1.
Dubliners
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Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They form a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and they centre on Joyces idea of an epiphany, a moment where a character experiences a life-changing self-understanding or illumination. Many of the characters in Dubliners later appear in roles in Joyces novel Ulysses. The initial stories in the collection are narrated by child protagonists and this is in line with Joyces tripartite division of the collection into childhood, adolescence and maturity. Between 1905, when Joyce first sent a manuscript to a publisher, and 1914, the books publishing history is a harrowing tale of persistence in the face of frustration. The London house of Grant Richards agreed to publish it in 1905 and its printer, however, refused to set one of the stories, and Richards then began to press Joyce to remove a number of other passages that he claimed the printer also refused to set. Joyce protested, but eventually did agree to some of the requested changes, Richards eventually backed out of the deal. Joyce thereupon resubmitted the manuscript to publishers, and about three years later he found a willing candidate in Maunsel & Roberts of Dublin. Yet, a controversy developed and Maunsel too refused to publish it. They burned them the next day, Joyce managed to save one copy, which he obtained by ruse. He then returned to submitting the manuscript to publishers, and in 1914 Grant Richards once again agreed to publish the book. The Sisters – After the priest Father Flynn dies, a boy who was close to him. An Encounter – Two schoolboys playing truant encounter an elderly man, Araby – A boy falls in love with the sister of his friend, but fails in his quest to buy her a worthy gift from the Araby bazaar. Eveline – A young woman weighs her decision to flee Ireland with a sailor, after the Race – College student Jimmy Doyle tries to fit in with his wealthy friends. Two Gallants – Two con men, Lenehan and Corley, find a maid who is willing to steal from her employer, the Boarding House – Mrs Mooney successfully manoeuvres her daughter Polly into an upwardly mobile marriage with her lodger Mr Doran. A Little Cloud – Little Chandlers dinner with his old friend Ignatius Gallaher casts fresh light on his own failed literary dreams, the story also reflects on Chandlers mood upon realising that his baby son has replaced him as the centre of his wifes affections. Counterparts – Farrington, a lumbering alcoholic scrivener, takes out his frustration in pubs, Clay – The old maid Maria, a laundress, celebrates Halloween with her former foster child Joe Donnelly and his family. A Painful Case – Mr Duffy rebuffs Mrs Sinico, then, four years later, realises that he has condemned her to loneliness, Ivy Day in the Committee Room – Minor politicians fail to live up to the memory of Charles Stewart Parnell
2.
Dublin
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Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on Irelands east coast, the city has an urban area population of 1,345,402. The population of the Greater Dublin Area, as of 2016, was 1,904,806 people, founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Irelands principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800, following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland. Dublin is administered by a City Council, the city is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha-, which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy, the name Dublin comes from the Irish word Dubhlinn, early Classical Irish Dubhlind/Duibhlind, dubh /d̪uβ/, alt. /d̪uw/, alt /d̪u, / meaning black, dark, and lind /lʲiɲ pool and this tidal pool was located where the River Poddle entered the Liffey, on the site of the castle gardens at the rear of Dublin Castle. In Modern Irish the name is Duibhlinn, and Irish rhymes from Dublin County show that in Dublin Leinster Irish it was pronounced Duílinn /d̪ˠi, other localities in Ireland also bear the name Duibhlinn, variously anglicized as Devlin, Divlin and Difflin. Historically, scribes using the Gaelic script wrote bh with a dot over the b and those without knowledge of Irish omitted the dot, spelling the name as Dublin. Variations on the name are found in traditionally Irish-speaking areas of Scotland, such as An Linne Dhubh. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. Baile Átha Cliath, meaning town of the ford, is the common name for the city in modern Irish. Áth Cliath is a name referring to a fording point of the River Liffey near Father Mathew Bridge. Baile Átha Cliath was an early Christian monastery, believed to have been in the area of Aungier Street, there are other towns of the same name, such as Àth Cliath in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which is Anglicised as Hurlford. Although the area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times and he called the settlement Eblana polis. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. The subsequent Scandinavian settlement centred on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey in an area now known as Wood Quay, the Dubhlinn was a small lake used to moor ships, the Poddle connected the lake with the Liffey. This lake was covered during the early 18th century as the city grew, the Dubhlinn lay where the Castle Garden is now located, opposite the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle
3.
Irish traditional music
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The folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland. In A History of Irish Music, W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there were at least ten instruments in general use. These were the cruit and clairseach, the timpan, the feadan, the buinne, the guthbuinne, the bennbuabhal and corn, the cuislenna, the stoc and sturgan, there is also evidence of the fiddle being used in the 8th century. There are several collections of Irish folk music from the 18th century, important collectors include Colm Ó Lochlainn, George Petrie, Edward Bunting, Francis ONeill, James Goodman and many others. Irish traditional music has survived more strongly against the forces of cinema, radio and this was possibly because the country was not a geographical battleground in either of the two world wars. Another potential factor was that the economy was agricultural, where oral tradition usually thrives. From the end of the world war until the late fifties folk music was held in low regard. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and the popularity of the Fleadh Cheoil helped lead the revival of the music, the English Folk music scene also encouraged and gave self-confidence to many Irish musicians. Following the success of The Clancy Brothers in the USA in 1959, the lush sentimental style of singers such as Delia Murphy was replaced by guitar-driven male groups such as The Dubliners. Irish showbands presented a mixture of pop music and folk dance tunes, the international success of The Chieftains and subsequent musicians and groups has made Irish folk music a global brand. Historically much old-time music of the USA grew out of the music of Ireland, England and Scotland, by the 1970s Irish traditional music was again influencing music in the USA and further afield in Australia and Europe. It has occasionally been fused with rock and roll, punk rock, like all traditional music, Irish folk music has changed slowly. Most folk songs are less than two hundred years old, one measure of its age is the language used. Modern Irish songs are written in English and Irish, most of the oldest songs and tunes are rural in origin and come from the older Irish language tradition. Modern songs and tunes often come from cities and towns, Irish songs went from the Irish language to the English language, unaccompanied vocals are called sean nós and are considered the ultimate expression of traditional singing. Sean-nós singing is highly ornamented and the voice is placed towards the top of the range, a true sean-nós singer will vary the melody of every verse, but not to the point of interfering with the words, which are considered to have as much importance as the melody. To the first-time listener, accustomed to pop and classical singers, sean-nós often sounds more Arabic, non-sean-nós traditional singing, even when accompaniment is used, uses patterns of ornamentation and melodic freedom derived from sean-nós singing, and, generally, a similar voice placement. Caoineadh /kˠi, nʲɪ/ is Irish for a lament, a song which is typified by lyrics which stress sorrow, traditionally, the Caoineadh song contained lyrics in which the singer lamented for Ireland after having been forced to emigrate due to political or financial reasons
4.
Columbia Records
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Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc. the United States division of Sony Corporation. It was founded in 1887, evolving from an enterprise named the American Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the sound business. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of singers, instrumentalists. It is one of Sony Musics three flagship record labels alongside RCA Records and Epic Records, rather, as above, it was connected to CBS, a broadcasting media company which had purchased the company in 1938, and had been co-founded in 1927 by Columbia Records itself. Though Arista Records was sold to Bertelsmann Music Group, it would become a sister label of Columbia Records through its mutual connection to Sony Music. The Columbia Phonograph Company was founded in 1887 by stenographer, lawyer and New Jersey native Edward Easton and it derived its name from the District of Columbia, where it was headquartered. At first it had a monopoly on sales and service of Edison phonographs and phonograph cylinders in Washington. As was the custom of some of the regional companies, Columbia produced many commercial cylinder recordings of its own. Columbias ties to Edison and the North American Phonograph Company were severed in 1894 with the North American Phonograph Companys breakup, thereafter it sold only records and phonographs of its own manufacture. In 1902, Columbia introduced the XP record, a brown wax record. According to Gracyk, the molded brown waxes may have sold to Sears for distribution. Columbia began selling records and phonographs in addition to the cylinder system in 1901, preceded only by their Toy Graphophone of 1899. For a decade, Columbia competed with both the Edison Phonograph Company cylinders and the Victor Talking Machine Company disc records as one of the top three names in American recorded sound. In order to add prestige to its catalog of artists. The firm also introduced the internal-horn Grafonola to compete with the extremely popular Victrola sold by the rival Victor Talking Machine Company, during this era, Columbia used the famous Magic Notes logo—a pair of sixteenth notes in a circle—both in the United States and overseas. Columbia was split into two companies, one to make records and one to make players, Columbia Phonograph was moved to Connecticut, and Ed Easton went with it. Eventually it was renamed the Dictaphone Corporation, in late 1923, Columbia went into receivership
5.
