Musicians Directory: In Memory

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It is a sad fact that we are all getting older far too quickly. Since the Showband Era started 45 years ago, many of the musicians who made up it's ranks are advancing in age. We take this opportunity to pay tribute to the many stars on whom the curtain has come down all too soon.  

If you would like pay tribute to someone by adding them to this list, click here to let us know. If the last name is highlighted, click on it for more info! We are trying to get photos of all musicians here. Please let us know if you have one, we especially would like photos from the showband era.

Photo	Last, First	Home Town	Instrument(s)	Bands
	Neenan, Tony	Cork, Co. Cork	Trumpet	Arrivals Showband (Tony sadly passed away)
	Neville, Larry	Cork, Co. Cork	Trumpet	Dixielanders Showband, Michael O'Callaghan Showband (Larry sadly passed away on March 11, 2006- from Sarah Murray)
	Newman, Tony	Mullingar, Co. Westmeath	Drums	Arkansas Travellers, Haggards, The Drifters (passed away in 2000)
	Nolan, Mike	Dundalk, Co. Louth	Trumpet	Billy Brown Band, Stage 2, Pacific Showband, Clubmen (passed away January 9, 2005) Although Mike was with several showbands, he was best known for his work in Jazz with artists like Louis Stewart, Keith Donald, Dessie Reynolds, Johnny Wadham and others. In his latter years he wrote commercial jingles as well as continuing to perform in Jazz clubs around Ireland.
	Noone, Patrick J.*	Roscommon, Co. Roscommon	Trumpet	Tara Showband (Patrick emigrated to Canada in the mid 1960's with the Tara Showband and passed away on February 12, 2007. From Chris Noone, his son.)
	Norris, Leslie*		Drums	Silver Clouds (Leslie died suddenly at the age of only 57 on Feb. 15, 2006 our thanks to Alan Carr for the notice)
	O'Brien, Brendan	Cork, Co. Cork	Vocals	Dixielanders, Dixies Showband, Stage Two (Brendan sadly passed away on April 3, 2008-age 67) Brendan was one of the legends of the showband era with the Dixies. They scored their greatest success with the single Little Arrows which was number one on the Irish Charts. Brendan nearly died after being electrocuted on stage in 1974 and although plagued with health problems since, he continued to perform up until the time of his death. See his story here.
	O'Brien, Dermot	Ardee, Co. Louth	Accordion & Vocals	Clubmen Showband, Dermot O'Brien Band (Dermot sadly passed away on May 22, 2007) Dermot came to prominence in Ireland originally as a member of the County Louth GAA team. Together with his accordion he had many~ hits and was on the balltroom scene for many years with his band the Clubmen and then as a solo artist in cabaret. Her emigrated to | the States where he continued to play the clubs up and down the East Coast of the U.S. until the time of his death.
	O'Brien, Noel*	Enniskillen, Co.Fermanagh	Drums	Trenniers Showband (Noel sadly passed away a few years ago)
	O'Callaghan, Bobby	Buttevant, Co. Cork	Vocals	Michael O'Callaghan Band (our thanks to Con Collins for info) (passed away September 21, 1987. Our thanks also to Bonny's daughter Eileen O'Grady for the photo of her father. )
	O'Callaghan, Michael	Buttevant, Co. Cork		Michael O'Callaghan Band (Michael sadly passed away December 7, 2007. Our thanks also to Liam O'Reilly for the info).
	O'Connell, Paddy	Limerick, Co. Limerick	Manager	Shaun O'Dowd & Dingaling, Candi & Dynamite, Kim Newport Band, Tommy Drennan and Top League Two Mile Inn  (Paddy sadly passed away in January 2006)
	O'Connell, Nelius		Manager	Kerry Blues, Jim Farley All Stars, Frankie McBride & The Polka Dots, Maisie McDaniel, Nita Norry, Philomena Begley & The Country Flavour (Nelius sadly passed away August 5, 2006)-his son, Donal.
