Entertainment

The rare ould times of The Dubliners

The Dubliners Encore cast

The Dubliners Encore stage show reviews five decades of Irish music’s seminal band

Creator John Sheahan and musical director Phil Coulter of The Dubliners Encore

IRELAND today is recognised as having one of the richest musical heritages in the world. There's hardly a record store in Europe, America, Japan, Australia and beyond which doesn't have a large Irish section. The songs and ballads deal with a range of topics — matrimonial misunderstandings over seven nights of inebriation, unrequited love affairs on the banks of the Liffey, requited love affairs in Dublin's red light district the Monto, lovely ladies from the Liberties, or women from Belfast whose eyes shine like diamonds.

In short, Irish folk music is probably the most universally recognised traditional canon in the world.

Key to that development was a band of five musicians, The Dubliners. The band featured two of the top instrumentalists in Ireland: classically trained John Sheahan with a knack of producing a beautiful mellifluous tone on his fiddle, and the rapid-fire banjoist Barney McKenna, one of the finest players in the world. Barney is credited with being crucial in the introduction of the instrument into traditional music.

Backing them on guitar was Ciarán Bourke, which back in the sixties was an odd, even sacrilegious thing to do. As John Sheahan told The Irish Post: “The way we presented the music made it exciting. The guitars were the key to it, I think. Before that, Irish music had been played in céilí bands on accordions. The guitar brought, for the first time, a contemporary sound to the old tunes."

On top of that irrepressible and deeply attractive instrumental soundscape were two of the finest vocalists these islands have produced: Ronnie Drew with a charcoal-grilled voice, and Luke Kelly, whose singing has held several generations of musicians spellbound.

The Dubliners were true originals, who put Irish music on the world stage, releasing 30 original albums, selling 40 million records, and playing sold-out tours in a musical odyssey lasting 50 years.

John and his late bandmates Kelly, Drew, McKenna and Ciarán Bourke, caught the imagination, playing Irish traditional music in a way never heard before, with an attitude never seen before.

But they helped preserve a precious tradition — they got many of their songs from traditional ballad singers such as Margaret Barry, Sarah Makem and Joe Heaney, material that could easily have been lost, but was now given a valuable lifeline

The Dubliners revolutionised Irish music, taking it from the parlour and the pub to the world stage, and they have left a legacy that helped transform Ireland and Irish music forever.

Their story is now to be told onstage in Dubliners Encore.

Adam Holohan plays Barney McKenna

The Parting Glass

After 50 years touring the world The Dubliners left the stage in 2012. Now the last Dubliner, John Sheahan has hand-picked five musicians to tell the story of a band who were key in turning Irish folk into the huge cultural phenomenon it is today.

A member of The Dubliners for 50 years, John has been working behind the scenes to create Dubliners Encore to authentically bring The Dubliner’s story to life on stage, personally overseeing every detail, every anecdote, and every musical note.

After a two-year nationwide search, five musicians were chosen to recreate the spirit, energy, and musical talent of each original band member.

Featuring their biggest hits and best-loved songs, The Dubliners Encore recaptures the band performing in their heyday, packing 50 years of songs, stories, and craic into one night. No easy task, but this production certainly sets the record straight as well as providing an unforgettable evening’s entertainment.

Kilian O'Flanagan plays Ronnie Drew

The creative

John Sheahan is the creator of The Dubliners Encore and as executive producer has been involved in every detail, every musical note, and every story. He is the last living member of the original Dubliners

Born in Dublin in 1939, he was a member of The Dubliners for 50 years. John has played with musicians the world over, guest starring on folk, traditional, and rock recordings with artists such as Kate Bush, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, Terence Trent D’Arby, and André Rieu. His own compositions, among them the instantly recognisable Marino Waltz, have become essential elements of the Irish musical repertoire.

But he started learning his traditional music at the Fiddlers’ Club in Church Street in Dublin. “This was way before you could tape music that easily. Way before cassette players,” he explains. “So you’d go along and try to learn maybe half a tune by listening to the old fiddlers. Then pop along the following week and hope that the same old bloke would be there and you could learn the second part of the tune.”

John certainly managed to keep much of that music in his head, and re-introduced, and rejigged (no pun intended) many traditional pieces. His rendition of the Mason’s Apron, played with Barney, is worthy of many a classical composer.

The band really got together in O’Donoghue’s in Dublin. John says that the first session was a muted affair. “I’d gone along with Bobby Lynch to get paid for some gigs we’d done. Me and Bobby used to do what was called ‘the Porter break’ at a pub in Howth that The Ronnie Drew Band were gigging in. As we were in O’Donoghue’s with our instruments we asked the guvnor Paddy if we could do few tunes. ‘Aye, grand,’ he said, ‘but just keep it quiet.’”

