BASED IN SLIGO, IRELAND

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Rock Groups

Currently listing 110 Rock Groups with many more to come!

As the heavy metal groups of the 70's carved their way across the world, Irish musicians began to experiment themselves. Some, such as Van Morrison's Them and Rory Gallagher's Taste gained international recognition and success, but they had to leave Ireland to "make it." Back home though, it wasn't easy for rock groups to make a living.

In Dublin and Belfast, before the rock bands there were the Beat groups. They played the same gigs, created the same stir, but just went by a different name in the 60's. For more info on The Beat groups, click here to visit Francis Kennedy's excellent Beat Group Archive.

Outside of Dublin, there were few venues for rock groups and any original music was naturally compared to Led Zeppelin, or Deep Purple, the rock gods of the era. Recording was an expensive proposition and few bands had the "bread" to record at Windmill, or one of the handful of Dublin's other professional studios.

Irish rock groups in the early 70's all faced the same dilemma: to be successful they had to leave Ireland. Even though the country had no problem producing world class rock acts, almost all of them were forced to go to England to gain recognition there, before they would be accepted at home.

Horslips broke through initially with their experimental version of Celtic rock. They were possibly the first Irish based rock band to enjoy success in Europe without relocating to London, or the States. While they became huge at home, and toured extensively in the United States and England, super star status eluded them. They came together in 1970 and within a decade had broken up with Johnny Fean and Eamonn Carr forming the Zen Alligators, a short lived rock n' soul band that toured the ballrooms. Recently though, they have made a string of appearances together with talk of a reunion in the works. 

It was probably Thin Lizzy that became the first major Irish rock band to conquer England while still living and playing, in the main, at home in Ireland. Their rocked up Irish folk tune, Whiskey in the Jar, broke in England while the band was still playing small gigs in Irish hotels and secondary schools. I first heard the number when they introduced it at gig in the Imperial Hotel in Sligo in early 1973. However, on February 1, 1973, Phil Lynott, Eric Bell and Brian Downey were onstage at the BBC's Top of The Pops, alongside such international pop icons as Stevie Wonder (singing Superstition), Carly Simon (You're So Vain), and ELO (Roll Over Beethoven). Lizzy had arrived!  

The coming of Lizzy, Gallagher and Horslips, among others, led to an explosion of young rock bands on the fledgling Dublin Rock scene as the seventies progressed. Critics of this era in Irish rock might suggest that one of the downsides of the reporting on the Dublin scene in publications like Spotlight, gave an undue amount of press dedicated "up and coming rock bands" that were no more than "garage bands" (i.e., here today and gone tomorrow). In fact, in 1974, Don O'Connor, founder member of Reform complained saying, "The magazine give a false impression to rock bands around the country...They believe all these groups are the greatest thing going....yet they haven't got the price of a van." Harsh words from one of the era's most successful Irish based rock groups. 

It still wouldn't be until the late seventies that things really began to change. Encouraged by the success of punk and new wave artists, Irish rock groups started coming of age. Local bands realized they could make records "as good," if not better than many of the punk bands in London. Bands like the Boomtown Rats (based in England), The Undertones (Belfast) and Stiff Little Fingers (Belfast) led the charge in 1977-78, taking their places alongside punk contemporaries like the Clash and Sex Pistols.

The introduction of Hot Press in 1979, gave further momentum to Irish rock's development. Hot Press gave alternative music it's own voice and it's own face. In much the same way Rolling Stone helped legitimize rock music a generation earlier, so Hot Press did in Ireland and never looked back. Of course, one of the drawbacks of having its own publication was the continuing problem distinguishing true rock talent with amateur "wannabee" rock bands that literally did little but rehearse, constantly switch members and play the occasional gig. 

However, Irish rock really started making waves at home around this time, and bands started having significant success in Ireland without having to move to England. Arguably, the biggest success enjoyed by a rock group around this time in Ireland was Bagatelle's huge hit, Summer In Dublin, in 1978 which took the country by storm. Not since the days of Thin Lizzy and Horslips, had a group been so successful at home. Although it is difficult to categorize Bagatelle and their leader, Liam O'Reilly as rockers, they were still part of the Hot Press crowd--rock bands at heart. Liam went on to represent Ireland in Eurovision some twelve years later and placed a very respectable 2nd. 

Following on the heels of Bagatelle, groups like The Blades, Mama's Boys, The Lookalikes, Stepaside, Reform, and many others had hit records in Ireland. The irony though, was that with success, they joined their ancestors, the showbands, playing in the ballrooms and dancehalls which dotted the countryside and cities of Ireland.

"This week, Big Tom...next week, Mama's Boys!"

Of course, Irish rock continued to grow in both stature and influence as the eighties rolled on. Sir Bob Geldof's Live Aid concerts in 1985 were truly significant and revolutionized the social impact music could have across in the world...a trend that continues to the present day.

