spent some time in Spain in his younger years where he learned to play Flamenco guitar
Flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar. Flamenco guitar also refers to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco.-Brief history:...
, and he accompanied his songs on a Spanish guitar. Drew left the band in 1974 to spend more time with his family, and was replaced by Jim McCann. He returned to The Dubliners five years later, but left the group again in 1995. Ronnie Drew died at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Dublin on 16 August 2008 after a long illness. Paddy Reilly took Drew's place in 1995. Some of Drew's most significant contributions to the band are the hit single "Seven Drunken Nights
Seven Drunken Nights
"Seven Drunken Nights" is a humorous folk Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners and others. The Dubliners version reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1967, thanks to its diffusion on Radio Caroline, though it was banned from the national broadcasting station...
", his rendition of "Finnegan's Wake
Finnegan's Wake
"Finnegan's Wake" is a ballad that arose in the 1850s in the music-hall tradition of comical Irish songs. The song is a staple of the Irish folk-music group, The Dubliners, who have played it on many occasions and included it on several albums, and is especially well known to fans of The Clancy...
", and "McAlpine's Fusiliers".
Luke Kelly was more of a balladeer than Drew, and he played chords on the five-string banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. Kelly sang many defining versions of traditional songs like "The Black Velvet Band
The Black Velvet Band
"The Black Velvet Band" is a traditional English and Irish folk song describing transportation to Australia, a common punishment in 19th century Britain and Ireland. The song tells the story of a tradesman who meets a young woman who has stolen an item and passed it on to him...
", "Whiskey in the Jar
Whiskey in the Jar
"Whiskey in the Jar" is a famous Irish traditional song, set in the southern mountains of Ireland, with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry, as well as Fenit, a village in county Kerry. It is about a Rapparee , who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed...
", "Home Boys Home"; but also Phil Coulter
Phil Coulter
Phil Coulter is an artist with an international reputation as a successful songwriter, pianist, music producer, arranger and director. His success has spanned four decades and he is one of the biggest record sellers in Ireland...
's "The Town I Loved So Well
The Town I Loved So Well
"The Town I Loved So Well" is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. The first three verses are about the simple lifestyle he grew up with in Derry, while the final two deal with the Troubles, and lament how his placid hometown had become a major military...
", Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
's "Dirty Old Town
Dirty Old Town
"Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by The Dubliners and has been recorded by many others since.-History:...
", "The Wild Rover", and "Raglan Road
On Raglan Road
"On Raglan Road" is a well-known Irish song from a poem written by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh named after Raglan Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin. In the poem the poet, walking on a "quiet street", recalls a love affair he had with a young woman...
" , written by the famous Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh
Patrick Kavanagh
Patrick Kavanagh was an Irish poet and novelist. Regarded as one of the foremost poets of the 20th century, his best known works include the novel Tarry Flynn and the poems Raglan Road and The Great Hunger...
. Kavanagh met Kelly in a pub, and asked him to sing the song.
In 1980, Luke Kelly was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Occasionally Kelly was too ill to sing though he was sometimes able to join the band for a few songs. While on tour in Germany he collapsed on stage. When Kelly was too ill to play, he was replaced by Seán Cannon
Seán Cannon
Séan Cannon is an Irish musician. Since 1982 he has been lead vocal and guitarist for the Dubliners.-Early life:Seán Cannon was born in Galway, Ireland. He travelled around Europe at an early age, rambling in England, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. It was during these trips that Cannon learned to...
. He continued to tour with the band until two months before his death. Kelly died on January 30, 1984. One of the last concerts in which he took part was recorded and released: Live in Carré, recorded in Amsterdam, Netherlands, released in 1983. In November 2004, the Dublin city council voted unanimously to erect a bronze statue of Luke Kelly. Kelly is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
Ciarán Bourke was a singer, but he also played the guitar, tin whistle and harmonica. He sang many songs in Irish ("Peggy Lettermore
Peigín Leitir Móir
"Peigín Leitir Móir" is a popular Irish folk song.The original verses of the song were written in Irish by Máirtín Ó Clochartaigh and Pádraic Ó Maille of Leitir Caladh around the turn of the 20th century. It was published in the review An Claidheamh Soluis in 1911...
