The Dublin City Ramblers: Irish Folk Music Legends

The Dublin City Ramblers are one of Ireland's most enduring musical establishments. The group found its beginning during the Irish ballad boom of the 1960's when Patsy Watchorn, Sean and Matt McGuiness and Pat Cummins began playing together. At first, they called themselves The Jolly Tinkers, but since other ballad and folk music groups had also adopted the same name they soon began calling themselves The Quare Fellas, a title they borrowed from Brendan Behan's play.

The group recorded their first album "At Home," an album full of traditional Irish ballads, in 1969. Pat Cummins left and was replaced by Brendan Leeson before the group recorded their second album, "A Fond Tale." The group members were only playing their music part time, but they soon began to gain in popularity. In 1969 they were invited, along with Christy Moore and other Irish folk artists, to appear on a television entertainment program called "Ballad Sheet." The group's brief rise to popularity would soon end, however, as Matt and Brendan left and the group effectively disbanded.

Sean and Patsy's budding careers as balladeers didn't end, though. Joined by Mick Crotty and Kevin Gerahty, the group reformed under the name The Dublin City Ramblers. The group's first album was 1972's "A Nation Once Again," but their biggest success came with Vols. 1-4 of the "Guinness Record of Irish Music" which earned the group a gold record for each volume. During this time, The Ramblers gained ever more recognition in their home town as they played regularly in pubs throughout Dublin. One venue in particular gained them a great deal of attention. The Ramblers had a weekly gig at The Embankment, a pub on the outskirts of Dublin. According to Jim McCann, a former member of The Dubliners, "Practically every now-famous folk singer and musician of a certain age (i.e. mine) has reason to be grateful to [pub owner] Mick McCarthy for giving him or her a platform to show what he or she could do in the early days." Paddy Reilly, The Wolfe Tones, The Ludlows, The Dubliners, and The Ramblers themselves were all helped in their rise to fame by their Embankment performances.

By the recording of their 1978 album, "Irish Republican Jail Songs," Mich and Kevin had left and been replaced by Kevin Molloy on the guitar and Philip McCaffrey on the fiddle. The following years would be the group's most productive time. Adding to their success was the group's collaboration with songwriter Pete St. John. The Ramblers' next two albums, 1980's "Rare Ould Times" and 1983's "The Ferryman," both titled after St. John's ballads, would bring them to international fame. Two of their next three albums, "Flight of the Earls" and "Home and Away" from 1987 and 1989, also went gold.

Philip and Kevin had left and Paddy Sweeny had joined the group before the recording of "Home and Away." In 1992, Shay Kavanagh joined and The Ramblers released two more albums. The second, "The Craic and Porter Black," would be Patsy last. This album is often considered the beginning of his successful solo career as he is only joined by the whole group on two songs. Patsy's departure left Sean as the last of the original Ramblers.

Despite Patsy's absence, Sean, Shey, and Paddy are showing no signs of slowing down. They have since released four albums together, "St. Patrick's Day" being the most recent, and keep an active tour schedule. The group continues to headline many major music festivals at home and across North America. When asked what has kept The Dublin City Ramblers going for so many years, he replied, "Firstly, treat every show and every audience with the same respect and enthusiasm as the last one, and once you're enjoying it, keep doing it. Secondly, make no room whatsoever for egos, and you'll go on forever." Ramblers fans across the world certainly hope they will.

Sources:

The Dublin City Ramblers, Official Website

Jim McCann, A Summer Letter from Dublin

Addition information taken from The Dublin City Ramblers' record album and CD notes.