	O'Connor, Maurice "Mossie"	Newcastle West, Co. Limerick	Drums	Donie Collins Band, Maurice Mulcahy Band (a.k.a. Ronnie Fox) (sadly passed away March 31, 2005)
	O'Domhnaill, Michael		Guitar	Bothy Band  (Michael sadly passed away in July, 2006)
	O'Dowda Donal		Guitar	Dermot O'Brien's Clubmen  (Donal sadly passed away)
	O'Dwyer Willie	Co. Tipperary	Unknown	Tommy Weston Dance Band (Willie sadly passed away - John Ryan)
	O'Grady, Mick		Bass	Vampires  (Michael sadly passed away on Oct 20, 2007 - Tom Foley)
	O'Hara, Dan*	Blacklion, Co. Cavan	Guitar/Vocals	Philomena Begley's Country Flavour, Ramblin' Men, Dan also fronted the band as Dan O'Hara and the Country Flavour in the mid 70's. (Dan sadly passed away November 13, 2004)
	O'Hagan, Fergus			Clipper Carlton (Fergie sadly passed away February 24, 2007)
	O'Hanlon, Mick		Drums	Clipper Carlton (Mick sadly passed away September 7, 2009)
	O'Hara, Shay	Carlow, Co. Carlow	Vocals	Royal Blues, Premier Aces (Shay emigrated to Australia and sadly passed away on the 20th March, 2009)
	O'Leary, Finbar*	Cork, Co. Cork	Keyboards	Dixielanders, Dixies Showband (Finbar sadly passed away June 12, 2002)
	O'Loughlin, Denis*	Limerick, Co. Limerick	Sax/Clarinet	Pete Roxborough Orchstra, Dermot O'Brien's Clubmen (Denis sadly passed away)
	O'Mahony, Chris*		Bass	Dixielanders, Dixies Showband (passed away July 10, 1990)
	O'Neill, Billy		Guitar	Dermot O'Brien's Clubmen (Billy sadly passed away)
	O'Neill, Brian	Keady, Co. Armagh	Sax/clarinet	Majestic Showband, Canvas Wagon (Brian sadly passed away)
	O'Neill Mickey	Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan	Drums	Manhattan Showband, Capitol Showband, Times, Swarbiggs. Paddy Cole Superstars, Big Eight  (Mickey sadly passed away on June 14, 2010 in Las Vegas - from Geraldine Swarbrigg) One of Ireland's best known drummers, Mickey played with many of the top bands on the ballroom scene in the 60's 70's and into the 80's. He eventually emigrated to Las Vegas in 1983 with the rest of the Big 8 and remained there until his death.
	O'Reilly Shay		Trombone/ Vocals	Casino, Indians (Shay sadly passed away)
	O'Riordan Enda	Newcastle, Co. Tipperary	Manager	Cowboys (Enda sadly passed away on April 14, 2008)
	O'Rourke, Jack	Mallow, Co. Cork	Manager	Majestic Ballroom, Mallow and Top Hat, Fermoy (Jack sadly passed away on May 1, 2005) Besides being one of the best known ballroom promoters in Ireland, Jack was also the Chairman of the Irish Ballroom Bands Association (IBBA) when it was first formed. We thank his son, Brendan for the info and photos of his father.
	O'Rourke, Padraig*	Dublin, Co. Dublin	Vocals	Clowns (sadly passed away)
	O'Sullivan, Kevin	Cork, Co. Cork	Bass/Mgr.	Ritz Showband (John Whyte wrote to tell us his Uncle, Kevin, sadly passed away in a house fire in April, 2008)
	O'Toole, Fran	Bray, Co. Wicklow	Keyboards/ Vocals	Miami Showband (killed by terrorists on July 31, 1975) A very young Fran O'Toole joined the Miami after they split to form the Sands in 1967. When Dickie Rock went solo, Fran stepped out front and instantly became one of Ireland's best loved entertainers. He was also a prolific songwriter and penned several smash hits for the band and others. He was gunned down by terrorists on a country road while they were planting a bomb on the band's van, which went off prematurely.