Epic Records
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Epic Records is an American record company owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc. Epic was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 and it later expanded its scope to include a more diverse range of musical genres, including pop, R&B, rock and hip hop. Historically, the label has housed popular acts such as Boston, ABBA, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Dave Clark Five, Gloria Estefan, Pearl Jam, Shakira, Anastacia, and Sly & the Family Stone. Along with Columbia and RCA Records, Epic is one of Sony Music Entertainments three main record labels, L. A. Reid has served as chairman and CEO of Epic since July 2011. Sylvia Rhone was appointed president in March 2014, Epic Records was launched in 1953 by Columbia Records for the purpose of marketing jazz, pop and classical music that did not fit the theme of its more mainstream Columbia Records label. Initial classical music releases were from Philips Records which distributed Columbia product in Europe, pop talent on co-owned Okeh Records were transferred to Epic which made Okeh a rhythm and blues label. Epics bright-yellow, black, and blue became a familiar trademark for many jazz. By 1960, the musical base had been expanded to include all genres. This was done in part to prevent the roster of Columbia Records from being overstuffed with newer artists, subsequently, Epic became better known for its signing of newer, fledgling acts. By the end of the 1960s, Epic earned its first gold records and had evolved into a formidable hit-making force in rock and roll, R&B and country music. Among its many acts, it included Roy Hamilton, Bobby Vinton, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, Tammy Wynette, Donovan, The Yardbirds, Lulu, July, Helen Shapiro and Jeff Beck. Also during the 1960s, Epic oversaw the smaller subsidiary CBS labels including Okeh Records, in 1968, Epic recordings began being distributed in the UK by CBS after the distribution deal with EMI expired that year, Epic itself launched in England around 1971. Epic was involved in a trade of artists. Graham Nash was signed to Epic because of his membership in The Hollies, when the newly formed Crosby, Stills & Nash wanted to sign with Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegün worked out a deal with Clive Davis whereby Richie Furays new band Poco would sign with Epic. Also contributing to the success was its distribution of Philadelphia International Records. Sony bought CBS Records in 1987, and the company was renamed Sony Music in 1991. In 2004, Sony merged with another powerhouse music distributor, BMG, bringing labels such as RCA, Arista, Columbia, Epic, Jive, in February 2009, singer and songwriter Amanda Ghost was appointed president of Epic Records. Later in the year, Sony BMG Music merged Epic and Columbias operations, Sony BMGs Legacy Recordings reissues the companys classic and catalog titles
6.
Legacy Recordings
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Legacy Recordings is a division of Sony Music. It also handles the catalog of recordings produced by Phil Spector and this is not to be confused with the defunct British independent label Legacy Records. The Essential series are one-to-two disc compilations of an extensive catalog. On occasion, albums in series would have a limited edition third disc. As of 2015, several volumes in the Essential series are available on Vinyl LP. A spinoff series, Setlist, features compilations of live performances. The first several albums come in a special Eco-packet and to save paper, a PDF file is included on the disc, containing photographs, credits and this was met with criticism as the discs were easily scratched. Thus, in recent years, Playlist albums came packaged in standard, reception on the Playlist series varies between editions. See individual pages for more information, list of record labels Lawrence Cohn, previous head of Legacy Recordings This Is Jazz Official Site US Official Site UK Company Blog Podcast Site
7.
EMI
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EMI was a British multinational conglomerate founded in March 1931 and was based in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, it was the fourth-largest business group and its EMI Records Ltd. group of record labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records and Capitol Records. EMI also had a publishing arm, EMI Music Publishing—also based in London with offices globally. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE100 Index, other members of the Sony consortium include the Estate of Michael Jackson, The Blackstone Group, and Abu Dhabi–owned investment fund Mubadala Development Company. The new vertically integrated company produced sound recordings as well as recording, the companys gramophone manufacturing led to forty years of success with larger-scale electronics and electrical engineering. He was killed in 1942 whilst conducting flight trials on an experimental H2S radar set, post-war, the company resumed its involvement in making broadcasting equipment, notably providing the BBCs second television transmitter at Sutton Coldfield. It also manufactured broadcast television cameras for British television production companies as well as for the BBC, the commercial television ITV companies also used them alongside cameras made by Pye and Marconi. Exports of this piece of equipment were low, however, the company was also for many years an internationally respected manufacturer of photomultipliers. This part of the business was transferred to Thorn as part of Thorn-EMI, in 1958 the EMIDEC1100, the UKs first commercially available all-transistor computer, was developed at Hayes under the leadership of Godfrey Hounsfield, an electrical engineer at EMI. In 1973 EMI was awarded a prestigious Queens Award for Technological Innovation for what was called the EMI scanner. After brief, but brilliant, success in the imaging field, EMIs manufacturing activities were sold off to other companies. Subsequently, development and manufacturing activities were sold off to companies and work moved to other towns such as Crawley. Emihus Electronics, based in Glenrothes, Scotland, was owned 51% by Hughes Aircraft, of California, US and it manufactured integrated circuits electrolytic capacitors and, for a short period in the mid-1970s, hand-held calculators under the Gemini name. Early in its life, the Gramophone Company established subsidiary operations in a number of countries in the British Commonwealth, including India, Australia. Over 150,000 78-rpm recordings from around the world are held in EMIs temperature-controlled archive in Hayes, in 1931, the year the company was formed, it opened the legendary recording studios at Abbey Road, London. During the 1930s and 1940s, its roster of artists included Arturo Toscanini, Sir Edward Elgar, during this time EMI appointed its first A&R managers. These included George Martin, who brought the Beatles into the EMI fold. When the Gramophone Company merged with the Columbia Graphophone Company in 1931, at this point RCA had a majority shareholding in the new company, giving RCA chair David Sarnoff a seat on the EMI board
8.
Polydor Records
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Polydor is a British record label and company, that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a relationship with Universals Interscope Geffen A&M label. In turn, Polydor distributes Interscope releases in the United Kingdom, Polydor Records Ltd. was established in London in 1954 as a British subsidiary of German company Deutsche Grammophon GmbH. The Polydor label was founded on 2 April 1913 by German Polyphon-Musikwerke AG in Leipzig, during World War I on 24 April 1917, Polyphon-Musikwerke AG acquired the German Deutsche Grammophon-Aktiengesellschaft record plant and company from the German government. The German state was taken over Grammophon and the British holdings as enemies property during World War I, Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Polyphon-Grammophon-Konzern group. It was used as a label since 1924. The British and German branches of the Gramophone Company were so departed during World War I, in turn, Deutsche Grammophon records exported from Germany were released on the Polyphon Musik and Polydor labels. The new foreign branches were founded for example into Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Polydor became a popular music label in 1946, while the new Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft label was to become a classical music label in 1949. The previously used label, Grammophon, was disbanded, DGG gave, with an agreement dated 5 July 1949, an exclusive license from 1 July 1951 to use the Nipper-dog with gramophone to the original owners company Electrola, the German branch of EMI. In 1970, Polydor acquired the Hong Kong-based Diamond Records, which had owned and founded by the local Portuguese merchant Ren da Silva in the late 1950s. In 1972, The Grammophon-Philips Group reorganized to create PolyGram, the Polydor label continued to run as a subsidiary label under the new company. The name PolyGram is a portmanteau of Polydor and PhonoGram, into the 1980s, Polydor continued to do respectable business, in spite of becoming increasingly overshadowed by its PolyGram sister label Mercury Records. Polydor took over management of British Deccas pop catalog, A&R manager Frank Neilson was able to score a major top ten hit in March 1981 for the label with Do The Hucklebuck by Coast to Coast as well as signing Ian Dury and Billy Fury to the company. In 1984, the name was parodied in the rockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. By the early 1990s, Polydor had begun to underperform, in 1994, as Island Records recovered from its sales slump, PolyGram dissolved most of PLG into it. Meanwhile, Polydor Records and Atlas Records merged, briefly called Polydor/Atlas, in 1995, Polydor/Atlas became simply Polydor Records again. Over the next few years, Polydor tried to keep itself afloat with new artist signings, new releases, in 1998, PolyGram was purchased by Seagram and absorbed into its Universal Music Group. Today, in America, the Polydor Records name and logo is used on reissues of older material from its 1960s and 1970s heyday
9.
