Tommy Sands was born, reared and still lives by the foothills of the Mourne Mountains. As a child he heard the lively fiddle and accordion, and the traditional songs and stories of his mother and father welcoming neighbours into the small farmhouse kitchen. Later with his brothers and sister, The Sands Family, he would travel the world bringing these same songs and stories to stages as far apart as Moscow's Olympic Stadium and New York's Carnegie Hall.

After the tragic death of his youngest brother Eugene in a car accident while on tour in Germany, The Sands Family toured less together. Tommy eventually set off in a more solo direction, writing new songs, recording albums of his own material and producing a weekly program on Ireland's Downtown Radio. His first solo album, Singing of the Times, was released in 1985, is now regarded as a classic. Two songs from this collection, "There were Roses" and "Daughters and Sons" are currently included in the English Language curriculum in Germany.

The Saw Doctors were a little-known local bar band in Tuam in County Galway when they were invited by Mike Scott to be the opening act on The Waterboys' 1988 tour of Ireland and the U.K. The Saw Doctors had their initial success with their second single, "I Useta Love Her," a tune about lusting for an old girlfriend during Mass. Despite the opposition by the Church, the song became the biggest-selling single in Irish history and spent nine weeks at the top of the Irish charts. Following its success, the Saw Doctors' first single, "N17," about an immigrant's homesickness, was reissued, and it too became a #1 hit. The Saw Doctors debut album, If This Is Rock and Roll, I Want My Old Job Back, released in 1991, also reached the top slot on the Irish charts.

Although their second album, All the Way from Tuam, released in 1992, was well received in Ireland, the Saw Doctors didn't have their first hit in Great Britain until releasing a four-track EP, Small Bit of Love, which reached the #24 position on the British charts. A second EP, World of Good, released in January 1996, reached the #15 position. Same Oul' Town, the Saw Doctors' third album, was released in 1996 and fared even better, reaching #6 on the British charts. The Saw Doctors had their commercial breakthrough in the United States when "Never Mind the Strangers," co-written with original drummer Padraig Stevens, was used by Guinness in a million-dollar radio ad campaign for Harp Lager. The current lineup of the Saw Doctors features Leo Moran (Guitar), Davy Carton (Vocals), Pearse Doherty (bass), John Donnelly (drums) and Derek Murray (keyboards).

A favorite of U2's Larry Mullins this outfit from Derry released 4 EPs on an independent label and garnered a multitude of awards including the Hot Press 'Band of the Year' before signing a 9 album deal with Sony Records. The pressures of being forced in a certain direction by the record company and incessant touring in the United States forced the band to split, though bass player James Cunningham still makes forays to this side of the atlantic to 'perform.'


Fronted by Black '47 founder Chris Byrne this New York City based band has released their third recording, A Sunday at the Turn of the Century which has received extensive play on college radio nationwide. Aside from Byrne the band consists of Dublin native Rachel Fitzgerald, mandolin player and a native of County Meath, Monty Monaghan, and fellow Brooklyn native of Byrne on the turntables is DJ Flo. A fourth album is due in the fall.


A duo of Fionnuala Sherry and Rolf Lovland, Secret Garden made history by winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Norway in 1995 with Nocturne, an entry that was more an instrumental piece than a song. In the 40 year history of this European television extravaganza, an instrumental piece had never previously won. Fionnuala grew up and went to school in Naas in Co. Kildare, Ireland surrounded by a musical family that ignited her early passion for music at an early age. She moved to Dublin to study music and was an honor graduate of Ireland's Trinity College and College of Music, she was later employed by the RTE Concert Orchestra.


17 May 1986. That was the day of Self Aid, a 14-hour benefit concert in the RDS arena Dublin that has been described as both an extraordinary moment in Irish social history and the greatest pop event ever in the country. The show -- featuring 30 pop and rock acts, was broadcast live, reportedly attracting the largest viewing audience in the country's history. Self-Aid, however, was not just a showcase for Irish musicians. It was an attempt -- in the spirit of such other socially conscious campaigns as Live Aid and U.S.A. for Africa -- to draw attention to the problem of unemployment in the country.

The line up on that day was: U2, Van Morrison, Chris de Burgh, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Ghristy Moore, Rory Gallagher, Moving Hearts, Auto da Fe, The Boomtown Rats, Paul Brady, The Fountainhead, De Dannan, Scullion, Cactus World News, The Pogues, Those Nervous Animals, Freddie White, Chris Pea, The Chieftains, Les Enfants, Big Self, Clannad, In Tua Nua, Stockton's Wing, Blue In Heaven, Bagatelle, Brush Shields.