	Pearse, Danny		Vocals/Guitar	Danny & The Lions, Jim Farley Big Band, Jim Farley Band Show   (passed away March 15, 1969)
	Piggot, Ernie	Dublin, Co. Dublin	Vocals	Odeon Showband   (Ernie sadly passed away)
	Ponsonby, Denis	Letterkenny, Co. Donegal		William Ponsonby Showband (sadly passed away in 1996 - Des Ponsonby, his son)
	Ponsonby, Terry	Letterkenny, Co. Donegal		William Ponsonby Showband (sadly passed away)
	Ponsonby, William	Letterkenny, Co. Donegal	Accordion	William Ponsonby Showband (sadly passed away)
	Prendergast, Frank	Co. Waterford	Trumpet	Bridesiders (Frank's son, Frank wrote us recently and told us that Frank, Snr. sadly passed away in January, 1991)
	Prendergast, Joe	Co. Waterford	Bass	Bridesiders, Victors (Joe's brother, Frank wrote us recently and told us that Joe sadly passed away in September, 2006 aged 60)
	Power, Lenny	Co. Wicklow	Guitar	Jay Byrne Showband, Smokey Mountain Ramblers (Lenny's daughter, Carol, wrote us recently and told us that Lenny sadly passed away in 1994)
	Purdy, Norman	Larne, Co. Antrim	Vocals	High Seas Showband (sadly passed away)
	Quinn, Ben E.	Portnoo, Co. Donegal	Vocals	Keynotes Showband (Ben sadly passed away - John McGrenra) Ben replaced Margo in the Keynotes Showband in 1972 and release the record "Little Cabin Home On The Hill" before the band called it quits in the mid-seventies.
	Quinn, Clem		Guitar	Miami Showband (Clem sadly passed away)
	Quinn, Hugo		Trumpet	Clipper Carlton Showband (passed away October 26, 1987) Hugo, a founding member of the Clipper Carlton was one of the driving forces behind the band's several comebacks in the late 1960's and again in 1985. So much so, that his death in 1987 resulted in the end of the band forever.
	Quigley, Tommy		Trombone	George Duffy Orchestra (Tommy sadly passed away)
	Rea, Seamus		Guitar/ Vocals	Gerry & the Presidents   (Seamus sadly passed away 27th May, 1984 - Teresa Rea)
	Reynolds, Gerry*	Co. Leitrim	Vocals	Hi-Lows Showband   (Gerry sadly passed away in July, 2002) Gerry joined the Hi-Lows in April, 1972 and had an immediate hit with his recording of 100 children. He fronted the band for many years along with Margaret Rourke. After leaving the band he retired from showbusiness.
	Reynolds, Paddy	Drogheda, Co. Louth	Sax	Casino Showband (Paddy sadly passed away)
	Ruane, Jack Sr.*	Ballina, Co. Mayo	Sax/Clarinet	Jack Ruane Showband   (Jack sadly passed away May 6, 1997 aged 85) One of the major figures of the showband era to come out of the west, Jack and his band lead the way from Mayo from the 1940's and for the next three decades. Known as "the Head" locally, Jack continued to play sessions in and around his native Ballina right up until the time of his death and his legacy was kept alive by sons, Judd and Jack Jr.
	Ryan, Eamonn*	Tuam, Co. Galway	Guitar	Bandits Showband (no relation to Tommy, Eamon sadly passed away on 29th July, 2001 -Veronica Ryan)
	Ryan, Tommy*	Tuam, Co. Galway	Bass	Bandits Showband, Crystal All Stars (Tommy was killed in a car crash)
	Scott, Brian		Drums	Trend,Teddie Palmer's Rumble Band (emigrated to Canada but sadly passed away)
	Scott, Seamus	Elphin, Co. Roscommon	Sax	Ramblers Showband (Al Owens tells us Seamus sadly passed away)
	Scully, Barry	Dublin, Co. Dublin	Bass	Ray Richards Showband, Emile Ford and the Checkmates, Bandleader Resident Band - The Regent Rooms London, The Beat Brothers (Hamburg), Gene and the Gents, Roly and Green County, Spice (resident Donaghmeade Inn Dublin), Dickie Rock Band (Barry Sadly passed away December 10, 2007 age 64)
	Shanagher, Peter	Ballintubber, Co. Roscommon	Bandleader	Ivy Caste Dance Band (Peter sadly passed away in May, 2004) Peter lead the Ivy Caste Dance Band from the 1940's until they called it quits in 1955. He helped start the Pioneer Aces, but gave over the reins to Stephen Treacy and Paddy Malone. The band stayed on the road for over a decade. He left Ireland and emigrated to England where he lived until his death.