Stiff Records
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Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007, Robinson and Riviera were well-known London music business characters. The label was started with a loan of £400 from Lee Brilleaux of Dr. Feelgood and its first release, on 14 August 1976, was a single by Nick Lowe, So It Goes, B-side Heart Of The City, with the striking catalogue number BUY1. That record sold 10,000 copies, but Stiffs next release, Between The Lines by Pink Fairies, november 1976 also saw the release of a single by Nottingham-based band Plummet Airlines Silver Shirt/This is the World. Plummet Airlines then went on to be featured on the John Peel show in May and August 1977, early in 1977, Stiff Records picked up speed, signing Wreckless Eric, Ian Dury, and Elvis Costello. Bigger sales followed, and a deal with Island Records. A similar deal with CBS Records was set up for Stiff releases in the United States, rivieras departure coincided with the end of the 5 Live Stiffs Tour, which showcased emerging star Ian Dury. Durys album New Boots & Panties had raced up the charts and its sales kept the label in business over the following months, in 1979, Robinson signed Madness, whose considerable commercial success, both in Britain and abroad, would keep Stiff afloat for several years. Stiff expanded rapidly and moved its premises twice and it also continued to release dozens of obscure and uncommercial releases. At the end of 1983, Island Records bought 50% of Stiff, Island was very short of money at the time and Robinson had to lend it £1,000,000 to fund the share purchase and pay the payroll. Nonetheless, Robinson led Island through their best year ever, with, among others releases by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Legend by Bob Marley, Stiff signed The Pogues, but then Madness left under a cloud. The Island deal failed and Dave Robinson regained control of the independent label in 1985. Warner Music Group holds the currently to Stiffs masters and most are reissued through Rhino Entertainment. In 2007, ZTT and its parent company SPZ Group reactivated the label, Stiff quickly broke one of the UKs hottest new indie acts, The Enemy. It then released a string of well-received albums of new work from legacy Stiff artists, including as Wreckless Eric, Henry Priestman, Any Trouble, brand new acts signed to the label included The Tranzmitors and Eskimo Disco. Swedish designer Tobbe Stuhre was appointed official Stiff Records designer, in 2008, Union Square Music released The Big Stiff Box Set. This detailed catalogue release contained 98 tracks across four CDs and the 100-page The Big Stiff Book by music journalist and Stiff expert, Robinson and Riviera had arranged package tours ‒ such as the 1975 Naughty Rhythms tour ‒ for acts they managed before forming Stiff. Having signed all the artists as individuals, bands had to be formed in order to tour
10.
The Dubliners
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The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962. The band started off as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named in honour of its founding member, the group line-up saw many changes over their fifty-year career. However, the success was centred on lead singers Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew. The band garnered success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads. The band were regulars on the scenes in both Dublin and London in the early 1960s, until they were signed to the Major Minor label in 1965 after backing from Dominic Behan. They went on to receive airplay on Radio Caroline, and eventually appeared on Top of the Pops in 1967 with hits Seven Drunken Nights. During this time the bands popularity began to spread across mainland Europe, the groups success remained steady right through the 1970s and a number of collaborations with The Pogues in 1987 saw them enter the UK Singles Chart on another two occasions. The Dubliners were instrumental in popularising Irish folk music in Europe, though they did not quite surpass the popularity of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in the United States. They influenced many generations of Irish bands, and their legacy can to this day be heard in the music of such as The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys. Much adored in their country, covers of Irish ballads by Ronnie Drew. One of the most influential Irish acts of the 20th century, they celebrated 50 years together in 2012, also in 2012, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards bestowed them with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Dubliners announced their retirement in the autumn of 2012, after 50 years of playing, following the death of the last of the founding members, Barney McKenna. However, the members of the group, with the exception of John Sheahan. As of 2016, there are two of the members still in this group, Seán Cannon and Eamonn Campbell. The Dubliners, initially known as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, formed in 1962, the change of name came about because of Ronnie Drews unhappiness with it, together with the fact that Luke Kelly was reading Dubliners by James Joyce at the time. Founding members were Drew, Kelly, Ciarán Bourke and Barney McKenna, Drew, McKenna and Thomas Whelan 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 Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. They used to sing songs between acts, before joining the Dubliners full-time, Kelly had spent some time playing at English folk clubs such as the Jug oPunch 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
11.
The Pogues
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The Pogues were a Celtic punk band formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band was founded in Kings Cross, London, as Pogue Mahone—the anglicisation of the Irish póg mo thóin, the band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, recording several hit albums and singles. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer, the Pogues reformed in late 2001, and played regularly across the UK and Ireland and on the US East Coast, until dissolving again in 2014. The group did not record any new material during this second incarnation and their politically tinged music was informed by MacGowan and Stacys punk backgrounds, yet used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin and accordion. The Pogues have influenced many bands throughout the years, such as Flogging Molly, MacGowan was already with The Nips, though when they broke up in 1980 he concentrated a bit more on Stacys Millwall Chainsaws, who changed their name to The New Republicans. In 1982, James Fearnley, who had been a guitarist with The Nips, joined MacGowan, Stacy, the new group played their first gig at The Pindar of Wakefield on 4 October 1982. They then appeared at Gossips in Dean Street Soho on Thursday 3 November 1983 with Trash Trash Trash and they later added Cait ORiordan and Andrew Ranken. The band played London pubs and clubs, and released a single, Dark Streets of London, on their own, self-named label and they came to the attention of the media and Stiff Records when they opened for The Clash on their 1984 tour. Shortening their name to The Pogues they released their first album Red Roses for Me on Stiff Records that October, the band gained more attention when the UK Channel 4s influential music show The Tube made a video of their version of Waxies Dargle for the show. Nevertheless, it remained a favourite request for the show for many years, with the aid of producer Elvis Costello, they recorded the follow-up, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, in 1985 during which time guitarist Philip Chevron joined. The album title is a famous comment falsely attributed to Winston Churchill who was describing the true traditions of the British Royal Navy. The album cover featured The Raft of the Medusa, with the faces of the characters in Théodore Géricaults painting replaced with those of the band members, the album shows the band moving away from covers to original material. The band failed to take advantage of the created by the strong artistic. Looming over the band at this period was the increasingly erratic behaviour of their vocalist and principal songwriter and their record label, Stiff Records, went bankrupt soon after the 1987 release of the single The Irish Rover. Members of the band, including ORiordan, acted in Alex Coxs Straight to Hell, the band remained stable enough to record If I Should Fall from Grace with God with its Christmas hit duet with Kirsty MacColl Fairytale of New York. Fairytale of New York was released as a single in 1987 and reached No.1 in the Irish charts and No.2 in the British charts over Christmas. It was also voted as the 27th greatest song never to reach UK#1 in another VH1 poll, in 2007 the record was briefly censored by the BBC because of the word faggot being deemed potentially offensive to gay people. Following protests from listeners, including the mother of Kirsty MacColl, the band was at the peak of its commercial success, with both albums making the top 5 in the UK, but MacGowan was increasingly unreliable
12.
