Lord of the Dance
Brush Shiels: 'Phil Lynott gatecrashed my honeymoon'
Entertainment

Brush Shiels: 'Phil Lynott gatecrashed my honeymoon'

FOR Dublin rocker Brendan 'Brush' Shiels the memories of jamming into the night with the late Phil Lynott are plentiful - but there is one occasion in particular that stands out.

Thin Lizzy legend Lynott gatecrashed Shiels’ and his wife Margaret’s week-long honeymoon in Manchester in 1969, thanks to Lynott’s mother Philomena.

“We had no money and Phil's mum had a hotel in Manchester so we went there for our honeymoon," Shiels said.

"I don't think the missus was very happy. I ended up playing with a band for the week and Phil would take Margaret out to dance."

The 68-year-old - who helped to set up the popular 60s rock-blues band Skid Row - has been credited with taking Lynott under his wing during the 1960s.

Thin Lizzy found fame in the 1970s with hits including The Boys Are Back In Town (1976) and Dancing in the Moonlight (1977).

Lynott left the band in 1984 for a solo career, but his albums, Solo in Soho released (1980) and The Philip Lynott Album (1982) did not achieve widespread success and he failed to really take off as a solo artist before his untimely death in 1986.