	Shearer, Dom	Strabane, Co. Tyrone	Sax	Clipper Carlton (Don sadly passed away August 31, 2005) Dom joined the Clipper Carlton in 1956 as lead vocalist.
	Sheehan, John	Cork, Co. Cork	Trumpet	Dixielanders Showband (John sadly passed in 1999 - Rachel O'Leary-granddaughter) John's granddaughter, Rachel O'Leary, writes to tell us that John left the band in 1964 due to illness. He fully recovered and played on the jazz scene around Cork and Ireland for many years. Sadly, John passed away in 1999 leaving behind four children and ten grandchildren.
	Sheerin, Sam	Mullingar Co.Westmeath	Sax	Classic Showband (Sam sadly passed away the week of Oct. 3, 2005-P.Hoye)
	Shelly, Pat	Carlow	Bass	Oscars Showband (Liam Kelly to tell us Pat sadly passed away)
	Sheridan, Peter		Manager	Brian Harkin & The Plainsmen, Frank McCaffrey & The Country Folk Venues: Longford Arms, Longford, Odea's Hotel, Loughrea (Peter sadly passed away in 1998)
	Sherlock, Jack	Dublin, Co. Dublin	Sax	Crickets Showband (Jack sadly passed away in 1995 - Thomas Harrington-photo)
	Sherman, Bertie*	Rathdowney, Co. Laois	Sax	Tweed (Bertie sadly passed away - Seanie Ryan)
	Smith, Dominic*	Sligo, Co. Sligo	Drums	Clefonaires (Dominic sadly passed away)
	Smith, Paddy*		Trumpet	Mighty Avons (Paddy sadly passed away - John Baird)
	St. Leger, Pete			Victors Showband (passed away December 7, 1993)
	Stewart, Davy		Vocals	Clouds (David Johnston tells us Davy sadly passed away in 2005)
	Street, Gary (Joe Conway)	Co. Roscommon	Vocals	Jivenaires, Agents Showband, Fairways, (a.k.a. Joe Conway, passed away on July 5, 2003)  Born in Geesala, Joe Conway adopted the stage name of Gary Street during the mid-1960s. It stuck so well that many people were unaware of any other name for him. In 1968, his composition ‘Flippidy Flop’ reached No. 10 in the Irish Top 20 and stayed in the charts for five weeks. After leaving the Fairways in 1976, he moved to England where he fronted a resident band for a number of years.
	Thompson, Sean	Cootehill, Co. Cavan	Vocals/ Trumpet	Sean Thompson and the Everglades  (Sean sadly passed away 13th february, 2010 - from Anthony Loughman)
	Tiernan, Malachy	Charlestown, Co. Mayo	Sax/Clarinet	Riviera Showband  (Malachy sadly passed away)
	Tierney, P.J.	Carlow, Co. Carlow	Sax/Clarinet	P.J. Tierney Orchestra (P.J. sadly passed away July 24, 2000) From Carlow, P.J. played with several small groups and bands in the area in the 1940's including the Stardust. In 1949 he formed his own P.J. Tierney Orchestra, a nine piece band that was on the road until 1962. In his later years he opened a clothing store and became one of Carlow's most successful businessmen in  the taxi trade. He was 78 when he passed away with over 50 years on the music scene.
	Tobin, Bernard	Cork, Co. Cork	Vocals/Sax	Impact Showband  (Bernard sadly passed away July 27, 2007-from his daughter Gayle)
	Trainor, Hughie*		Sax/Clarinet	Hughie Trainor Band Show (Hughie sadly passed away November 25, 2003)
	Tyrell, Jim	Arklow, Co. Wicklow	Keyboards/ Trumpet	Columbia Showband, Ranchers, Jim Tyrell Trio (Jim sadly passed away May 14, 2007)
	Wadham, Johnny	Croydon, England	Drums/ Percussion	Louis Stewart Trio, countless recording sessions (Johnny sadly passed away September 1, 2003 at the age of 67) Johnny was never a member of a showband, but he had more influence on the showbands era than all but a handful of drummers. Johnny was one of the main sessions drummers in Dublin throughout the showband years. His versatility and skills made the perfect man to get a session done quickly and done right. We will probably never know how many showband tracks bear Johnny's mark as most bands didn't want their fans to know they had not played on their own records. He will be missed.
	Walsh, Christy	Carlow, Co. Carlow		Dermot O'Brien's Clubmen, Vikings, P.J. Tierney Band, Paragon 7, Jack Ruane Showband (Christy sadly passed away on  March 3, 2006) Following his career in the showbands, Christy became best know as a radio presenter in Carlow at CKR where his catch phrase was "morning all." Our thanks to Liam Kelly for the news about Christy's passing.
	Walsh, Gerry*	Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan		Mighty Avons (Gerry passed away in Oct., 2001)
	Walsh, Ina*	Letterkenny, Co. Donegal		William Ponsonby Showband (Ina sadly passed away-John Baird)
	Walsh, Robbie	Dublin, Co. Dublin	Vocals	Adolph J. Ragg, Magazine, Honey Suite (Robbie sadly passed away Octo 6, 2007 at the age of just 60 - Des Hickey)
	Walsh, Tony*	Waterford, Co. Waterford	Trombone/ Guitar	Blue Aces Showband (Tony passed away)
	Ward, Willie	Dublin, Co. Dublin	Trumpet	Jackpots Showband, Altonaires Showband (Willie sadly passed away June 14, 2006 - our thanks to his son Will and daughter Niamh.)
	Weston, Tommy		Banjo	Mick Delahunty Orchestra, Tommy Weston Dance Band (Tommy sadly passed away p John Ryan)
	Whelan, Bertie		Drums	Oscars Showband (Liam Kelly writes to tell us Bertie sadly passed away)
	Whitley, "Wee" Harry	Belfast, Co. Antrim	Guitar	Oceans Showband, Brunswick Showband (Harry sadly pased away-Robert Magee)
	Williams, Paul		Guitar	Greenbeats (passed away November 22, 1967)
	Wills, Pip		Guitar	Champs (Glen Brown writes to tell us Pip passed away)
	Wilson, Des	Dundalk, Co. Louth	Keyboards/ Vocals	Tracy & the Grassroots, The Big Country, Cotton Mill Boys (Des sadly passed away)
	Woodfull, Dermot	Dublin, Co. Dublin	Guitar	Roly Daniels & Green County (Dermot was sadly killed in a car accident in Canada in the early 1990's. He was a brother of Brian and John Woodfull of the Casino Showband/Indians-our thanks to Martin Branigan for info.)
	Woods, John			Tara Showband (John emigrated to Canada in the mid 1960's and sadly passed away in December, 2003 - Kristen Thornton)
	Woods, Tony	Donegal, Co. Donegal	Vocals	Gay McIntyre, Jim Farley, Rhythm Boys, Express Showband (Tony sadly passed away in Derry some years ago - John Baird)

Acknowledgements:
*Our thanks to Jimmy Compton, Brian O'Brien, Brian "Shorty" O'Kane, Danny McLaughlin, Martin Flynn, Andy Monk, Joe Dodd, Peter Kinsey, Teddie Palmer, Patrick Hoye, Karl Compton, Louis Chapman, Michael Niblett, Declan Colgan, Mick Gilligan, Michael Conway, Paul Welch, John McGrenra, Alan Carr, Norman Bissett, Alan White, Tom Ivory Jr., Glen Brown, John Baird, Dave Hynes, Ernie Corrigan, Paddy Brennan's "Golden Era of Irish Showbands," & Eugene Nixon's "He's Not Working...He's in a Band" for their assistance with many of the names on this list.