", "Preab san Ól"). In 1974 he collapsed on stage after suffering a brain hemorrhage. A second hemorrhage left him paralyzed on his left side. Bourke died in 1988. The band did not officially replace him until his death.
Barney McKenna is a renowned tenor banjo and mandolin player. In The Dubliners' stage shows he sings sea shanties and love songs to minimal instrumental accompaniment.
John Sheahan and Bobby Lynch joined the band in 1964. They had been playing during the interval at concerts, and usually stayed on for the second half of the show. When Luke Kelly moved to England in 1964, Lynch was taken on as his temporary replacement. When Kelly returned in 1965, Lynch left the band and Sheahan stayed. According to Sheahan, he was never (and still has not been) ever officially asked to join the band. Sheahan is the only member to have had a musical education. Lynch committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in Dublin in 1982.
Members
- Ronnie DrewRonnie DrewJoseph Ronald "Ronnie" Drew was an Irish singer and folk musician who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin...
(1962–74; 1979–95; 2002) Vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Luke KellyLuke KellyLuke Kelly was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin, Ireland, notable as a founding member of the band The Dubliners.-Early life:...
(1962–84) Vocals, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new... - Ciaran BourkeCiaran BourkeCiarán Bourke was an Irish musician and one of the original founding members of the Irish folk band The Dubliners.-Early life:...
(1962–74; 1988 (Guest appearance on The Late, Late Show) Vocals, guitar, tin whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Barney McKennaBarney McKennaBernard Noël "Barney" McKenna or Banjo Barney as he is known amongst his fellow musicians, is an Irish musician who plays the tenor banjo, mandolin, and melodeon. He is most renowned as a banjo player...
(1962–present) Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeonDiatonic button accordionA diatonic button accordion or melodeon is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard is limited to the notes of diatonic scales in a small number of keys...
, vocals - John SheahanJohn SheahanJohn Sheahan is a notable Irish violinist, folk musician, composer and member of the folk band The Dubliners. Sheahan was born in Dublin and lives in Mulhuddart, County Dublin, though his family are natives of Glin, County Limerick...
(1964–present) FiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina - Bobby Lynch (1964–65) Vocals, guitar
- Jim McCann (1974–79; 1984; 1987; 2002) Vocals, guitar
- Seán CannonSeán CannonSéan Cannon is an Irish musician. Since 1982 he has been lead vocal and guitarist for the Dubliners.-Early life:Seán Cannon was born in Galway, Ireland. He travelled around Europe at an early age, rambling in England, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. It was during these trips that Cannon learned to...
(1982–present) Vocals, guitar - Eamonn CampbellEamonn CampbellEamonn Campbell in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, has been a member of The Dubliners since 1987. He was also in the Dubliners when they recorded their 25th anniversary show on The Late Late Show hosted by Gay Byrne. He is known as a guitarist and has a very rough voice very similar to the former...
(1984; 1987–present) Guitar, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Paddy ReillyPaddy ReillyPatrick 'Paddy' Reilly is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. He is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Town I Loved So Well"....
(1984; 1995–2005) Vocals, guitar - Patsy WatchornPatsy WatchornPatsy Watchorn is an Irish folk singer. He first came to prominence c. 1969 as the lead singer of The Quare Fellas, a Dublin-based ballad group, in 1969. They evolved into The Dublin City Ramblers in the early 1970s and with Patsy as their lead singer they had hits with songs such as "The Rare Old...
(2005–present) Vocals, banjo, bodhránBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, spoons
Line-ups
- 1962–64: Ronnie, Luke, Barney, Ciarán
- 1964–65: Ronnie, Barney, Ciarán, Bobby, John
- 1965–74: Ronnie, Luke, Barney, Ciarán, John
- 1974–79: Luke, Barney, John, Jim
- 1979–83: Ronnie, Luke, Barney, John
- 1983–88: Ronnie, Barney, John, Seán
- 1988–95: Ronnie, Barney, John, Seán, Eamonn
- 1996–2005: Barney, John, Seán, Eamonn, Paddy
- 2005–present: Barney, John, Seán, Eamonn, Patsy
Other line-ups
These line ups do not count as official line ups but they are worth mentioning. Sometime in the early seventies Jim McCann (musician) joined as a temporary replacement for Ciaran during his illness. All seven of them in 1984 and 2002 appeared in RTE's Festival of Folk and the 40th Anniversary concert.
