The Dubliners

On Tour
Play Radio

3,680,103 plays (236,528 listeners)

Shop now at Amazon | Send The Dubliners Ringtones to Cell
Buy
Add to my Library

Dublin, Ireland (1962 – present)

The Dubliners started off in O’Donoghue’s pub in Dublin, Ireland in 1962 under the name of “the Ronnie Drew Folk Group”. Then they were four, Ronnie Drew (vocals and guitar), Luke Kelly (vocals and 5-string banjo), Barney McKenna (tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon and vocals) and Ciarán Bourke (vocals, guitar, tin whistle and harmonica). In 1963, they played at the Edinburgh festival where they met the head of Transatlantic Records, Nathan Joseph, for whom they started recording. In 1964, Luke Kelly left, and Bobby Lynch (vocals and guitar) and John Sheahan (fiddle, tin whistle, mandolin, concertina, guitar and vocals) were added. When Luke Kelly returned and Bobby Lynch left in 1965, we have what is considered as the original Dubliners, five individualists, five men whose talents were mixed together in a superb blend and just wanted to play and have a good craic. If they only knew what was awaiting them!

In 1967 their major breakthrough came as a result of a coincidence. Their song, “Seven Drunken Nights” which was recorded in one take, was snapped up by a pirate radio station which started playing it along with The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas, The Who, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix. Suddenly, The Dubliners was a major band, playing all over the world, getting into the charts, and receiving gold discs. Not what you expected from a bunch of hairy people who “looked like they’d just been dragged out of a seedy bar via a hedge(backwards) and dropped on London from a very great height”.(Colin Irwin in the reissue of “Live at the Albert Hall”)
Share this artist:

Top Albums

  • Spirit of the Irish
    The Dubliners Play
    Buy
  • The Best Of
    The Dubliners Play
    Buy
  • The Dubliners
    The Dubliners Play
    Buy
  • The Best Of The Dubliners
    The Dubliners Play
    Buy
See more

Top Tracks

1
656
2
468
3
399
4
318
5
196
6
186
7
175
8
170
9
152
10
142
11
123
12
113
13
106
14
97
15
90
Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3
See more

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).
  • gspanjers

    The irish really have the best folk music everr!!!

    21 days ago
  • otrebla86

    RIP Barney...

    last month
  • rjoosse91

    The tour goes ahead as planned - in Denmark with special guest banjo maestro Gerry O'Connor. Just read this at www.thedubliners.org, I've got to have respect for that!

    last month
  • rjoosse91

    I just read the terrible news! R.I.P. Barney. It's a good thing that you left this world in a peaceful way.

    last month
  • Goenerium

    RIP King of Banjo

    last month
  • SubwayToTheSun

    RIP, Barney.

    last month
  • anarchodandyist

    R.I.P. Barney.

    last month
  • tffdaniel

    See you soon, McKenna. RIP.

    last month
See all 240 shouts

Videos

See more

Events

See more Add event

Listening Now

Top Listeners

See more

More Information

Links
Band Members
Labels

Email Newsletter

Universal Music Group Get exclusive tour, release & promotion updates on The Dubliners from Universal Music.