Thus the session that would led to the formation of The Dubliners, and the transformation of Irish music, began.

Unsurprisingly, and very deservedly, John Sheahan was conferred with an honorary doctorate in music from Trinity College Dublin and in 2014 his documentary John Sheahan: A Dubliner received two IFTAs (Irish Film & Television Awards). In 2015, his debut collection of poems and lyrics Fiddle Dreams was published, and in 2019, at the age of 80, he released his debut solo album Flirting Fiddles.

John Sheahan (pic: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie)

Musical Director

PHIL COULTER is the musical director of The Dubliners Encore and has been working with the cast from day one, authentically reproducing The Dubliners’ musical style and sound.

Coulter has achieved world-wide recognition as a songwriter, notching up chart entries with a diverse list of artists from Elvis Presley to Cilla Black and from Waylon Jennings to Bobby Vinton. His production credits include Van Morrison, Sinead O’Connor, Elvis Costello, Lisa Stansfield, Marianne Faithful and Richard Harris while in Ireland his successes have featured The Dubliners, Planxty, Paddy Reilly and the Furey Brothers.

He is particularly noted for his Eurovision successes, winning with Puppet On A String for Sandie Shaw and coming second with Congratulations for Cliff Richards — both of which he co-wrote with Scotsman Bill Martin. As it happens, Sandie Shaw was never keen on the song, believing that it damaged her credibility. Nevertheless, it went on to sell more than 4million copies.

In 1995, the Irish Rugby Football Union commissioned Coulter to write a politically neutral anthem for Ireland’s national rugby union teams, drawn from across the island.

The result was Ireland's Call, which is played alongside, and in some cases instead of, Amhrán na bhFiann depending on whether it’s a home or an away match.

As well as being used by the Ireland national rugby union teams (men and women) and the junior national teams, Ireland's Call has since also been adopted by the Ireland's national hockey, cricket and rugby league teams.

Phil told The Irish Post: “I’ve written songs across many genres — Congratulations for Cliff Richards . . .songs for the Bay City Rollers, Joe Dolan, and I wrote one for Elvis Presley, My Boy. The thing is, your songs are like your children — some of them don’t live up to your expectations, others surpass them but, at the end of the day, you love them all. I consider myself blessed that some of my songs have entered into the public domain, and are like part of the fixtures and fittings. But if I had to name just one, the song I’d like to be remembered for would be The Town I Loved So Well.

And if there’s one line in that song which makes me sit back and go, yeah, that’s good, it’s: “For their spirit’s been bruised, never broken.” I like that line so much I used it as the title to my memoir.

Phil’s many accolades include five Ivor Novello awards, three American Society of Composers awards and a much-cherished Grammy nomination.

The Producer

CEOLADH SHEAHAN is The Dubliners Encore producer, blending all the artistic ingredients together to produce this exclusive Dubliners show.

As a multi-award-winning film and television producer, she has worked on Ireland’s biggest television entertainment shows, including IFTA award winning Room To Improve, Operation Transformation and Bullyproof.

Ceoladh’s film credentials include Róise & Frank, and Oscar nominated Arracht. She also produced the documentary John Sheahan: A Dubliner which won two IFTAs (Irish Film and Television Awards).

A musician in her own right, Ceoladh shared the stage with The Dubliners on many occasions. Her rare insight into what it’s like to be part of a Dubliners performance, combined with producing four landmark Dubliners stage shows for television, gives Ceoladh an unparalleled perspective on the musicians and men behind Ireland’s greatest ever folk group.

“All the Dubliners were like uncles to me, they were family. It has been my great privilege to take on the mantle of recreating the atmosphere and excitement of a Dubliner’s show,” she says.

Writer and director

MAURICE SWEENEY is The Dubliners Encore writer and director and has worked closely with John Sheahan, Phil Coulter and the cast, to recreate the Dubliners’ iconic story and experience.

A renowned film and television Director, Maurice has a proven ability to capture the true essence of a story. He directed the award-winning documentary John Sheahan: A Dubliner during which he developed a close working relationship with John and an in depth understanding of the history and story of the Dubliners.

Maurice’s achievements include directing and co-writing the critically acclaimed feature documentary I Dolours, a truly chilling film about Dolours Price, as well as directing the three-part drama Penance.

He has won five IFTAs (Irish Film and Television Awards), was awarded Best Director at the London Independent Film Festival, and his film Saving the Titanic won the Gold World Medal for best docudrama at the New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards.