In Ireland, from the mid 1950s to the late 1970s, the main source of music at dance halls was the showband. These were initially smaller imitations of Dixieland big bands, with 6–12 musicians and one or two singers; later the repertoire expanded to include cover versions of whatever was popular on the radio: rock and roll, country and western, jazz standards and Irish traditional music. Many showbands featured a brass section, one of the hallmark sounds of the genre. They toured constantly around the country, and the more successful also went to Britain and the United States. // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. ... Dixieland music is a style of jazz. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Country music, once known as Country and Western music, is a popular musical form developed in the southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, spirituals, and the blues. ... Jazz standard refers to a tune that is widely known, performed, and recorded among jazz musicians. ... Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic politically divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ...

Famous Bands

The first showband to play while standing rather than seated was the Clipper Carlton. Brendan Bowyer with the Royal Showband had a hit in 1965 with "The Hucklebuck". Dickie Rock performed Elvis Presley songs with appropriate gyrations. His former band, the Miami Showband, was targeted by the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1975 as their concerts were an occasion when Catholics and Protestants mingled freely.^{[citation needed]} After a botched attempt to frame the band as an Irish Republican Army cell,^{[citation needed]} 3 members were instead simply shot dead. Brendan Bowyer (born 12 October 1938 in Waterford, Ireland) was an Irish bandleader in the 1960s. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Dickie Rock born in Cabra, Dublin was the charismatic frontman of the Miami Showband. ... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer, musician and actor. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) are a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is about the historical army of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919-21, and the Irish Civil War 1922-23. ...

The most famous of the showbands attained legendary status in Ireland and names like Brendan Bowyer and the Royal, Clubsound, Dickie Rock and the Miami, Butch Moore and the Capitol, Joe Dolan and the Drifters, became household names. Many of the stars of the era continue to perform today. Clubsound were one of the more successful showband groups from Northern Ireland during the 1960s and 1970s. ... Joe Dolan (born Hahaguiidugfbcgicfwebcflbwcfiwlocfwecbf Joseph Francis Robert Dolan, 16 October, 1943 in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland) is a singer of easy listening songs. ...

Dance Halls

The dance halls were usually simple barn-like buildings at the edge of town, painted in bright colours inside and out. They had fanciful names such as "Fairyland", "Dreamland", "Wonderland", etc. Each hall in smaller towns would only host a dance every several weeks, with patrons arriving in shared cars or by bicycle from the surrounding towns and countryside.

Halls were constructed cheaply by local entrepreneurs. Many in the midlands were operated by Albert Reynolds, who would later become Taoiseach. Albert Reynolds (born November 3, 1932), was the eighth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. ... The Taoiseach ( or [1]) — plural: Taoisigh ( or [1]) — or, more formally, An Taoiseach[2], is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet, the rough equivalent of a prime minister under the Westminster System. ...

Halls did not have licences to sell alcohol; besides being too expensive to obtain for a venue that was rarely used, the Catholic Church feared that mixing alcohol with dancing would increase the likelihood of sexual vice. The parish priest often patrolled the surrounding car park and fields for evidence of "company keeping". Within the dancehall, men and women stood on opposite sides of the hall with their same-sex friends while not dancing. In later years these strictures eased greatly, though alcohol remained unavailable. Bottles of cachaça, a Brazilian alcoholic beverage. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Vice is the opposite of virtue. ...

At its height, the industry employed thousands of workers and there were as many as 700-800 bands traveling the country. In the 1970's the showband phenomenon was faltering and the showbands generally revamped themselves into either pop or country bands as a combination of discos, hotels and bar extensions brought the ballrooms, and the industry to an end.

Legacy

Several Irish musicians who crossed over to international rock success began their careers with showbands, including Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher. who this nigga ... Rory Gallagher (March 2, 1948 – June 14, 1995) was an Irish blues/rock guitarist, born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal. ...

From the mid 1960s exposure increased, especially in urban centres, to newer forms of rock and pop music, performed by original artists. This was due to access to British television and radio stations, pirate radio, and new record shops catering to these tastes. Young people increasingly saw showbands as old-fashioned and rustic. The dance halls began closing in the mid 1970s, although some of the original bands continue to perform into the 21st Century at smaller venues for their loyal if aging fanbase. The term pirate radio lacks a specific universal interpretation. ... The 21st century is the present century of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

William Trevor's 1972 short story The Ballroom of Romance, made into a TV movie by RTÉ, is a much-anthologised account of the stultifying limitations of rural life in Ireland in the 1970's, set against a night at the eponymous local dancehall. William Trevor (born 24 May 1928) CBE, is a short story writer, novelist and playwright. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... Radio Telefís Éireann[1] (RTÉ; IPA: ,  ) is the Public Service Broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland. ... ANThology is the first major label album by Alien Ant Farm. ...

Many former patrons have happier memories of the "showband era", and a nostalgic Irish cliché holds that most married couples of a certain age met at a dance where one of the showbands was playing.

References

• W J McCormack (ed.) (2001). The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture. Blackwell's. ISBN 0-631-22817-9. 

• William Trevor (1972). The Ballroom of Romance and other stories. Bodley Head. ISBN 0-370-01468-5. 

• Finbar O'Keefe (2002). Goodnight, God Bless and Safe Home - The Golden Showband Era. The O'Brien Press. ISBN 0-86278-777-7. 

• Harry McCourt (1992). "Oh How we Danced". Guidhall Press. ISBN 0-946451-22-2. 

• Vincent Power (2000). Send'em Home Sweatin': The Showband Story. Mercier Press. ISBN 1-85635-330-3. 

Front of the original Blackwells bookshop Blackwells is a national chain of publishers and bookshops in the United Kingdom. ... William Trevor (born 24 May 1928) CBE, is a short story writer, novelist and playwright. ... Bodley Head has been, since 1987, an imprint of Random House. ...

External links

• Irishshowbands.net - Irish Showbands & Beat-Groups Archive
• Ian Gallagher's Showband Memories
• list of some of the more well-known showbands, some with images. From the website of the Jivenaires jive band.
• Irish-showbands.com - Gerry Gallagher's tribute to the Showband Era
• Top 100 Irish singles from the 60s A poll published in the Munster Express in 2005 includes many of the biggest showband hits.