- 1973: Ronnie, Luke, Barney, John, Jim (Temporarily replacing Ciaran)
- 1984 and 2002: Ronnie, Barney, John, Jim, Eamonn, Sean, Paddy
Popularity
The Dubliners became very well known, not just in Ireland but also as pioneers for Irish folk in Europe and also (though less successful) in the United States. Their 1967 recordings of "Seven Drunken NightsSeven Drunken Nights
"Seven Drunken Nights" is a humorous folk Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners and others. The Dubliners version reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1967, thanks to its diffusion on Radio Caroline, though it was banned from the national broadcasting station...
" and "The Black Velvet Band
The Black Velvet Band
"The Black Velvet Band" is a traditional English and Irish folk song describing transportation to Australia, a common punishment in 19th century Britain and Ireland. The song tells the story of a tradesman who meets a young woman who has stolen an item and passed it on to him...
" were released on the fledgling Major Minor
Major Minor Records
Major Minor Records was a record label started by Phil Solomon in 1966. It had a distribution deal with Decca Records. Artists on the label included The Dubliners and Johnny Nash. Ultimately the label was bought by EMI....
label, and were heavily promoted on pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
station Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
. The result was that both records reached the top 20 in the UK pop charts. A third single, "Maids, When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man" reached number 43 in December 1967. It was their last UK hit single till they recorded with The Pogues in 1987.
In 1974, Ronnie Drew decided to quit the band, to spend more time with his family. He was replaced with Jim McCann. Before joining the band McCann had a TV show in the early seventies called The McCann man. He is best known for his incarnations of "Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus (song)
"Carrickfergus" is an Irish folk song. The origins of the song are unclear, but it has been traced to an Irish language song, "Do bhí bean uasal" , which is attested to the poet Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna, who died in 1745 in County Clare.The song appears on a ballad sheet in Cork City in the mid...
", Makem's
Tommy Makem
Thomas "Tommy" Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone...
"Four Green Fields
Four Green Fields
Four Green Fields is a 1967 folk song by Irish musician Tommy Makem, described in the New York Times as a "hallowed Irish leave-us-alone-with-our-beauty ballad." Of Makem's many compositions, it has become the most familiar, and is part of the common repertoire of Irish folk musicians.-Content and...
", and "Lord of the Dance
Lord of the Dance (hymn)
Lord of the Dance is a hymn with words written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1967. He adapted the tune from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts"...
". He stayed with the band until 1979 to start a solo career; then Ronnie Drew rejoined the band. First Ronnie went to Norway to record two songs in the Norwegian language with the Norwegian band Bergeners.
The Dubliners also gained popularity amongst famous musicians such as Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason
Nick Mason
Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
, who were all self-proclaimed Dubliners fans.
In the 1960s, The Dubliners sang rebel songs such as "The Old Alarm Clock", "The Foggy Dew" and "Off to Dublin in the Green". However, due to the conflict in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
from 1969 onwards, they dropped most of these from their repertoire. They have begun to occasionally perform songs such as these again only in recent years.
25th Anniversary
In 1987, The Dubliners celebrated their 25th anniversary. They recorded a double CD, produced by Eamonn CampbellEamonn Campbell
Eamonn Campbell in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, has been a member of The Dubliners since 1987. He was also in the Dubliners when they recorded their 25th anniversary show on The Late Late Show hosted by Gay Byrne. He is known as a guitarist and has a very rough voice very similar to the former...
, long time friend and guest musician. He introduced them to The Pogues
The Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
, and their collaboration resulted in a hit with "The Irish Rover
The Irish Rover
"The Irish Rover" is a traditional Irish song about a magnificent, though improbable, sailing ship that reaches an unfortunate end. It has been recorded by numerous artists, some of whom have made changes to the lyrics....
". It reached number 8 in the singles charts. In 1990 their final hit single was "Jack's Heroes/Whiskey in the Jar", again with The Pogues, which reached number 63. Campbell, who plays the guitar on stage, has been touring with the band ever since. Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
, Paddy Reilly
Paddy Reilly
Patrick 'Paddy' Reilly is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. He is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Town I Loved So Well"....
and Jim McCann also featured on the CD; Moore sings a tribute to Luke Kelly, and McCann sings the song "I Loved the Ground She Walked Upon", written by Phil Coulter
Phil Coulter
Phil Coulter is an artist with an international reputation as a successful songwriter, pianist, music producer, arranger and director. His success has spanned four decades and he is one of the biggest record sellers in Ireland...
and Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
. The following year, to coincide with Dublin's millennial celebrations, Radio Telefís Éireann produced an hour long special on the band and the city's influence on their music, titled The Dubliner's Dublin.
In 1996 Ronnie Drew quit the band, and Paddy Reilly
Paddy Reilly
Patrick 'Paddy' Reilly is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. He is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Town I Loved So Well"....
came on to replace him. Reilly, a long time friend of the group, toured with them before on several occasions; he was already a successful solo artist in Ireland, scoring hits with "The Fields of Athenry
The Fields of Athenry
"The Fields of Athenry" is an Irish folk ballad set during the Great Irish Famine about a fictional man named Michael from near Athenry in County Galway who has been sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay, Australia, for stealing food for his starving family...
" and "The Town I Loved So Well
The Town I Loved So Well
"The Town I Loved So Well" is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. The first three verses are about the simple lifestyle he grew up with in Derry, while the final two deal with the Troubles, and lament how his placid hometown had become a major military...
".
40th Anniversary
In 2002, they temporarily reunited with Ronnie Drew and Jim McCann, for their 40th anniversary tour. During this tour, they recorded their first DVD. They also made a string of appearances on Irish television throughout this time, including a memorable appearance with Phil Coulter and George Murphy on RTÉ 1.After the tour, Jim McCann was diagnosed with throat cancer and, though he fully recovered, his voice was severely damaged, and he has not been able to sing since his illness. Despite this, Jim regularly acts as MC at folk gigs, notably at Dubliners reunion shows and at the 2006 'Legends of Irish Folk' shows (where he also played guitar in the finale).
In 2005, Paddy Reilly moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Patsy Watchorn
Patsy Watchorn
Patsy Watchorn is an Irish folk singer. He first came to prominence c. 1969 as the lead singer of The Quare Fellas, a Dublin-based ballad group, in 1969. They evolved into The Dublin City Ramblers in the early 1970s and with Patsy as their lead singer they had hits with songs such as "The Rare Old...
joined the group. Watchorn made a name for himself with The Dublin City Ramblers; like Kelly, he accompanies his songs on the five-string banjo.
After 49 years, the band still tours Europe every year, though instrumentalists Barney McKenna and John Sheahan are the only original members left in the band.
Original albums
- 1964 The Dubliners
- 1964 The Dubliners with Luke KellyThe Dubliners with Luke KellyThe Dubliners with Luke Kelly is the debut album by The Dubliners. It was produced by Nathan Joseph and released by Transatlantic Records in 1964. The line-up consisted of Ronnie Drew, Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly and Ciaran Bourke....
- 1965 In ConcertIn Concert (The Dubliners album)In Concert is a live album by The Dubliners, released in 1965.By the time The Dubliners had recorded their second album live at the Cecil Sharpe House in December 1964, they had become a quintet. Luke Kelly had temporarily left the group and Bobby Lynch and John Sheahan had joined. This was to be...
(Live) - 1966 Finnegan WakesFinnegan WakesFinnegan Wakes is a live album by The Dubliners. Recorded live at the Gate Theatre on 26 and 27 April 1966 and produced by Nathan Joseph, this was The Dubliners' final recording for Transatlantic Records...
(Live) - 1967 A Drop of the Hard StuffA Drop of the Hard StuffA Drop of the Hard Stuff is an album by The Dubliners. It was originally released in 1967 on Major Minor Records . When it was reissued, it was renamed Seven Drunken Nights because the first track became a hit single. The album cover provides biographical sketches of the band line-up: Ronnie Drew,...
