The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personnel over their fifty-year career, but the group's success was centred on lead singers Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew. The band garnered international success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads and instrumentals. The band were regulars on the folk scenes in both Dublin and London in the early 1960s, and were signed to the Major Minor label in 1965 after backing from Dominic Behan who was paid by Major-Minor to work with the Dubliners and help them to build a better act fit for larger concert hall venues. The Dubliners worked with Behan regularly between 1965 and 1966; Behan wrote numerous songs for this act including the song McAlpine's Fusiliers created specifically to showcase Ronnie Drew's gravel voice. They went on to receive extensive airplay on Radio Caroline which was part owned by Phil Solomon CEO of Major Minor, and eventually appeared on Top of the Pops in 1967 with hits "Seven Drunken Nights" and "The Black Velvet Band". Often performing political songs considered controversial at the time, they drew criticism from some folk purists and Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ had placed an unofficial ban on their music from 1967 to 1971. During this time the band's popularity began to spread across mainland Europe and they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. The group's 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.
Luke Kelly was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor from Dublin, Ireland. Born into a working-class household in Dublin city, Kelly moved to England in his late teens and by his early 20s had become involved in a folk music revival. Returning to Dublin in the 1960s, he is noted as a founding member of the band The Dubliners in 1962. Known for his distinctive singing style, and sometimes political messages, the Irish Post and other commentators have regarded Kelly as one of Ireland's greatest folk singers.
Ciarán Bourke was an Irish musician and one of the original founding members of the Irish folk band The Dubliners.
Bernard Noël "Banjo Barney" McKenna was an Irish musician and a founding member of The Dubliners. He played the tenor banjo, violin, mandolin, and melodeon. He was most renowned as a banjo player.
John Sheahan is an Irish musician and composer. 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.
More of the Hard Stuff is the second studio album by The Dubliners, originally released in 1967. The line-up consists of Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciarán Bourke and John Sheahan. True to its title, five of the songs concern hard drinking. One of the songs was written by Brendan Behan, another by his brother Dominic. The album reached number 8 in the UK album charts in 1967, and stayed in the charts for 23 weeks.
The Dubliners is the eponymous debut album by the Irish folk band The Dubliners. A studio recording in front of a small invited audience, It was produced by Nathan Joseph and released by Transatlantic Records in 1964. The line-up consisted of Ronnie Drew, Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly and Ciarán Bourke.
In Concert is a live album by The Dubliners, released in 1965.
Finnegan Wakes is a live album by The Dubliners. Recorded at the Gate Theatre on 26 and 27 April 1966 and produced by Nathan Joseph, this was The Dubliners' final recording for Transatlantic Records. But it was also their first to feature their first established line-up of Ronnie Drew, Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly, Ciarán Bourke and John Sheahan. The album featured "Nelson's Farewell", a satirical song about the bombing and destruction of Nelson's Pillar in O'Connell Street, Dublin on 8 March 1966.
Double Dubliners is The Dubliners' ninth studio album. It is also known as Alive and Well, the title it was released under on the Polydor label It's the Dubliners site for the album. A standout track here is a recitation by Ronnie Drew of Pádraig Pearse's poem "The Rebel". This album features the original members. Other notable tracks here are "The Sun Is Burning" and "The Night Visiting Song", both sung by Luke Kelly. In December 1983, "The Night Visiting Song" would become the final song to be performed by Luke Kelly with The Dubliners on Irish television.
Now is a studio album by The Dubliners released in 1975. Following the departure of both Ciarán Bourke and Ronnie Drew in 1974, singer/guitarist Jim McCann joined Barney McKenna, Luke Kelly and John Sheahan as a member of The Dubliners to record this album, which Sheahan himself produced. The slight shift in personnel produced a more mellow sound. Arguably, McCann's greatest contribution to the album is the ballad "Carrickfergus", which became one of his most popular and requested songs. It also features a wonderful rendition of the English ballad, "The Unquiet Grave", performed by Luke Kelly.
15 Years On is the eleventh studio album by the Irish folk band The Dubliners. This album was created to celebrate the band's 15th anniversary from the day they started music together. The album was released on the Chyme label in 1977. The album features 24 tracks on two records. In spite of having only nine previously unreleased tracks, it is still regarded as an original album.
Prodigal Sons is a studio album by the Irish folk group The Dubliners. Produced by Bill Whelan, who later became famous for Riverdance, this album featured cellist Nigel Warren-Green as guest musician. Although Luke Kelly recorded his famous versions of "Raglan Road" and "Song for Ireland" during these sessions, neither track featured on this album, although Seán Cannon's version of "Song for Ireland" did. The two Kelly recordings would first appear on the compilation album, Luke's Legacy after his death. The album took its name from John Sheahan's composition, "The Prodigal Son". The album featured both contemporary and traditional songs as well as instrumental pieces.
Live in Carré is a live album by The Dubliners. Recorded live in Amsterdam in October 1983, this album featured Luke Kelly's final recordings with The Dubliners.
The Dubliner's Dublin is the last of The Dubliners' albums to be released on vinyl, The Dubliner's Dublin coincided with Dublin City's millennium celebrations. The lineup was Ronnie Drew, Barney McKenna, John Sheahan, Seán Cannon and Eamonn Campbell and there were also a number of guest musicians. Campbell again took on the role of producer. A video containing some of the music from the album was also released, combining with a tour of Dublin narrated by Ronnie Drew.
40 Years is an album by The Dubliners, released in 2002. To celebrate 40 years together, the band recorded an album and undertook a European tour. Ronnie Drew and Jim McCann rejoined the group on both the album and the tour. Twelve new tracks were recorded by the seven surviving members, both present and past, and old recordings by Luke Kelly, Ciarán Bourke and Bob Lynch also featured on the album.
Live from the Gaiety is a live album by The Dubliners. It was recorded during the Irish leg of their tour celebrating forty years on the road. The double album was recorded at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin in June 2002. All surviving members took part. A companion double DVD of the concert in its entirety was also released.
Live At Vicar Street is a live album recorded by The Dubliners at a concert at Vicar Street in Dublin on Sunday, 23 July 2006 as part of their Irish tour. A DVD and double CD of the concert were released. Ceoladh Sheahan joined her father and the band on stage for a rendition of "The Marino Waltz". This was the first of the band's albums to feature Patsy Watchorn, who replaced Paddy Reilly after nine years with the group. They were introduced by Jim McCann.
A Time to Remember is the 2009 double album recording of the show by the same name, by The Dubliners, recorded in Vienna. First performed in Vicar Street, Dublin on 4 July 2009 and later taken on tour around Europe, it was conceived as a tribute to their deceased members. The show features the group playing along live to video and audio performances featuring former members Ciarán Bourke, Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew, as well as performances from The Dubliners' then current lineup. This is the last Dubliner's release featuring Barney McKenna, as he died in 2012. This also means that it is the last album to feature a founding member, as following McKenna's death none of the founding members of the band are still alive.
The Best of the Original Dubliners is an album by Irish band The Dubliners which charted at No. 69 in Ireland on 17 March 2005. This three CD compilation contains Irish folk songs recorded by Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciarán Bourke, and John Sheahan between 1967 and 1972. It includes the Dubliner's number one hit, "Seven Drunken Nights", as well as many of their best known songs.
