The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962, making them one of the older bands still playing music today. An Irish band playing in the Hetzel Union Building, Penn State University. ...

Formation

The Dubliners formed in 1962. They made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's pub in Dublin. 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

Band members

• Ronnie Drew (1962-1974; 1979-1995) Vocals, Guitar
• Luke Kelly (1962-1984) Vocals, Banjo
• Ciaran Bourke (1962-1974) Vocals, Guitar, Tin Whistle, Harmonica
• Barney McKenna (1962-) Banjo, Mandolin, Accordeon, Vocals
• John Sheahan (1964-) Violin, Mandolin, Tin Whistle
• Bobby Lynch (1964-1965) Vocals, Guitar
• Jim McCann (1974-1979) Vocals, Guitar
• Sean Cannon (1982-) Vocals, Guitar
• Eamonn Campbell (1987-) Guitar, Mandolin
• Paddy Reilly (1995-2005) Vocals, Guitar
• Patsy Watchorn (2005-) Vocals, Banjo, Bodhran

The founding members were Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Ciaran Bourke and Barney McKenna. Ronnie Drew on stage at Lorient, Brittany in 2004 Ronnie Drew, an Irish singer and folk musician, was born in Dublin on 16 September 1934. ... Luke Kelly, (17 November 1940 - 30 January 1984) was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin, Ireland, most famous as a member of the band The Dubliners. ... Ciaron Bourke (18 February 1936 _ 1988) was one of the original members of the Irish folk band The Dubliners, playing the tin whistle, harmonica, and guitar, as well as singing. ... Barney McKenna or Banjo Barney, From Donnycarney as he is known amongst his fellow musicians, (born December 16, 1939) is an Irish singer and musician who plays the tenor banjo, mandolin, and melodeon. ... We dont have an article called John Sheahan Start this article Search for John Sheahan in. ... Eamonn Campbell has been a member of The Dubliners since 1988. ... Paddy Reilly (b. ... Ronnie Drew on stage at Lorient, Brittany in 2004 Ronnie Drew, an Irish singer and folk musician, was born in Dublin on 16 September 1934. ... Luke Kelly, (17 November 1940 - 30 January 1984) was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin, Ireland, most famous as a member of the band The Dubliners. ... Ciaron Bourke (18 February 1936 _ 1988) was one of the original members of the Irish folk band The Dubliners, playing the tin whistle, harmonica, and guitar, as well as singing. ... Barney McKenna or Banjo Barney, From Donnycarney as he is known amongst his fellow musicians, (born December 16, 1939) is an Irish singer and musician who plays the tenor banjo, mandolin, and melodeon. ...

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. His grave voice has been compared to a cement mixer and the sound of coke bottles being crushed under a door, it is instantly recognizable. Drew left the band in 1974 to spend more time with his family, to be replaced by Jim McCann. He returned to the Dubliners five years later, but left the group again in 1995. Paddy Reilly took his place this time around. Some of his most significant contributions to the band are the hit single Seven Drunken Nights, his rendition of Finnegan's wake, and McAlpine's Fusiliers. classical guitar A classical guitar, also called a Spanish guitar, is a musical instrument from the guitar family. ... Seven Drunken Nights is a humorous traditional Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners. ...

Luke Kelly was more of a balladeer than Drew, and he played chords on the five-string banjo. Kelly sang many defining versions of beautiful songs: traditionals like 'Black Velvet Band', 'Whiskey in the Jar' (later played by metal bands Thin Lizzy and Metallica), 'Home Boys Home'; but also Phil Coulter's 'The Town I Loved So Well', Ewan McColl's 'Dirty Old Town' also recorded by The Pogues and 'Raglan Road', written by the famous Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh. Kavanagh met Kelly in a pub, and asked him to sing the song. It was later recorded by artists like Mark Knopfler, Van Morrison, Sinéad O'Connor and many others. In 1980, Luke Kelly was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Though first the chemotherapy seemed to work, after a while things started getting worse again. Knowing his time would not be long, the band took on a replacement in 1982, Sean Cannon. Sometimes Kelly was too ill to sing, sometimes he joined the band for a few songs, and sometimes he collapsed on stage, but he didn't stop touring with the band until 2 months before his death. One of the last concerts he took part in was recorded and released: 'Live in Carré' (Amsterdam, Holland), released in 1983. John Sheahan introduces him when he comes on, and explains that he went for a walk and got lost, but obviously that wasn't the real reason he was late. 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. Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band who formed in Dublin in 1969. ... Metallica is an American heavy metal band, formed on October 28, 1981. ... Phil Coulter (born February 19, 1942) is a songwriter, performer and music producer from Derry, the second city of Northern Ireland. ... The Town I Loved So Well is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. ... Ewan MacColl (1915- October 22, 1989) was a Scottish playwright, poet, actor, folk-singer, and record producer. ... Dirty Old Town is a song written by Ewan McColl in 1949, and made popular by The Dubliners. ... Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 - 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet. ... Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is an English[1] guitarist, singer, and songwriter. ... Van Morrison OBE (born August 31, 1945 as George Ivan Morrison) is a singer and songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Sinéad Marie Bernadette OConnor (born December 8, 1966) is a Grammy Award winning Irish singer and songwriter. ...

Ciaran Bourke was a singer, but he also played the guitar, tin whistle and harmonica. He sang many songs in Gaelic ('Peggy Lettermore'; 'Preab san ol'). In 1974 disaster struck for Ciaran Bourke: he collapsed on stage after having a brain hemorrhage. First he made a miraculous recovery, but then he collapsed again, this time paralyzed on his left side. Bourke died in 1988. The band always kept hoping for his return; they never officially took on an official fifth member before his death, and they never stopped paying him.

Barney McKenna is a talented tenor banjo and mandolin player. In the Dubliners' stage shows he sings sea shanties and love songs to minimal instrumental accompaniment. He is also well known amongst friends, colleagues and fans as a great teller of tall stories and jokes.

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. According to Sheahan, he was never (and still has not) ever officially been asked to join the band. Sheahan is the only member to have had a musical education.

Instrumentals

They also played many instrumental tunes, mostly traditional reels, jigs and hornpipes. In the early days when they played at O'Donoghue's Pub, Bobby Lynch and fiddle/tin whistle player John Sheahan would play during the breaks, and sometimes they stayed on stage after the interval. When Luke Kelly left for England in 1964, they were asked to join the group. During this period without Luke Kelly, their 1965 CD 'In Concert' was recorded; Lynch can be heard singing 'Roddy MacCorley' (with Ciaran Bourke), Dominic Behan's 'Patriot Game', 'The Kerry Recruit' and 'The Leaving of Liverpool' (with Ronnie). When Kelly returned, Lynch left the band and Sheahan stayed. Bobby Lynch eventually died in 1982. The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. ... The jig (sometimes seen in its French language or Italian language forms gigue or giga) is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type, popular in Ireland and Scotland. ... The term hornpipe refers to one of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and elsewhere from the late 17th century until the present day. ... O’Donoghue’s Pub is a historically significant drinking establishment located near St. ... We dont have an article called John Sheahan Start this article Search for John Sheahan in. ... Dominic Behan (22nd October, 1928 - 3August, 1989) was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. ...

Popularity

The Dubliners became very well known, not just in Ireland; they were also pioneers for Irish folk in Europe and also (though less successful) in the United States. Their 1967 recordings of 'Seven Drunken Nights' and 'The Black Velvet Band' were released on the fledgling Major Minor label, and were heavily promoted on pirate station Radio Caroline. The result was that both records reached the UK pop charts. Seven Drunken Nights is a humorous traditional Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners. ... The Black Velvet Band is a traditional Irish folk song concerning the waves of Irish people who were sent to places like Australia and Tasmania for their crimes. ... Major Minor Records was a record label started by Phil Solomon in 1966, the label had a distribution deal with Decca Records. ... The term pirate radio lacks a specific universal interpretation. ... Carolines second ship, MV Mi Amigo, c. ...

The Dubliners spent the late sixties and early seventies touring, playing, but mostly and most importantly: drinking. Then in 1974 disaster struck for Ciaran Bourke: he collapsed on stage after having a brain hemorrhage. First he made a miraculous recovery, but then he collapsed again, this time paralyzed on his left side. Bourke died in 1988. The band always kept hoping for his return; they never officially took on a fifth member before his death, and they never stopped paying him.

Also 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. Tommy Makem (born 4 November 1932) is an internationally celebrated folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller from Ireland, most known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. ... 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. It is probably Makems only composition to have truly entered the common repertoire of Irish folk musicians. ... Lord of the Dance is a hymn written by Sydney Carter in 1963. ...

25th anniversary

In 1987, the Dubliners celebrated their 25th anniversary. They recorded a double CD, produced by Eamonn Campbell, long time friend and guest musician. He introduced them to The Pogues, and their collaboration resulted in a hit with "The Irish Rover". 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 millenial 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. Eamonn Campbell has been a member of The Dubliners since 1988. ... The Pogues are a popular Anglo-Irish band based in England. ... Christy Moore (born on May 7, 1945, in Newbridge, County Kildare) is a popular Irish folk singer and guitarist, well known as one of the founding members of Planxty. ... Paddy Reilly (b. ... Phil Coulter (born February 19, 1942) is a songwriter, performer and music producer from Derry, the second city of Northern Ireland. ... Ralph McTell (born Ralph May in Farnborough, England, 3 December 1944) is an English singer/songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk scene since the 1960s. ... Radio Telefís Éireann[1] (RTÉ; IPA: ,  ) is the Public Service Broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland. ...

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" In 2002, they temporarily reunited with Ronnie Drew and Jim McCann, for their 40th anniversary tour. During this tour, they recorded their first DVD. Sadly, Jim McCann was diagnosed with throat cancer after the tour, 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 decided to move to the United States, and Patsy Watchorn joined the group. Watchorn made name for himself with The Dublin City Ramblers; like Luke Kelly, he accompanies his songs on the 5 string banjo. Paddy Reilly (b. ... The Fields of Athenry is a song about the Irish Potato Famine, composed in the 1970s by Inchicore songwriter Pete St. ... The Town I Loved So Well is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, Northern Ireland. ...

After 43 years, the band still tours Europe every year, though instrumentalists Barney McKenna and John Sheahan are the only original members left in the band.

Discography (unfinished)

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• 1964 The Dubliners and Luke Kelly
• 1965 In Concert
• 1966 Finnegan Wakes
• 1967 A Drop of the Hard Stuff (a.k.a. 7 Drunken Nights)
• 1967 More of the Hard Stuff
• 1968 Drinking and Courting (a.k.a. Seven Deadly Sins)
• 1968 At it again (a.k.a. Whiskey on a Sunday)
• 1969 Live at the Royal Albert Hall
• 1969 At Home with The Dubliners
• 1969 It's The Dubliners
• 1970 Revolution
• 1972 Hometown
• 1972 Double Dubliners
• 1973 Plain and simple
• 1974 Live
• 1975 Now
• 1976 A Parcel of Rogues
• 1977 Live at Montreux
• ---- Home, Boys, Home
• 1977 15 Years On (reassembling)
• 1979 Together Again
• 1983 Prodigal Sons
• 1983 Live at Carre
• 1983 21 Years On (reassembling)
• 1987 25 Years Celebration (reassembling)
• 1988 Dubliner's Dublin
• 1992 30 Years A-Greying (reassembling)
• 1992 Off to Dublin Green
• 1996 Further Along
• 1997 Alive Alive-O
• 1997 The Defenitive Transatlantic Collection
• 2000 Original Dubliners
• 2000 Collection (reassembling)
• 2002 The best of The Dubliners
• ---- At their best
• 2002 The Transatlantic Anthology
• ---- 40 Year Celebration (half reassembling)
• ---- Live at the Gaiety
• 2003 Spirit of the Irish
• 2006 The Dubliners Collection (reassembling)

Image File history File links Information_icon. ... Seven Drunken Nights is a humorous traditional Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners. ...

External links

• discography
• discography
• compilation of lyrics