The Dubliners

The Dubliners

The Dubliners are a folk group from Dublin, Ireland, active from 1962 to 2012. They form in Dublin in 1962, first performing in O'Donoghue's pub under the name the Ronnie Drew Folk Group. The original line-up includes Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna and Ciarán Bourke, with Bobby Lynch and John Sheahan later added. Their members over the years also include Jim McCann, Seán Cannon, Eamonn Campbell, Paddy Reilly, Patsy Watchorn and Gabriel J. C. Lavelle.

History

The group begins as a four-piece with Drew on vocals and guitar, Kelly on vocals and five-string banjo, McKenna on tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon and vocals, and Bourke on vocals, guitar, tin whistle and harmonica. In 1963 they play the Edinburgh festival, where they meet Nathan Joseph of Transatlantic Records and begin recording. Luke Kelly leaves in 1964, when Bobby Lynch and John Sheahan join; Kelly returns in 1965 and Lynch leaves, forming what is often treated as the classic Dubliners line-up.

Their breakthrough comes in 1967 with “Seven Drunken Nights”, recorded in one take and picked up by a pirate radio station. After that they tour widely, reach the charts and receive gold discs. Their work also includes regular touring and recording through the 1970s, despite a series of line-up changes and illnesses.

Line-up changes and later years

Ciarán Bourke suffers a brain haemorrhage on stage in 1974, later returning before dying after further complications. Ronnie Drew takes a break around the same time, and Jim McCann replaces him and Bourke. Drew returns in 1979, after releasing two solo albums during his break, while the group records three albums without him. Luke Kelly later becomes ill with a brain tumour and is replaced on stage at times by Seán Cannon, who becomes a permanent and important addition to the group after Kelly dies in 1984.

In 1987 Eamonn Campbell helps bring the group together with the Pogues on the single “The Irish Rover”, which sends them back into the charts and introduces them to a new audience. Campbell then joins on a regular basis. In 1992 they mark their 30th anniversary with a double CD and an extensive tour. Ronnie Drew leaves in 1995 after releasing Dirty Rotten Shame, and Paddy Reilly joins so the group can continue touring and recording. They briefly reunite with Drew and Jim McCann for their 40th anniversary tour in 2002.

Jim McCann later joins their 50th anniversary activity, and Patsy Watchorn becomes part of the group in 2005 after Paddy Reilly moves to the United States. Following Barney McKenna’s death in 2012, the group retires after its 50th anniversary shows. Their final public appearance as The Dubliners takes place in early 2013 in memory of McKenna.

Recognition and legacy

The Dubliners are widely regarded as one of the most influential Irish acts of the 20th century. In 2012 they receive a BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. They are also described as Ireland’s longest-surviving musical act, and their work is said to have influenced many later Irish and Scottish acts, including the Chieftains, the Pogues, U2, Ossian and the Fureys.

Musical style

The Dubliners are known for Irish folk and traditional material, with a performance style built around distinctive vocals, banjo-led arrangements and a strong live reputation. Their line-up has included instruments such as guitar, five-string banjo, tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, fiddle, tin whistle, concertina and harmonica.