(a.k.a. Seven Drunken Nights) - 1967 More of the Hard StuffMore of the Hard StuffMore of the Hard Stuff is an album by The Dubliners, originally released in 1967. The line-up consists of Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciaran Bourke and John Sheahan. True to its title, five of the songs concern hard drinking. Three of the songs were written by Brendan Behan...
- 1968 Drinkin' and Courtin'Drinkin' and Courtin'Drinkin' and Courtin is an album by The Dubliners. It was originally released in 1968. The line-up consists of Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciaran Bourke and John Sheahan. Two tracks are instrumentals. Five of the songs are comic...
(a.k.a. I Know My Love) - 1968 At It AgainAt It AgainAt It Again is an album by The Dubliners and was released on the Major Minor label in 1968. It featured "The Irish Navy", a satirical song with lyrics co-written by Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly and set to music by John Sheahan. Barney McKenna and Ciarán Bourke also feature on the album. It was...
(a.k.a. Seven Deadly Sins) - 1969 Live at the Royal Albert HallLive at the Royal Albert Hall (Dubliners)Live at the Albert Hall is a live album by The Dubliners. It was their last recording for the Major Minor label. Recorded in 1968 and released in 1969, it contained live versions of some of their recent hits as well as a version of "Whiskey on a Sunday", which had been a big hit for Danny Doyle...
(Live) - 1969 At Home with The DublinersAt Home with The DublinersAt Home with the Dubliners was the first album that The Dubliners made with producer Bill Martin & Phil Coulter. Their contract with Major Minor had ended at this point and they signed with EMI-Columbia. Some rare pressings feature the tracks "Bold Princess Royal" and "The Beggarman"...
- 1970 RevolutionRevolution (The Dubliners album)Revolution is the title of the tenth album by The Dubliners. It was their second to be produced by Phil Coulter. This was a landmark in their career. Their sound had developed and Coulter, as well as playing piano on the record, had brought in other instrumentalists as well...
- 1972 HometownHometown (The Dubliners album)Hometown is a live album by The Dubliners recorded and released in 1972. Its release was short-lived because "Raglan Road" was split across both sides of the original LP. Recorded at the National Stadium in Dublin, it featured the original members...
(Live) - 1972 Double DublinersDouble DublinersDouble Dubliners is The Dubliners' ninth studio album. It is also known as Alive and Well. A standout track here is a recitation by Ronnie Drew of Pádraig Pearse's poem "The Rebel". This album features the original members. Other notable tracks here are "The Sun Is Burning" and "The Night...
(a.k.a. Alive And Well) - 1973 Plain and SimplePlain and SimplePlain and Simple is an album by The Dubliners, the last to be produced by Phil Coulter. Released on the Polydor label in 1973, it featured a number of tracks penned by Coulter himself, including "The Town I Loved So Well", written about The Troubles in his hometown of Derry, and "The Ballad of...
- 1974 LiveLive (The Dubliners album)Live is an album by The Dubliners recorded live in Sheffield and released on the Polydor label in 1974. This was to be Ronnie Drew's last recording with The Dubliners for five years as he left to pursue a solo career. Also following this album, Ciaran Bourke ceased to be a full-time member of the...
(Live) - 1975 NowNow (The Dubliners album)Now is an album by The Dubliners released in 1975. Following the departure of both Ciaran Bourke and Ronnie Drew in 1974, singer/guitarist Jim McCann joined Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly and John Sheahan as a member of The Dubliners to record this album, which Sheahan himself produced. The slight...
- 1976 A Parcel of RoguesA Parcel of RoguesA Parcel of Rogues is an album by The Dubliners, released through the Polydor label in 1976. It featured Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly, John Sheahan and Jim McCann.-Side One:# "Spanish Lady"# "The Foggy Dew"# "Kid on the Mountain"# "Avondale"...
- 1977 Live at MontreuxLive at Montreux (The Dubliners album)Live at Montreux is a live album by The Dubliners released in 1977. It featured Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly, John Sheahan and Jim McCann and was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1976.-Side One:# "Fairmoye Lassies and Sporting Paddy"...
(Live) - 1977 15 Years On15 Years On15 Years On is an album from the band The Dubliners. This album was created to celebrate the band's 15 year anniversary from the day they started music together. The album was released on the CHYME label in 1977. The album features 24 tracks on two records...
- 1979 Together AgainTogether Again (The Dubliners album)Together Again is an album by The Dubliners. Produced by Pete St. John and featuring four of his compositions, this album, released on the CHYME label in 1979, saw Ronnie Drew return to The Dubliners following Jim McCann's departure. This was the last studio album by The Dubliners to feature Luke...
- 1983 21 Years On21 Years On21 Years On is a live album by The Dubliners. Recorded at the National Concert Hall, Dublin in 1983, this was the first album by The Dubliners to feature Seán Cannon, who joined the group when Luke Kelly could no longer perform regularly due to a brain tumour. The album was released by Raidió...
(Live) - 1983 Prodigal SonsProdigal SonsProdigal Sons is an album by the Irish group The Dubliners. Produced by Bill Whelan, who later became famous for Riverdance, this album featured cellist Nigel Warren-Green as guest musician...
- 1985 Live In CarréLive In CarréLive in Carré is a live album by The Dubliners. Recorded live in Amsterdam in October 1983, this album featured Luke Kelly's final recordings with The Dubliners.-Tracklisting:Side One:#"Sweets of May"#"Dicey Reilly"#"Song for Ireland"...
(Live) - 1987 25 Years Celebration25 Years Celebration25 Years Celebration is a double album by The Dubliners. Recorded in 1987 and released following a special Late Late Show appearance by the group, 25 Years Celebration featured a number of special guests and featured "The Irish Rover", a collaboration with The Pogues, which returned The Dubliners...
- 1988 Dubliner's DublinDubliner's DublinThe Dubliner's Dublin is the last of The Dubliners' albums to be released on vinyl, The Dubliner's Dublin coincided with Dublin City's millennium celebrations. The lineup was Ronnie Drew, Barney McKenna, John Sheahan, Seán Cannon and Eamonn Campbell and there were also a number of guest musicians....
- 1992 30 Years A-Greying30 Years A-Greying30 Years A-Greying is a double album by The Dubliners, again produced by Eamonn Campbell. 30 Years A-Greying is similar to 25 Years Celebration in that it also featurs a number of special guests. The Pogues featured again, this time on a version of "Whiskey In The Jar"...
- 1996 Further AlongFurther AlongFurther Along is the title of a recording by The Dubliners. Following Ronnie Drew's departure from The Dubliners at the end of 1995, Paddy Reilly joined the group and this album was released in 1996 on their own new label, Baycourt.-Track listing:...
- 1997 Alive Alive-OAlive Alive-OAlive Alive-O is a double album by the Irish Folk Group The Dubliners which was recorded live throughout several Evenings in December 1996 in Germany at the end of their European tour....
(Live) - 2002 40 Years40 Years40 Years is an album by The Dubliners, released in 2002. To celebrate 40 years together, the band recorded an album and undertook a European tour. Ronnie Drew and Jim McCann rejoined the group on both the album and the tour...
(features old and new songs) - 2002 Live From The GaietyLive from the GaietyLive from the Gaiety is a live album by The Dubliners. It was recorded during the Irish leg of their tour celebrating forty years on the road. The double album was recorded at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin in June 2002. All surviving members took part...
(Live) - 2006 Live At Vicar StreetLive At Vicar StreetLive At Vicar Street is a live album recorded by The Dubliners at a concert at Vicar Street in Dublin on Sunday, 23 July 2006 as part of their Irish tour. A DVD and double CD of the concert were released. Ceoladh Sheahan joined her father and the band on stage for a rendition of "The Marino Waltz"...
(Live) - 2009 A Time to RememberA Time to RememberA Time to Remember is the 2009 double album recording of the show by the same name, by The Dubliners, recorded in Vienna. First performed in Vicar Street, Dublin on 4 July, 2009 and later taken on tour around Europe, it was conceived as a tribute to their deceased members...
(Live)
Compilation albums
- 1969 It's The DublinersIt's The DublinersIt's The Dubliners is a compilation album released by Hallmark, containing tracks from The Dubliners' early albums and EPs released on the Transatlantic label.-Side One:# "Master McGrath"# "Walking in the Dew"...
- 1969 A Drop Of The DublinersA Drop of The DublinersA Drop of The Dubliners is a compilation album by The Dubliners, released by Major Minor label as their contract with them ended. It consisted of tracks already available on the previous Major Minor releases, with the exception of the previously unavailable "Lock Up Your Daughters", a very rare...
- 1977 Home, Boys, Home
- 1978 20 Original Greatest Hits
- 1979 The Dubliners Collection
- 1981 20 Original Greatest Hits Volume 2
- 1981 18 Original Greatest Hits Volume 3
- 1992 Off to Dublin Green
- 1993 Original DublinersOriginal DublinersOriginal Dubliners is an album by The Dubliners. The double disc features EMI albums Seven Drunken Nights , Seven Deadly Sins Original Dubliners is an album by The Dubliners. The double disc features EMI albums Seven Drunken Nights (a.k.a. A Drop of the Hard Stuff), Seven Deadly Sins Original...
- 1995 Milestones
- 1997 The Definitive Transatlantic Collection
- 1998 At their bestAt Their BestAt Their Best is a compilation album by Pentangle. It was issued in 1983 on Cambra CR 054 and CR 54 .-Track listing:#"I've Got A Feeling"#"Bells"#"Market Song"#"No More My Lord"#"House Carpenter"#"Once I Had A Sweetheart"...
- 1998 Ageless Classics - The Transatlantic Years Revisited
- 2000 Collection (reassembling)
- 2000 Definitive Dubliners
- 2002 The best of The Dubliners
- 2002 The Transatlantic Anthology
- 2003 Spirit of the Irish
- 2006 The Dubliners Collection (reassembling)
- 2006 Too Late To Stop Now: The Very Best Of The DublinersToo Late to Stop Now: The Very Best of the DublinersToo Late to Stop Now: The Very Best of the Dubliners is a career-spanning greatest hits collection of The Dubliners, released in 2006. Disc One features the hits, while Disc Two features selections recorded live at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin in 2002, including some that were not included on the...
- 2009 The Very Best Of: The Dubliners
- 2010 The Very Best Of The Original Dubliners
Irish Chart singles
- 1966 Nelson's Farewell (#6)
- 1967 Black Velvet Band (#4)
- 1967 All For Me Grog (#10)
- 1967 Seven Drunken NightsSeven Drunken Nights"Seven Drunken Nights" is a humorous folk Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners and others. The Dubliners version reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1967, thanks to its diffusion on Radio Caroline, though it was banned from the national broadcasting station...
(#1) - 1968 Never Wed An Old Man (#11)
- 1968 Dirty Old TownDirty Old Town"Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by The Dubliners and has been recorded by many others since.-History:...
(#10) - 1971 Hand Me Down My Bible (#7)
- 1971 Free The People (#7)
- 1986 Raglan RoadRaglan RoadRaglan Road can refer to:*"On Raglan Road," an Irish song based on a poem by Patrick Kavanagh*Raglan Road , a street in Dublin that gave the poem its name...
(#30) - 1987 Don't Get Married (#24)
- 1987 The Irish RoverThe Irish Rover"The Irish Rover" is a traditional Irish song about a magnificent, though improbable, sailing ship that reaches an unfortunate end. It has been recorded by numerous artists, some of whom have made changes to the lyrics....
(#1) - 1990 Jack's HeroesJack's Heroes"Jack's Heroes" was a single released by The Pogues & The Dubliners in 1990, composed by tin whistle player Spider Stacy about the Republic Of Ireland football squad, then managed by Jack Charlton. The video featured the two bands playing against each other in a football match. The single charted...
(#4) (with The PoguesThe PoguesThe Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
) - 1991 The Rose (#2) (Including The Hothouse Flowers)
- 1994 Red Roses For Me (#13)
External links
- Patsy Watchorn (Dubliners Homepage)
- TheDubliners.org (Another Dubliners Homepage)
- Discography
- History and Discographies at theBalladeers
- Tribute CD to Ronnie Drew
- http://www.irishmusicforever.com/bands/dubliners