Ronnie Drew
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Joseph Ronald Ronnie Drew was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He is most recognised for his vocals on the single Seven Drunken Nights. He was recognisable for his beard and his voice, which was once described by Nathan Joseph as being like the sound of coke being crushed under a door. Ronnie Drew was born in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin in 1934, a quip that Andy Irvine relayed in his song ODonoghues. Drew was educated at CBS Eblana and used to mitch and cycle up to Leopardstown Racecourse, despite his aversion to education, he was considered the most intelligent in his class by schoolfriend and future Irish film censor, Sheamus Smith. Drew had also sung as a boy soprano before his voice broke, in the 1950s, Drew moved to Spain to teach English and learn Spanish and flamenco guitar. His interest in music began at the age of 19. In 1962, he founded the Ronnie Drew Group with Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna and they soon changed their name to The Dubliners—with John Sheahan joining shortly afterwards to form the definitive line-up—and quickly became one of the best known Irish folk groups. They played at first in ODonoghues Pub in Merrion Row, Dublin 2 where they were accompanied by Mary Jordan on the spoons and vocalist Ann Mulqueen. Mary Jordans mother, Peggy Jordan, introduced them to the Abbey Tavern in Howth and they also played across the road in the Royal Hotel, at all-night parties in Peggys large house in Kenilworth Square in Rathgar, and in John Molloys flat at Ely Place. He rejoined The Dubliners in 1979 and left for good in 1995 and he made several television appearances with the group between 2002–05. From 1995 onwards, Drew pursued a solo career and he recorded with many artists, including Christy Moore, The Pogues, Antonio Breschi, Dropkick Murphys, Eleanor Shanley and others. He did a number of one-man shows—he was accompanied by various guitarists—during this period, such as Songs and Stories, Ronnie, I Hardly Knew Ya and Ronnie. These shows consisted of stories about such as Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh and Seán OCasey. He fronted a campaign to encourage the use of Dublins light-rail infrastructure and, before that and he narrated a retelling of the great Irish Myths and Legends—scripted by Steven Byrne—over a six CD set in 2006. He also narrated the stories of Oscar Wilde in his voice for a series released on CD by the News of the World newspaper. Both were re-released as CD box sets in 2010, on 22 August 2006, Drew was honoured in a ceremony where his hand prints were added to the Walk of Fame outside Dublins Gaiety Theatre. In September 2006, Drew was reported to be in ill-health after being admitted to St. Vincents Hospital, Dublin, the Evening Herald reported that his apparent illness was due to years of heavy drinking
13.
Luke Kelly
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Luke Kelly was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor from Dublin, Ireland. Born into a household in Dublin city, Kelly moved to England in his late teens. Returning to Dublin in the 1960s, he is noted as a member of the band The Dubliners. Becoming known for his singing style, and sometimes political messages. Luke Kelly was born into a family in Lattimore Cottages at 1 Sheriff Street. His grandmother, who was a MacDonald from Scotland, lived with the family until her death in 1953 and his father worked all his life in Jacobs biscuit factory and enjoyed playing football. Both Luke and his brother Paddy played club Gaelic football and soccer as children, Kelly left school at thirteen and after a number of years of odd-jobbing, he went to England in 1958. Working at steel fixing with his brother Paddy on a site in Wolverhampton. He worked odd jobs from oil barrel cleaning to vacuum salesman, the first folk club he came across was in the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne in early 1960. Having already acquired the use of a banjo, he started memorising songs, in Leeds he brought his banjo to sessions in McReadys pub. The folk revival was under way in England, at the centre of it was Ewan MacColl who scripted a radio programme called Ballads, a revival in the skiffle genre also injected a certain energy into folk singing at the time. On a trip home he went to a fleadh cheoil in Milltown Malbay on the advice of Johnny Moynihan and he listened to recordings of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. He also developed his political convictions which, as Ronnie Drew pointed out after his death, as Drew also pointed out, he learned to sing with perfect diction. Kelly befriended Sean Mulready in Birmingham and lived in his home for a period, Mulready was a teacher who was forced from his job in Dublin because of his communist beliefs. Mulready had strong music links, a sister, Kathleen Moynihan was a member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and he was related by marriage to Festy Conlon. Mulreadys brother-in-law, Ned Stapleton, taught Kelly The Rocky Road to Dublin, Kelly bought his first banjo, which had five strings and a long neck, and played it in the style of Pete Seeger and Tommy Makem. At the same time, Kelly began a habit of reading and he got involved in the Jug OPunch folk club run by Ian Campbell. He befriended Dominic Behan and they performed in clubs and Irish pubs from London to Glasgow
14.
Barney McKenna
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Bernard Noël Banjo Barney McKenna was an Irish musician and a founding member of The Dubliners. He played the banjo, violin, mandolin, and melodeon. He was most renowned as a banjo player, born in Donnycarney, Dublin, McKenna played the banjo from an early age, beginning because he could not afford to buy the instrument of his choice, a mandolin. He was a member of The Dubliners from 1962 and was the only living member of the formation at the time of his death. Prior to joining the Dubliners, he had spent a few months in The Chieftains, in addition to his work on traditional Irish music, he also played jazz on occasion. Barney remained a favourite with live audiences, and some of the loudest and most affectionate applause followed the tunes. He was well known for his renditions of songs such as South Australia. Another featured spot in Dubliners performances is the duet that Barney played with John Sheahan – again with Eamonn Campbell providing guitar accompaniment. As Barney often pointed out to the audience, Its an Irish duet, barneys tendency to relate funny, and often only marginally believable, stories was legendary amongst Dubliners fans and friends. Barney was a fisherman, and many of the songs he has recorded with The Dubliners have been shanties. McKenna died unexpectedly on the morning of 5 April 2012 after collapsing in the kitchen of his home in Howth and he was buried at St Lomans Cemetery in Trim, County Meath, on 9 April 2012. At first it was unclear whether The Dubliners would continue their 50th Anniversary Tour in the wake of McKennas death, however they soon confirmed that they would do their best to honour all the concert dates for the rest of the year. Http, //www. barneymckenna. net Obituary at the Daily Telegraph
15.
John Sheahan
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John Sheahan is an Irish musician and composer and the last surviving member of the definitive five-member line-up of The Dubliners. He joined The Dubliners in 1964 and played with them until 2012 when The Dubliners name was retired following the death of founding member Barney McKenna, John Sheahan was born in Dublin on 19 May 1939. His father, a native of Glin, County Limerick, was a member of the Garda Síochána stationed in Dublin and he went to school to the local Christian Brothers in Marino, Dublin, where he received his first musical education, learning the tin whistle. This experience was shared with Paddy Moloney, who later founded The Chieftains, and Leon and Liam Rowsome, sons of the piper Leo Rowsome. When he was twelve years old he began to take an active interest in music. Enthusiastically supported and encouraged by his parents, he attended the Municipal School of Music in Dublin where he studied violin for more than five years. During this time he continued to maintain his interest in Irish traditional music and his interest in American bluegrass fiddle music must also have influenced his style, as can be heard in tunes like Flop Eared Mule, recorded with The Dubliners in 1968,1969 and 1983. Sheahan played with a number of bands around the country until he met The Dubliners in the early 1960s, at that time, the group was formed by Ronnie Drew, Barney McKenna, Ciarán Bourke and Luke Kelly. He joined the band in 1964, together with Bobby Lynch, both musicians had been playing during the interval at concerts and usually stayed on stage for the second half of the show. When Luke Kelly moved to England in 1964, Lynch was taken on as his temporary replacement and he is the only member of the Dubliners to have had a formal musical education. After 50 years of playing and after the death of founding member Barney McKenna, the last formation of the band featured Sheahan himself, Sean Cannon, Eamonn Campbell, Patsy Watchorn and Gerry OConnor. He was a member of the band for 48 years. In 2013 Sheahan went on tour with Jane and Shane in Denmark playing classical music and he also joined in some informal sessions in pubs in Dublin featuring other Irish musicians and Luke Kellys brother Jim Kelly. In April 2013 he had his own documentary on RTÉ about his life, in May he went into Dundalk Primary School to talk about his career with The Dubliners. In October 2013 Sheahan was on The Late Late Show on RTÉ with Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains and performed a reel together on the Tin Whistle. Sheahan said he was working on an album which would contain a collection of unrecorded compositions he had written over the past 50 years and was developing a book containing his poetry. He played at Templebar Tradfest in Dublin City Hall in January 2014, in April 2014, Sheahan was awarded two Irish Film and Television Awards for the television documentary John Sheahan - A Dubliner. On 10 April 2014 Sheahan was part of Ceiliúradh at which he and he sang a verse of the Auld Triangle and played the fiddle to accompany other musicians
16.
Jim McCann (musician)
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James Jim McCann was an Irish entertainer and folk musician. As a young man, McCann attended University College Dublin as a student of medicine and he began to perform in folk clubs in the area, and, upon his return to Dublin, he joined a group called the Ludlow Trio in 1965. In the following year, the Ludlow Trio had a hit with their recording of Dominic Behan’s “The Sea Around Us”, which reached number one in the Irish charts. The Ludlow Trio broke up in the year, and McCann began a solo career, releasing an album, McCann. Amongst other pursuits, he spent the few years involving himself in theatrical productions. He released an album, McCanned, made a television special called Reflections of Jim McCann. It was on The McCann Man that he met fellow folk artist, during this appearance, Kelly did his only televised performance of the Phil Coulter song Scorn Not His Simplicity, a song that he chose to perform sparingly out of respect to the subject matter. McCann subsequently performed alongside Kelly in the original cast of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1973, in April 1974 Kelly asked McCann to join The Dubliners temporarily, to replace Ciarán Bourke during a period of illness. However, he became a permanent member soon afterwards, when Ronnie Drew left the group to pursue a solo career, McCann remained with The Dubliners until the end of 1979, during which he toured incessantly, also recording several albums with the group. He did rejoin The Dubliners in 2002 for their 40th anniversary tour and he continued to perform, tour, and record music as a solo artist, appearing on many television shows and achieving success with albums such as From Tara to Here and singles such as Grace. He rejoined the Dubliners in 2002 for their 40th anniversary album, although treatment for the illness was successful, the damage to his voice left him unable to sing. However, he collaborated with the Dubliners by taking the photographs for them, appearing as a compere in their concerts. During the Dubliners last concert in December 2012, he performed them as a guitarist. McCanns death was announced by his family on 5 March 2015 and he had been battling throat cancer for some time
17.