An accordion player from Co. Clare who has had huge success both in her solo career, with A Woman's Heart and with The Waterboys.

She was a founder member of the traditional band Arcady but left them to play solo, and began to record her first album in May 1989. Some of the top names in Irish music dropped in on the session, including, Donal Lunny, Adam Clayton of U2 and Steve Wickam and Mike Scott of The Waterboys.

Within two weeks she had joined Mike in The Waterboys, and stayed with them for a year and a half until the band broke up. She then toured with Christy Moore for a while before coming back to the album, finishing it off in Dublin's Windmill Lane, with an impressive list of guests: The album was a huge success in Ireland, selling over 50,000 copies. Further success came with her participation in A Woman's Heart She toured heavily in the US and Europe with her own band, consisting of fellow-Waterboy Trevor Hutchinson on Bass, Gerry O' Beirne (Patrick St.) on guitar and one of several fiddle players. In 1995, her follow-up album Otlt the Ga~ saw her move away from the traditional side of things, with a more rocky beat. Each Little Thing was released in mid-97, and continued the experimental fusion, including a much commented upon dance remix.

She continues to play solo, as well as with her new band The Woodchoppers (with Mary Shannon on mandolin and fiddle, Lit and Yvonne Kane on fiddle, Jim Murray on guitar and Tony Molloy on bass), and with the rocked up Coolfin, fronted by Donal Lunny.

Although Brendan "Brush" Shields may be a peripheral figure in the realm of rock history, his efforts are highly commendable. While enjoying a lifetime as one of Ireland's best loved entertainers, he has launched the careers of two of the greatest Irish rock stars Gary Moors and Phil Lynott. Brush was the foundation of an Irish band of the late '60s called Skid Row. Not to be confused with the "hair band" of the '80s led by Sebastian Bach, this Dublin trio wrote rock songs with strong blues guitar parts and folk lyrics. Brush was a bassist, singer and songwriter for most of the tracks, while one of the first lead vocalists was Phil Lynott. When Phil was replaced by a 16 year old Gary Moore, Brush took Phil under his wing and taught him to play the bass. Phil soon went on to join a band called Orphanage and by the early '70s he started the internationally famous, Thin Lizzy.


From material supplied by Gerry Costello

The Showband story goes back to these simple days of the early 1950's when unemployment and emigration ravaged the country. The choice in rural Ireland was the small farm, the boat or the religious life. For the people left at home the "wireless" (radio) as it was then known was the only piece of luxury in an odd house. Record players, Television, CD's, tapes and cassettes were all future technology. Home entertainment was simple: card playing, story telling, visiting, were the usual forms of passing the long nights. The power of the priests and the Church was absolute. Dances in these days were not allowed on Saturday Nights - in fact the Church in Ireland frowned on any kind of entertainment on Saturday Nights as that night was set aside for preparation for Sunday Mass and dancing during Lent was strictly forbidden by the Church.

The first half of the fifties was the heyday of the big band orchestra and among the front runners were Mick Delahunty (Clonmel), Maurice Mulcahy (Mitchelstown), Gay McIntyre and Johnny Quigley (Derry), Maurice Lynch (Castleblaney), Dave Glover (Belfast), and Jimmy Compton (Dublin). Dancing took place in ballrooms, town halls and parochial halls. Each orchestra had 10 to 14 musicians and all sat on stage for the night and played their instruments and read the music from the arrangment sheets in front of them on music stands.

In the mid-fifties, 8 young men got together in Strabane and called themselves The Clipper Carlton. They got rid of their chairs and music stands and decided to put a bit of variety into their music. They stood up and performed and moved to the rhythm of their music. Other bands from the North quickly followed them such as The Melody Aces.

The Northern Bands were the kingpins for a couple of years but in 1957, in Waterford City, 7 young lads calling themselves The Harry Boland Danceband were playing the local circuit in the City. They were spotted by a musical instrument salesman from Carlow called T.J. Byrne. He was so impressed by them that after discussions with band leader, Tom Dumphy, he decided he would manage them and immediately changed their name to The Royal Showband. Almost overnight, with their lead singer, Brendan Bowyer and bass guitarist, Tom Dumphy, they became the biggest attraction in the country. They were the first ever showband to cut a record when Tom Dumphy and the Royal recorded "Katie Daly." Their first Irish #1 was on September 6th 1963 when Brendan Bowyer and the Royal Showband hit the #1 spot with "Kiss Me Quick." He was to repeat this performance again on December 27th. 1962 with the recording of "No More."

In 1958/59, Eamonn Monaghan, Paul Sweeney, Des Kelly and the late Johnny Kelly, as college students in Dublin, formed a local group and were looking for a leader and lead vocalist. Paddy Cole and Butch Moore joined them and so became Butch Moore and The Capital Showband. They went on to have a string of hit records starting with'a recording of a song called "Foolin' Time" which was written by a young student at the time called Phil Coulter, now an international star in his own rite. To join the Capital Showband, Butch Moore left another band called The Mellow Chords. They recruited a new young singer called Richard Rock and changed their name and became Dicrie Rock and The Miami who became hugely popular in a very short time. More and more bands emerged and soon everyone who could put three chords together was being recruited for some band or other.

Some of the big names to emerge over the years were; ·Sean Fagan, Sonny Knowles and The Pacific ·Declan Ryan and the Regal Shawband ·Tony and the Graduates ·Terry Mahon and the Jim Farley All Stars ·Tommy Drennan and The Monarchs ·The Donie Collins Band ·Doc Carroll and The Royal Blues ·Larry Cunningham and The Mighty Avons ·Dermot Hegarty and The Plainsmen ·Joe Dolan and The Drifters ·Brendan O'Brien, Joe Mac and The Dixies ·Derek Dean, Billy Browne and The Freshmen ·Brian Coil and the Plattermen ·The Dave Clover Band with Muriel Day ·Philomena Begley and The Country Flavour ·Michael O'Callaghan Band ·The Hilton Showband ·Frclnkie McBride and he Polka Dots ·Big Tom and the Mainliners ·Margo and the Keynotes .Pat Lynch and the Airchords ·Kelly and the Nevada ·The Casino showband (Later to become The indians) ·Art Surple and the Victors ·The Swingtime Aces ·The Chessmen ·Johnny Flynn Showband ·Ollie Maloney Showband ·The Bermuda Showbond ·The Witnesses ·Gerry and The Ohio ·The Raindrops Murphy and The Swallows ·The Warriors ·The Bandits - Johnny Regan and The Tumbleweeds ·The Big Time Showband ·The Philosophers

By the mid-6o's the Showband era was in full swing. Bands traveled up and down the Country 5 to 6 nights a week. The experts claim that up to 4000 musicians were employed in the 600 to 700 showbands that toured the countryside. But there was another side to the showband story. Fortunes were made and squandered. The showband explosion catapulted young men from poverty to big bucks. The average industrial wage in 1967 was &12.47 per week while a showband worth their salt could command &500 to &700 per night. The equivalent figure for a night in 2000 would be at nearly &9000.

Drink was a Showband accessory that claimed all too many casualties. It gave the perfect "lift" before going on stage and again after coming off stage. It was a habit that became a deadly addiction for many musicians. Drink broke up bands, marriages and relationships. It lost friends and money. Some who remember the '60s only as an alcholic haze are still paying the price. Greed was a common cause of Showband disputes. Line-ups changed like the weather. In the '70s the whole scene began to fall apart.

Declan Sinnott could have been described as a musical nomad for the first decade or more of his career. Then, in 1982, he temporarily filled in for a missing member of Mary Black's band when they were supporting Christy Moore at a live gig. This temporary state of affairs lasted over fifteen years, and cemented Sinnott's reputation as a gifted musician, producer and musical director. Nowadays, Declan divides his time between working in his home studio and recording and touring with Mary's sister Frances Black.


They've already broken records in Ireland, where their first song 'A Whole Lot Of Loving Going On" was the fastest-selling debut single ever. They're being managed by Irish king of pop Louis Walsh - who has brought us Boyzone, Westlife and Samantha Mumba.


Formed in 1967, the quartet with Gary Moore, Brush Shields, Nollaug Bridgeman and Bernhard Cheevers, came from Dublin, and at one time had Phil Lynott on vocals. Described as the only serious competitor to Rory Gallagher's Taste the band used strong blues-rock riffs on a solid rock ground. Skid Row was a band that never really made it to the top, but always had a strong loyal following. The band toured twice in the USA and Europe.


For over 200 years, Slane Castle has hosted famous royals and nobility from all over Europe. For the past 20 years, the Castle has been hosting famous rock stars at the now world-famous Annual Rock Concerts held within the grounds of the Castle.

The Rolling Stones, Queen, Robbie Williams and U2 are just some of the globally known bands that have played on the Castle grounds, on a magical spot between the Castle and the River Boyne.

Led by Seamus Egan, this Irish folk group has invigorated Irish traditional music. The group's members make use of instruments like guitar, banjo and bouzouki to add a modern spice to their sound, which is heavily rooted in Irish reels, jigs and other folk song forms. A teen prodigy, Egan recorded his first album at age 16. He later formed Solas with Winifred Horan, John Williams, John Doyle and vocalist Karan Casey. Though the group had no aspirations to tour and record, they soon gained a recording contract with Shanachie and in 1996 released their debut. Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers followed in 1997, with Words That Remain. Egan, Casey and Williams have all recorded solo albums apart from the group.


Tom Dunne - vocals, Ray Harman guitars/keyboards, Alan Byrne - bass Eamonn Ryan - drums. Signed to the record Company Virgin and told to come up with something different and fresh. Something Happens came up with "Parachute" from Stuck Together With God's Glue album.

While very successful in Ireland "Parachute" failed to make an impact in the UK. The song was released just at the outbreak of the Gulf War because of the title "Parachute" the powers that be refused to play it on the radio.

A founding member of progressive Celtic folk-rock band, Moving Hearts, Davy Spillane helped bring the music of the Emerald Isle up to modern standards. Since the band's breakup in 1986, Spillane has continued to forge a new musical direction while firmly grasping the traditions of the past.

Shortly after Moving Hearts disbanded, Spillane recorded his debut solo album, Atlantic Bridge. Joined by American musicians including Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas and Albert Lee, Spillane used the album to focus on the connections between Celtic music and bluegrass. Spillane has subsequently recorded two additional solo albums Shadow Hunter and Pipedreams and one album, Out of the Air, with the Davy Spillane Band.

In 1991, Spillane collaborated with ex-Bothy Band guitarist and vocalist Andy Irvine to record the stunning, tradition rooted, album, East Wind. Spillane's first release on a major record label, Place Among the Stars, released in 1998, featured guest vocals by Marie Brennan of Clannad and Steve Winwood. A much demanded session player, Spillane has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Kate Bush, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris.

Taking their new name from a track on the Vibrators' Pure Mania debut, Stiff Little Fingers soon attracted one of the most fervent fanbases of the era. Present at the Clash's Belfast gig in 1977, Jake Burns (vocals, lead guitar) led Henry Cluney (rhythm guitar), Ali McMordie (bass) and Brian Falloon (drums) as Ireland's first new wave cover band, but were encouraged to use their own material. They recorded their first two original songs, "Suspect Device" and "Wasted Life," soon afterwards, on their own Rigid Digits label. Rough Trade Records quickly picked up the distribution, and released the band's second single, 'fAlternative Ulster," in conjunction with Rigid Digits. After a major tour supporting the Tom Robinson Band, the group were almost signed to Island Records, but remained on Rough Trade for their album debut, Inflammable Matwial. The release marked the departure of Falloon who was replaced byJim Reilly.

The follow-up, Nobody's Heroes, revealed great strides in technique and sophistication with the band branching out into dub, reggae and pop.

Steve and Joe Wall were the main songwriters and singers in this successful Irish band, They released four albums and numerous singles between 1990 and 1994. Their debut album, Paradise In The Pictuuehouse spent five weeks at #1 and was certified platinum as did the follow up Once Around The World. Songs such as "Half Past Two," "Everything That Rises" and "Brewing Up A Storm" became anthems at Stunning gigs and are still heard on the airwaves around Ireland and beyond. However towards the end of 1994 frustrations within the band at the lack of progress being made internationally led to a split.


The Sultans of Ping EC. formed in Cork in early 1988. For the next 2 years they played live locally and gained a large devoted following. The original lineup was Niall O'Flaherty - vocals, Pat O'Connell- guitar, Paul Fennelly -bass, and Ger Lyons - drums. Some of the classic Sultans songs such as "Where's Me Jumper!" and "Turnip Fish" were written in this period.


Surrey Lane began with the friendship between singer/guitarist Enda Keegan and drummer Kevin Jahoda. The two met and began performing together at The Conservatory of Music in Winchester, VA. However, it was only after they both moved to New York City that Surrey Lane was born. A self-titled album was recorded in early 1999 and included "Turn Your Head" and "Going Home." In late 1999 guitarist Dave Wright and bassistChris O'Rourke were added. Halfway through recording the album The Long way home, Surrey lane halted production to record the single "Love Must Grow" which sprung out of events of September 11th.

Written for the benefit of The Chris Dunne Foundation, a charity organization devoted to assisting the families and victims of September 11th, "Love Must Grow" became one of the fasted selling singles on CDBaby.com. The song was also highlighted in an ABCNewsRadio feature that featured Surrey Lane and Paul McCartney.

Surrey Lane returned to the studio in late 2001 to put the finishing touches on The Long Way Home, and the album was finally completed in the early summer of 2002. The Long Way Home is a diverse collection of modern pop-rock songs, from the contagious energy of "Let You Go" and "Some Days," to the soulful sweep of "Why Do We Do" and "Tell Me Why."

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