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6 unusual facts about The Dubliners


A Night Out With The Dubliners

A Night Out With The Dubliners is a Live album by The Dubliners recorded in 1974.

Allendale, Northumberland

The town's name is often conflated with the 1840 ballad Rose of Allendale, sung by Paddy Reilly, The Dubliners and many others, but this common mistake ignores the obvious spelling difference; the Rose of Allandale, i.e. Mary from the first stanza, was from another place.

O'Donoghue's Pub

Included are portraits of The Dubliners (Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Ciaran Bourke, John Sheahan and Barney McKenna as well as later members Eamonn Campbell and Sean Cannon) that hang to the right of the entrance where the nightly sessions are played.

The Pub is closely associated with Irish Traditional Music and was where the popular Irish folk group, The Dubliners, began performing in the early 1960s.

Pimlico, Dublin

In popular songs by The Dublin city ramblers, The Dubliners, and Flogging Molly, Dublin in the Rare Old Times and The Rare Oulde Times respectively, the singers refers to being "born hard and late in Pimlico, in a house that ceased to be".

The Brazen Head

The pub features live music and has had some famous musicians feature, including The Dubliners, Van Morrison, Paolo Nutini and Tom Jones.


A Nation Once Again

It has been recorded by many Irish singers and groups, notably John McCormack, The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones (a group with Republican leanings) in 1972, the Poxy Boggards, and The Irish Tenors (John McDermott, Ronan Tynan, Anthony Kearns) and Sean Conway for a 2007 single.

Ciarán Bourke

Bourke made his last public appearance on Ireland's RTÉ One during The Late Late Show tribute to The Dubliners in 1987.

Jack's Heroes

"Jack's Heroes" was a single released by The Pogues & The Dubliners in 1990, composed by tin whistle player Spider Stacy about the Republic Of Ireland football squad, then managed by Jack Charlton.

Johnny Duhan

His songs are sung all over the world in a variety of languages, thanks to the focus put on them by Christy Moore, The Dubliners, Mary Black and many other Irish and international singers.

Making Friends

Fields of Athenry is an Irish folk ballad (written in 1970 by Pete St. John) which has been covered by many other bands such as Dropkick Murphys or The Dubliners.

Nathan Joseph

Artists signed by Joseph to Transatlantic included Billy Connolly (who after beginning his career as folk singer with the Humblebums released his first comedy recordings for Transatlantic in the early 1970s), Ralph McTell, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Sheila Hancock and The Dubliners.

Nelson's Pillar

"Nelson's Goodbye" by 'Galway Joe' Dolan, released as "Nelson's Farewell" by The Dubliners on their album Finnegan Wakes and as a single "Nelson's Farewell / The Foggy Dew", both in 1966

On Raglan Road

The song, often known simply as "Raglan Road", has since been sung by The Dubliners, the Young Dubliners, Van Morrison, Sinéad O'Connor, Mark Knopfler, Billy Bragg, Roger Daltrey, Dick Gaughan, Loreena McKennitt, Joan Osborne, Orla Fallon, Ian Tamblyn, Tommy Fleming and Nyle Wolfe among others.

Phil Colclough

it has been recorded by numerous artists, including Dick Gaughan, Mary Black, Ralph McTell, Celtic Spirit and The Dubliners.

Sir Robert McAlpine

The song "McAlpine's Fusiliers" (written by Dominic Behan and made famous by "The Dubliners") described the realities of life on the building site for many Irish expatriates.

Slugger O'Toole

The name is originally from the traditional Irish song "The Irish Rover", best known as a collaboration between The Pogues and The Dubliners.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley

The song has been covered by many artists including The Chieftains, Loreena McKennitt, The Dubliners, Dolores Keane, Dead Can Dance (sung by Lisa Gerrard), Altan, Solas, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Dick Gaughan, Orthodox Celts, Amanda Palmer, Fire + Ice, The Irish Rovers (as "The Wind That Shakes the Corn"), Sarah Jezebel Deva, Martin Carthy, Declan de Barra and Belfast Food.


see also

21 Years On

Recorded at the National Concert Hall, Dublin in 1983, this was the first album by The Dubliners to feature Seán Cannon, who joined the group when Luke Kelly could no longer perform regularly due to a brain tumour.

Finnegan Wakes

Recorded live at the Gate Theatre on 26 and 27 April 1966 and produced by Nathan Joseph, this was The Dubliners' final recording for Transatlantic Records.

Maids When You're Young Never Wed An Old Man

The song was seen to be offensive due to its sexualized themes and was banned by RTE and the BBC resulting in the song falling out of the UK top 40 peaking at No.43, this would be The Dubliners last hit single for over 20 years in the UK.

Seán Cannon

When The Dubliners announced their retirement in 2012 after finishing their 50 Years Anniversary Tour, Seán Cannon decided to keep on touring with former band members Patsy Watchorn and Eamonn Campbell and Banjo player Gerry O'Connor under the name of "The Dublin Legends".

The Kinetiks

On first hearing the band's track "A Smile'd Crack Your Face" RTÉ 2fm's producer, Ian Wilson booked the Dubliners for a live session with the station.