Eamonn Campbell
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Eamonn Campbell 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 and he is known as a guitarist and has a rough voice similar to the late Dubliner founding member Ronnie Drew. He is still touring with three other ex-Dubliners as The Dublin Legends, now that the name has been retired with the death of Barney McKenna. Eamonn is originally from Drogheda in County Louth, but now lives in Walkinstown and he is a regular drinker in famous Walkinstown Bar The Submarine. It was his suggestion that the Dubliners work with London Irish band The Pogues in the mid-1980s, thus giving them their biggest UK hit to date and an appearance on Top of the Pops. He has produced all of the Dubliners albums since 1987, as well as albums for many other Irish artists, including Foster and Allen, Brendan Shine, Daniel ODonnell and Paddy Reilly. He played locally with the Delta Boys, The Bee Vee Five and the Country Gents before joining Dermot OBrien, in 2002 Eamonn put a complaint to a Commission to Inquire into Sexual Abuse as he said he was abused by The Christian Brothers as a child. In an interview he said I felt emotional with hate at what this arsehole had got away with and he was abusing the whole class. I still havent heard anything back, Eamonn was the Grand Master for the 2009 Drogheda St Patricks Day Parade. In his younger years Eamonn taught guitar lessons at the Music Shop in Drogheda and his granddaughter Megan Campbell is a Republic of Ireland international
18.
Radio Caroline
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The Radio Caroline name was used to broadcast from international waters, using five different ships of three different owners, from 1964 to 1990, and via satellite from 1998 to 2013. Radio Caroline currently broadcasts 24 hours a day via the internet and by occasional restricted service licence, Radio Caroline broadcasts music from the 1960s to contemporary, with an emphasis on album-oriented rock. The company also licenses other stations around the world to use the Radio Caroline name, Radio Caroline was begun by Irish musician manager and businessman Ronan ORahilly. ORahilly failed to obtain airplay on Radio Luxembourg for Georgie Fames records because it was committed to sponsored programmes promoting major record labels, EMI, Decca, Pye and Philips. At the same time, Allan Crawfords Project Atlanta was equipping the MV Mi Amigo at Greenore, ORahilly named the station after Caroline Kennedy, daughter of U. S. President John F. Kennedy. On a fund-raising trip to the US, ORahilly reportedly saw a Life Magazine photograph of Kennedy, the Fredericia was renamed MV Caroline and anchored off Felixstowe, where it began test transmissions on Friday,27 March 1964. On Saturday,28 March, it began broadcasting at noon on 197.3 metres with the opening conducted by Simon Dee. The first programme, which was pre-recorded, was hosted by Chris Moore, Radio Carolines first musical theme was Jimmy McGriffs Round Midnight, a jazz standard co-composed by Thelonious Monk. In March 1964, The Fortunes recorded Caroline, which became the stations theme, Round Midnight was confined to close down on Radio Caroline North after The World Tomorrow. The stations slogan was Your all-day music station, and it initially broadcast from 6am-6pm, Radio Caroline announced a wavelength of 199 metres, rhyming with the name, but was actually broadcasting on 197.3 metres. Stations in the UK announced the wavelength in metres, and radios at that time were tuned using an analogue dial, the absence of precise digital readouts allowed for some leeway between the precise transmission frequency and the channel announced on the air. The Dutch offshore station Radio Veronica was on 192 metres and Radio Atlanta broadcast on 201, Radio Carolines transmission output was almost 20 kW, achieved by linking two 10 kW Continental Electronics transmitters. Broadcasting hours were 6am to 6pm to avoid competition from Radio Luxembourg, after its close-down, the station returned at 8pm and continued until after midnight. This was to avoid competition with television programmes. Most of Radio Carolines pop music programmes were targeted at housewives, without serious competition, Radio Caroline gained a regular daytime audience of some 10 million. On 2 July 1964, Radio Atlanta and Radio Carolines companies, Project Atlanta, announced the stations were to merge, with Crawford and ORahilly as joint managing directors. Radio Atlanta closed at 8pm that day and it was renamed Radio Caroline South and MV Mi Amigo remained off Frinton-on-Sea while MV Caroline broadcast as Radio Caroline North. MV Caroline sailed from Felixstowe to the Isle of Man, broadcasting as she went, the only broadcast staff on board were Tom Lodge and Jerry Leighton
19.
Top of the Pops
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Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1 January 1964 and 30 July 2006. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, except for a period on Fridays in mid-1973 before being again moved to Fridays in 1996. Each weekly programme consisted of performances from some of that weeks best-selling popular music artists, additionally, there was a special edition of the programme on Christmas Day, featuring some of the best-selling singles of the year. With its high viewing figures the show became a significant part of British popular culture, although the weekly show was cancelled in 2006, the Christmas special has continued. It also survives as Top of the Pops 2, which began in 1994, in the 1990s, the shows format was sold to several foreign broadcasters in the form of a franchise package, and at one point various versions of the show were shown in nearly 100 countries. Editions of the programme from the 1970s are being repeated on most Thursdays and Fridays on BBC Four, Top of the Pops was created by BBC producer Johnnie Stewart, inspired by the popular Teen and Twenty Disc Club which aired on Radio Luxembourg. It was first aired in 1964 and was based on the Top 20. By 1970 the Top 30 was being used and the show was extended from 30 to 45 minutes duration, the show was also now shown in colour following the BBC1 upgrade in November 1969. A switch to the Top 40 was made in 1984, the show saw many changes through the decades, in style, design, fashion and taste. It periodically had some aspect of its sequence, logo and theme tune, format, or set design altered in some way. The programme had several executive producers during its run, in charge of the production of the show. When Stewart left the show in 1973, after nearly 10 years in charge, both Stewart and Nash made brief returns to the show as producer after they left, in 1976 and 1981 respectively. Stewart devised the rules which governed how the show would operate, the programme would end with the number one record. The show would include the highest new entry and the highest climber on the charts, tracks could be featured in consecutive weeks in different formats. For example, if a song was played over the chart countdown or the closing credits, when the programmes format changed in November 2003, it concentrated increasingly on the top 10. Later, during the BBC Two era, the top 20 was regarded as the main point, with the exception made for up. Singles from below the top 40 were shown if the band were up, if a single being performed was below the top 40, just the words New Entry were shown and not the chart position. Top of the Pops was first broadcast on Wednesday,1 January 1964 at 6,35 pm and it was produced in Studio A on Dickenson Road in Rusholme, Manchester
20.
Seven Drunken Nights
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Seven Drunken Nights is a humorous Irish folk song most famously performed by The Dubliners. It is a variation of the Scottish folk song Our Goodman and it tells the story of a gullible drunkard returning night after night to see new evidence of his wifes lover, only to be taken in by increasingly implausible explanations. Our Goodman was collected in Scotland in the 1770s, another version was found in a London broadside of the 1760s entitled The Merry Cuckold and the Kind Wife. The broadside was translated into German, and spread into Hungary, unusually for such a popular and widespread song, it appears in only a few nineteenth century broadsides. The song also became part of American folk culture, both through Irish-Americans and through the blues tradition, the song passed from oral tradition to a global mass market with The Dubliners recording of Seven Drunken Nights. The record reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1967 and appeared on Top of the Pops, thanks to its diffusion on Radio Caroline, the song also charted at No.1 in Ireland. Euro Charts #11 Seven Drunken Nights Paddy On The Railway Different versions of the lyrics exist right from the start of the song though variation increases for the last two nights. On the first night, the narrator sees a horse outside the door, As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be. Well, I called me wife and I said to her, Will you kindly tell to me Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be. His wife tells him it is merely a sow, a gift from her mother, Ah, youre drunk, youre drunk, you old fool. The next four nights involve a coat, a pipe, two boots, and finally, this being the last verse often sung, a head peering out from beneath the covers. Again his wife tells him it is a boy, leading to the retort a baby boy with his whiskers on sure I never saw before. Each new item appearing in the house is said to be a gift from the wifes mother, the final two verses are often not sung, generally considered too raunchy, different versions are cited below. Verse six sometimes keeps the story line, in which two hands appear on the wifes breasts. The wife, giving the least likely explanation yet, tells him that it is merely a nightgown, though the man notices that this nightgown has fingers. In yet another version, the remarks that hes seen a hammer in her bed. This latter version usually ends day seven with the target of choice in bed. Another version involves a carrot, on which a foreskin had never seen before
21.
The Black Velvet Band
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Versions were also published on broadsides. The narrator is bound apprentice in a town and he becomes romantically involved with a young woman. She steals a watch and places it in his pocket or in his hand, the apprentice appears in court the next day, and is sentenced to seven years penal servitude in Van Diemens Land. In the broadside versions the young womans motivation is more obvious - she has met a sailor, interestingly, some East Anglian singers place the action in Belfast and others in London. The Roud Index has 98 entries for this song, comprising broadside ballads, versions collected from traditional singers and it was published as a broadside ballad by Swindells of Manchester some time between 1796 and 1853, and by H. Such of London sometime between 1863 and 1885, versions of the song have been collected from Dorset, Co. Durham, Hampshire, London, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex, Isles of Scilly, cork in Ireland, from Western Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales in Australia and from Ontario, Canada, and Maine, USA. The earliest collected version listed was collected by George Gardiner from Alfred Goodyear of Axford, Hampshire, in 1959, a version was found in Australia. An earlier version by the publisher Swindells in Manchester is very wordy and it places the events in Barking, Essex. Some of the earliest versions mention the Old Bailey and London Town, the publication date of that version is probably between 1837 and 1853. An American song called The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band, credited to Cliff Carlisle and Mel Forre, was recorded by Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, single was released 1967 on the B side of The Unicorn. The Dubliners version reached number 15 on the UK Singles chart, number 4 in the Irish charts, ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger on their Topic LP Chorus from the Gallows Carlton Showband on their Canadian RCA LP A Night at the Pub. Harry Hibbs on his Canadian debut LP At the Caribou Club, dropkick Murphys on their album Blackout, this version differs slightly from the traditional. Four to the Bar on their live album Craic on the Road, in a medley with The Galway Shawl, Bill Monroe Brobdingnagian Bards on their album The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs. Bakerloo on the compilation Heres To The Irish, Vol.2, the High Kings on their album The High Kings. Seamus Kennedy on his album By Popular Demand, ronnie Drew Former lead singer of The Dubliners on his solo album The Humour Is on Me Now Harry Cox on compilation album The Bonny Labouring Boy. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart in August 1967, the Wiggles did an adapted version of the story on their Sing a Song of Wiggles DVD starring Sam as Prince Michael and Dorothy the Dinosaurs voice-over, Carolyn Ferrie. Captain Feathersword played by Paul Paddick also did the narrations of the story and it peaked at No.11 on the ARIA Charts
22.
The Ed Sullivan Show
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The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that ran on CBS from Sunday June 20,1948, to Sunday June 6,1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, in 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 2013, the series finished No.31 in TV Guide Magazines 60 Best Series of All Time, the format was essentially the same as vaudeville, and although vaudeville had died a generation earlier, Sullivan presented many ex-vaudevillians on his show. The last original Sullivan show telecast was on March 28,1971, with guests Melanie, Joanna Simon, Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass, repeats were scheduled through June 6,1971. While most of the episodes aired live from New York City, the show aired live on occasion from other nations, such as the United Kingdom, Australia. For many years, Ed Sullivan was an event each Sunday evening. In those days, we had six acts. Then, each of our acts would do a leisurely ten minutes or so, Now they do two or three minutes. And in those early days I talked too much, I look up at me talking away and I say You fool. But I just keep on talking, Ive learned how to keep my mouth shut. The show enjoyed phenomenal popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s and he was regarded as a kingmaker, and performers considered an appearance on his program as a guarantee of stardom, although this sometimes did not turn out to be the case. The shows iconic status is illustrated by the song Hymn for a Sunday Evening from the 1960 musical Bye Bye Birdie, in the song, a family of viewers expresses their regard for the program in worshipful tones. In September 1965, CBS started televising the program in compatible color, CBS had once backed its own color system, developed by Peter Goldmark, and resisted using RCAs compatible process until 1954. At that time, it built its first New York City color TV studio, Studio 72, in a former RKO movie theater at 2248 Broadway. One Ed Sullivan Show was broadcast on August 22,1954, from the new studio, CBS Studio 72 was demolished in 1986 and replaced by an apartment house. CBS Studio 50 was finally colorized in 1965, the 1965–66 season premiere starred the Beatles in an episode airing on September 12, which was the last episode to air in black and white. In the late 1960s, Sullivan remarked that his program was waning as the decade went on and he realized that to keep viewers, the best and brightest in entertainment had to be seen, or else the viewers were going to keep on changing the channel. Along with declining viewership, Ed Sullivan attracted a higher age for the average viewer as the seasons went on
23.
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
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The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk group, which initially developed as a part of the American folk music revival. Makem left in 1969, the first of many changes in the groups membership, the most notable subsequent member to join was the fourth Clancy brother, Bobby. The group continued in various formations until Paddy Clancys death in 1998, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem significantly influenced the young Bob Dylan and other emerging artists, including Christy Moore and Paul Brady. The group was famous for its often lively arrangements of old Irish ballads, rebel and drinking songs, sea shanties, the oldest member of the group, Paddy Clancy, was born on 7 March 1922 in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland. Tom followed on 29 October 1924, Bobby on 14 May 1927, Tommy Makem was born 4 November 1932 in Keady, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. After serving in World War II in the Royal Air Force, Paddy and Tom emigrated from England to Toronto in 1947 on the S. S. Marine Flasher, the only men on board were Paddy, Tom, their friend Pa Casey and the ships sailors. Once in Toronto, Paddy and Tom worked various odd jobs before coming to the United States two years later, through the sponsorship of two aunts, residing for a time in Cleveland, Ohio, the two brothers began to dabble in acting. They decided to move to Hollywood, but their car broke down soon after the trip began and they relocated to the New York City area instead. Arriving in Greenwich Village in Manhattan in 1951, Tom and Paddy established themselves as successful Broadway and Off-Broadway actors and they also made several television appearances. The two brothers created their own company, Trio Productions, which led to the start of their professional singing careers. Here they would sing some of the old Irish songs that they knew from their childhood, some well-known folk singers, including Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Jean Ritchie, also participated in these concerts. At this time, younger brother Bobby Clancy briefly emigrated to New York City and this was the little-known, first unofficial line-up of singing Clancy brothers. Liam arrived in New York in January 1956, a month earlier, Tommy Makem emigrated to the United States from his hometown of Keady. Tommy had met Liam Clancy shortly before they both emigrated, Diane Hamilton, a friend of Paddy Clancy in New York, followed in the footsteps of her mentor, Jean Ritchie, and came to Ireland in search of rare Irish songs. Her first stop was at the Clancy household, where she recorded several members of the family, including the Clancys mother, sisters Peg and Joan, Hamilton asked Liam and recently returned Bobby Clancy to join her on a trek through Ireland to locate and record source singers. One of those source singers was Sarah Makem who had recorded by Jean Ritchie in 1952 on a similar search for authentic Irish folk songs. Her son Tommy Makem, then twenty-two, and the young Liam Clancy instantly became friends, said Liam, Our interests were so similar, girls, theater and music. He had told me he was going to America to try his luck at acting and we agreed to keep in touch
24.
Dropkick Murphys
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The Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The 2004 single Tessie became the bands first mainstream hit and one of their biggest charting singles to date, the band is known for their loud, energetic live shows. In 2007, the band began releasing music through their own imprint label,6, giving the band their highest-charting album to date. The bands ninth album,11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory was released on January 6,2017, the band was named after Dr. John Dropkick Murphys alcohol-detoxification facility. The Dropkick Murphys, first started playing in the basement of a barbershop and soon began to tour. They received their first big break when The Mighty Mighty Bosstones selected them as the act for their 1997 tour in support of Lets Face It. After putting out a series of EPs, they were signed by Hellcat Records in 1997, in 1998 they released their first full-length album, Do or Die, which was produced by Rancids Lars Frederiksen. Lead singer Mike McColgan left the band in 1998 during the middle of a US tour with The Business, according to McColgan he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his uncle and join the Boston Fire Department, which he eventually would do in 2001. We apologize to anyone who was a fan of Mike as our singer, however contrary to popular rumor, Mike left the band because he is no longer interested in being a member of this band or the movement of which we are a part. The band goes on to explain that their music is serious to them. Even Mike felt that the band deserved a singer who was invested in the music. Mike would later return to the scene in 2003 as singer of the Street Dogs. Following McColgans departure, the searched for a replacement however were not having much luck. Barr went in to audition for the band, first performing a new song titled 10 Years of Service and was offered the job right away, Barrs first release with the band was the 19987 single for Curse of a Fallen Soul. On March 9,1999, the released their second studio album and first with Barr. The album featured more of a punk sound closer to that of Barrs former band, The Bruisers. The band gained their first mainstream exposure when the video for their single 10 Years of Service received airplay on the MTV show 120 Minutes, the band set out on a year-long tour to support the album. In late 1999, the band along with The Business, released a single titled
25.
Flogging Molly
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Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band from Los Angeles, California and led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own label, Borstal Beat Records. He later fronted a rock band called Katmandu, featuring Mandy Meyer of Krokus on guitars. King negotiated out of his deal to go his own way musically soon after. In 1993, King met guitarist Ted Hutt, bassist Jeff Peters and they began to play a mix of Irish traditional and rock. Putting Daves poetic lyrics to rocking melodies, they played at a Los Angeles pub called Molly Malones weekly, building a small, together, they wrote songs such as Black Friday Rule and Selfish Man, which was the beginning of Flogging Mollys sound. Ted and Jeff then left Flogging Molly because a band of theirs received a record deal. Dave and Bridget began to find new members and the current band was formed and they continued a routine of playing every Monday night at Molly Malones. Then 17-year-old Nathen Maxwell snuck into a show as a fan and they put out a live album, Alive Behind the Green Door in 1997. They were signed onto SideOneDummy Records after a show when the companys owners attended a concert. They have toured with the Warped Tour, Larry Kirwans American Fléadh Festival and they have sold in excess of a million and a half copies of recorded output as of December 6,2006. In March 2007, the released a exclusive EP through iTunes entitled Complete Control Sessions. The EP includes two new tracks, as well as versions of previously released songs. A year later Flogging Molly released Float, an album dubbed one of the most important CDs of the year, Flogging Molly also recognized the album as influential to their career as their first album recorded in Ireland by producer Ryan Hewitt. Fans met the release with great anticipation and enthusiasm, landing it at No.4 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, the album includes the bands first two chart singles, Requiem for a Dying Song and Float. Another accolade came to the band in June 2009 when their album Drunken Lullabies went gold, while touring to support Float, Dave and Bridget were married in a private ceremony in Tokyo, Japan. Flogging Molly released a live DVD/CD set called Live at the Greek Theater in March 2010, the 3-disc set captures Flogging Mollys performance at the Greek Theatre on September 12,2009, and includes content spanning the bands entire catalog. The band appeared in the 2011 season premiere of Austin City Limits, on March 10,2016, the band released their first new material in 5 years, a single entitled The Hand of John L. Sullivan, honoring the Irish-American boxer of the same name
26.
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
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The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2, the event has been staged at The Brewery in London, The Lowry theatre in Salford, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and in 2014,2016 and 2017, the Royal Albert Hall. In 2015 the event was staged at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, the Folk Awards was hosted by Mike Harding between 2000 and 2012, and broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Mark Radcliffe and Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis took over presenting the ceremony in 2013, in 2004 the awards were shown on television for the first time, on BBC Four. The event usually streams live in audio and video on the BBC Radio 2 website, in 2016, Rhiannon Giddens became the first American winner of the Folk Singer of the Year award. The panelists can vary slightly from year to year, with new panelists being invited each year, the final panel is selected by the Folk Awards committee, which includes staff from the BBC, the production company 7digital Creative, and representatives from outside those organisations. The Best Album category is decided by a vote, hosted on the BBC website. The album is distributed physically and digitally, in 2014, a posthumous award was introduced to celebrate the contribution of significant figures in folk musics past
27.
O'Donoghue's Pub
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O’Donoghue’s Pub is a historically significant drinking establishment located at 15 Merrion Row, Dublin 2, Ireland—near St. Stephens Green on Dublin’s south side. Built in 1789 as a store, it began operating full-time as a pub when purchased by the O’Donoghue family in 1934. This pub is closely associated with Irish traditional music and was where the popular Irish folk group, The Dubliners, andy Irvine wrote the tribute song ODonoghues, in which he reminisces about his early days in Dublin—when he first started frequenting the pub in August 1962. The song was released on the album Changing Trains, dessie Hynes from Longford bought the bar from Paddy and Maureen ODonoghue in 1977 and ran the pub with his family for 11 years. In 1988, O’Donoghue’s was purchased by publicans Oliver Barden and John Mahon, Barden is still the proprietor and continues to run the pub with his family and staff to this day. List of pubs in Dublin ODonoghues Pub Website
28.
James Joyce
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James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde and is regarded as one of the most influential, other well-known works are the short-story collection Dubliners, and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Finnegans Wake. His other writings include three books of poetry, a play, occasional journalism and his published letters, Joyce was born in 41 Brighton Square, Rathgar, Dublin—about half a mile from his mothers birthplace in Terenure—into a middle-class family on the way down. He went on to attend University College Dublin, in 1904, in his early twenties, Joyce emigrated permanently to continental Europe with his partner Nora Barnacle. They lived in Trieste, Paris and Zurich, Ulysses in particular is set with precision in the streets and alleyways of the city. In the particular is contained the universal, James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was born on 2 February 1882 to John Stanislaus Joyce and Mary Jane May Murray, in the Dublin suburb of Rathgar. He was baptised according to the Rites of the Catholic Church in the nearby St Josephs Church in Terenure on 5 February by Rev. John OMulloy and his godparents were Philip and Ellen McCann. He was the eldest of ten surviving children, two of his siblings died of typhoid and his fathers family, originally from Fermoy in County Cork, had once owned a small salt and lime works. Joyces father and paternal grandfather both married into families, though the familys purported ancestor, Seán Mór Seoighe was a stonemason from Connemara. In 1887, his father was appointed rate collector by Dublin Corporation, around this time Joyce was attacked by a dog, which engendered in him a lifelong cynophobia. He also suffered from astraphobia, as an aunt had described thunderstorms to him as a sign of Gods wrath. In 1891 Joyce wrote a poem on the death of Charles Stewart Parnell, the Irish Party had dropped Parnell from leadership. But the Vaticans role in allying with the British Conservative Party to prevent Home Rule left an impression on the young Joyce. The elder Joyce had the printed and even sent a part to the Vatican Library. In November of that year, John Joyce was entered in Stubbs Gazette. In 1893, John Joyce was dismissed with a pension, beginning the familys slide into poverty caused mainly by his drinking and general financial mismanagement. Joyce had begun his education at Clongowes Wood College, a Jesuit boarding school near Clane, County Kildare and this came about because of a chance meeting his father had with a Jesuit priest who knew the family and Joyce was given a reduction in fees to attend Belvedere. In 1895, Joyce, now aged 13, was elected to join the Sodality of Our Lady by his peers at Belvedere, the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas continued to have a strong influence on him for most of his life
29.
Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
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The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephens Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows, designed by architect C. J. Patrick Wall and Louis Elliman bought the theatre in 1936 and ran it for several decades with local actors and actresses. They sold it in 1965, and in the 1960s and the 1970s the theatre was run by Fred ODonovan, in the 1990s Groundwork Productions took on the lease and the theatre was eventually bought by the Break for the Border Group. The Gaiety was purchased by music promoter Denis Desmond and his wife Caroline in the late 1990s, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism also contributed to this restoration fund. Performers and playwrights associated with the theatre have been celebrated with hand-prints cast in bronze and these handprints include those of Luciano Pavarotti, Brendan Grace, Maureen Potter, Twink, John B Keane, Anna Manahan, Niall Toibin and Brian Friel. The theatre played host to the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, the first to be staged in Ireland, Clodagh Rodgers later presented her RTÉ TV series The Clodagh Rodgers Show from the theatre in the late 1970s. The Gaiety is known for its annual Christmas pantomime and has hosted a pantomime every year since 1874, actor and director Alan Stanford directed both Gaiety productions of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The musical director for the past several shows has been Peter Beckett, Irish entertainer June Rodgers starred in the Gaiety pantomime for years, until she began to headline the equally established Olympia Theatre panto. The Gaiety shows have included Irish performers that appeal to home grown audiences, pantomimes in the 21st century have included versions of, Mother Goose, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin, Robinson Crusoe, Peter Pan, Red Riding Hood
30.
Edinburgh Festival
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The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that takes place each summer, mostly in August, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Edinburgh Festival is member of the Global Cultural Districts Network, the Edinburgh International Festival was established in 1947 in a post-war effort to provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit. The EIF and the Fringe remain independent bodies and run separate programmes each year, in more recent years various other annual cultural festivals have been created in Edinburgh, again by separate organizations, though taking place at around the same time. Edinburgh Festival Fringe * — now the largest of all the festivals, includes theatre, comedy, music, musicals, dance and childrens shows. co
31.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
32.
Flamenco guitar
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A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar but with thinner tops and less internal bracing. It is used in toque, the part of the art of flamenco. The cheapest guitars were often simple, basic instruments made from the less expensive woods such as cypress, antonio de Torres, one of the most renowned luthiers, did not differentiate between flamenco and classical guitars. Only after Andrés Segovia and others popularized classical guitar music, did this distinction emerge, the traditional flamenco guitar is made of Spanish cypress, sycamore, or rosewood for the back and sides, and spruce for the top. This accounts for its body color. Flamenco guitars are built lighter with thinner tops than classical guitars, builders also use less internal bracing to keep the top more percussively resonant. The top is made of either spruce or cedar, though other tone woods are used today. Volume has traditionally been important for flamenco guitarists, as they must be heard over the sound of the dancers’ nailed shoes. To increase volume, harder woods, such as rosewood, can be used for the back and sides, the harder materials increase volume and tonal range. A typical cypress flamenco guitar produces more treble and louder percussion than the more sonorous negra and these guitars strive to capture some of the sustain achieved by concert caliber classical guitars while retaining the volume and attack associated with flamenco. Classical guitars are made with spruce or cedar tops and rosewood or mahogany backs. Flamenco guitars are made with spruce tops and cypress or sycamore for the backs and sides to enhance volume. Nevertheless, other types of wood may be used for the back and sides, like rosewood, maple, koa, satinwood, a well-made flamenco guitar responds quickly, and typically has less sustain than a classical. This is desirable, since the flurry of notes that a good player can produce might sound muddy on a guitar with a big, lush. The flamenco guitar’s sound is described as percussive, it tends to be brighter, drier. Flamenco is played differently from classical guitar. Players use different posture, strumming patterns, and techniques, Flamenco guitarists are known as tocaores and flamenco guitar technique is known as toque. Flamenco players tend to play the guitar between the hole and the bridge, but as closely as possible to the bridge, to produce a harsher
33.
Classical guitar
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The classical guitar is the member of the guitar family used in classical music. It is an acoustical wooden guitar with strings made of nylon, the traditional classical guitar has twelve frets clear of the body and is held on the left leg, so that the hand that plucks or strums the strings does so near the back of the soundhole. The modern steel string guitar, on the hand, usually has fourteen frets clear of the body and is commonly played off the hip. Examples of early guitars include the early romantic guitar. Classical guitar strings once made of catgut are now made of polymers as nylon. A guitar family tree may be identified, the flamenco guitar derives from the modern classical, but has differences in material, construction and sound. Todays modern classical guitar was established by the designs of the 19th-century Spanish luthier. Cultural baroque court music, 19th century opera and its influences, 19th century folk songs, Latin American music, thus over recent decades we have become accustomed to specialist artists with expertise in the art of vihuela, lute, Baroque guitar, 19th-century guitar, etc. Different types of guitars have different sound aesthetics, e. g. different colour-spectrum characteristics, different response and these guitars in turn sound different from the Torres models used by Segovia, that are suited for interpretations of romantic-modern works such as Moreno Torroba. When considering the guitar from a perspective, the musical instrument used is just as important as the musical language. As an example, It is impossible to play a historically informed de Visee or Corbetta on a classical guitar. The reason is that the guitar used courses, which are two strings close together, that are plucked together. This gives baroque guitars an unmistakable sound characteristic and tonal texture that is an part of an interpretation. Additionally the sound aesthetic of the guitar is very different from modern classical type guitars. However, they are considered to emphasize the fundamental too heavily for earlier repertoire, Some attribute this to the popularity of Segovia, considering him the catalyst for change toward the Spanish design and the so-called modern school in the 1920s and beyond. Some people consider it to have been influence of Segovia. It was the 19th century classical guitarist Francisco Tárrega who first popularized the Torres design as a solo instrument. Vihuela, renaissance guitars and baroque guitars have a bright sound - rich in overtones -, later in Spain a style of music emerged that favored a stronger fundamental, With the change of music a stronger fundamental was demanded and the fan bracing system was approached
34.
McAlpine's Fusiliers
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McAlpines Fusiliers is an Irish ballad set to a traditional air, written in the early 1960s by Dominic Behan. The song relates to the migration of numbers of Irish labourers from Ireland to Britain prior to, after and especially during. The ballads title refers to Sir Robert McAlpine, an employer of Irish workmen. John Laing and Wimpey were other construction companies employing Irish navvies. A spike was a hostel or reception centre for men with no fixed abode or homeless and it is regarded by many folk singers as the anthem of construction industry workers. According to remaining members of Behans family, the song was written with The Dubliners in mind, Solomon realised the Dubliners had many of the capabilities required to become massively successful, but they needed a more cohesive and polished act. Behan was tasked by Solomon with preparing them for a UK launch, over a three-month period, Behan provided the Dubliners with a new two-hour set structure and new songs - among which was McAlpines Fusiliers and The Black Velvet Band. The song went on to become a staple of the Dubliners live set and has covered by many artists since. In its original form, the song was performed in two parts, a monologue followed by the sung verses supported by the full band
35.
Banjo
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The banjo is a four-, five- or six-stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity as a resonator, called the head. The membrane, or head, is made of plastic, although animal skin is still occasionally but rarely used. Early forms of the instrument were fashioned by Africans in America, the banjo is frequently associated with country, folk, Irish traditional and bluegrass music. Historically, the banjo occupied a place in African American traditional music. The banjo, with the fiddle, is a mainstay of American old-time music and it is also very frequently used in Traditional Jazz. The modern banjo derives from instruments that had used in the Caribbean since the 17th century by enslaved people taken from West Africa. Written references to the banjo in North America appear in the 18th century, the etymology of the name banjo is uncertain. The word could have come from the Yoruba word Bami jo and it may derive from the Kimbundu word mbanza. A Banza, a five double string courses Portuguese viuhela with two short strings, mbanza is a string African instrument that has been built after the Portuguese Banza. Banza is quite similar to Banjo, various instruments in Africa, chief among them the kora, feature a skin head and gourd body. Banjos with fingerboards and tuning pegs are known from the Caribbean as early as the 17th century, 18th- and early 19th-century writers transcribed the name of these instruments variously as bangie, banza, bonjaw, banjer and banjar. Instruments similar to the banjo have been played in many countries, another likely relative of the banjo is the akonting, a spike folk lute played by the Jola tribe of Senegambia, and the ubaw-akwala of the Igbo. Early, African-influenced banjos were built around a body and a wooden stick neck. These instruments had varying numbers of strings, though often including some form of drone, the five-string banjo was popularized by Joel Walker Sweeney, an American minstrel performer from Appomattox Court House, Virginia. In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white performer to play the banjo on stage and 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. This new banjo was at first tuned dGdf♯a, though by the 1890s this had been transposed up to gcgbd, Banjos were introduced in Britain by Sweeneys group, the American Virginia Minstrels, in the 1840s, and became very popular in music halls. In the Antebellum South, many black slaves played the banjo, two techniques closely associated with the five-string banjo are rolls and drones. Rolls are right hand fingering pattern that consist of eight notes that subdivide each measure