Since this website is dedicated mainly to bands that played in Ireland, up until 1990, a discussion of Ireland's continuing prominence in the world of rock through the 1990's and into the 21st century is beyond the scope of the site. For the moment, we will leave that task to someone else.

Needless to say, when Thin Lizzy took to the stage in the Imperial Hotel in Sligo in the winter of 1972 and played their "upcoming single, Whiskey In The Jar," few in the hall that evening could have ever imagined what would happen next! Long live Irish rock!    

Much more to come!

Click here for Rock Group photo gallery (all the photos in our collection...so far!)

Click on band name (if highlighted) to see photo.

Adolph J. Ragg [Dublin] (early seventies group featuring the late Robbie Walsh)
Aesops Fables [Dublin] (Mid-sixties group which included for a time Mog Ahern and Alex Clark on sax)
Alyce [Dublin] (Jimmy Slevin's first band with Paddy Freeney, Eamonn Gibney and Gerry Donovan in 1971)
Andwellas Dream [Dublin] (Early 70's rock group)
Atrix/P2 [Dublin] (punk band formed in 1978, released records until 1984)-our thanks to Joe O'Connor for correction
Autobop (Group formed in mid-1979 and featured on "SBB Ina Shui" and "Non Stop Pop" in 1982)
Auto Da Fe (Group formed in 1980 after Gay Woods broke up with husband Terry, she retired in 1988 website)
Bagatelle [Dublin] (Liam Reilly wrote & performed Ireland's 1990 Eurovision entry / first hit in 1978 was "Summer in Dublin.")
Bananas/P2/P3 [Dublin] (Formed by Robin Irvine of Chips and emigrated to New York in 1975)
Bees Make Honey [Dublin]
Berlin
Big Self [Belfast] (band formed in 1980 and released last record in 1988)
The Blades [Dublin] (3 piece formed in 1977 in Dublin around the vocals/songwriting of Paul Cleary, one of Ireland's best)
Blue In Heaven/P2 (Dublin based band from 1982-89 featured Sean O'Neill who later fronted the Blue Angels)
Blue Russia [Dublin] (mid eighties band formerly known as The Myster Men)
Bluesville (Ian Whitcomb, Barry Richardson, Deke O'Brien, Mick Molloy, Ian McGarry and Pete Adler)
Bogey Boys (Lead guitarist Jimmy Smith is "One Day At A Time" Gloria's brother)
Brian Rock and the Hustlers [Dublin] (60's group - thanks to Glen Brown for photo)
Brogue [Dublin] (Eamon Gibney, Tony Geraghty, Danny O'Keefe, Vincent Duffy, and Carl Geraghty reformed at Easter 1973)
Brush Shiels/P2/P3/P4 [Dublin] (Ireland's perennial bad boy of rock started Skid Row with Phil Lynott and so much more...)
Casper [Omagh] (formed in 1979 with Mickey Tracey, Piero Mc Gartland and Conor Mc Crory)
Cactus World News [Dublin] (formed in 1984 with Frank Kearns, Eoin McEvoy, Wayne Sheehy & Fergal McAindris
Chapter Five [Cork] (early 70's group featuring Tony Bourke on lead vocals and managed by Don Weldon)
Cheaters [Unknown] (former members of Firefly lead by Johnny Logan's brother Mick O'Hagan in late 1970's)
Clutch (Tralee based rock band that achieved some success in the 1980's)
The Crack (Click here to see RTE Guide article) (Pop/rock act formed by Steven Travers of the Miami/Starband)
Creatures/P2 [Dublin] (top mid-sixties group with Liam McKenna)
Cromwell/P2 (early three piece 70's)
Cry Before Dawn [Wexford] (Formed in 80's with Brendan Wade, Tony Hall, Vince Doyle & Pat Hayes)
Cryin Soul [Dungannon] (sixties rock group from the North)
Crypt/P2/P3 [Rathfriland, Co. Down] (1967-1970's group managed by Ollie Byrne)
Dave Primm Band [Kilkenny]  (Blues group based in Kilkenny that signed to CBS records in 1973)
Deep Set (mid-sixties group which lasted until the early 70's)
Demon Duck [Dublin] (Early 70's band)
Dirtywork (mid 70's Belfast based group drafted by Louis Walsh as Tony Kenny's backing band in the late 70's)
Dodgers [Belfast]
Dr. Strangely Strange [Dublin] (late 60's/early 70's group that once featured Gay and terry Woods)
Drags [Dublin] (Jody Pollard, Jimmy Mahon and Larry Lynch)
Eire Apparent [Belfast] (formerly The People and Tony & the Telstars, Henry McCullough was with them -Mike Niblett)
Elmer Fudd (Early 70's band)
Firefly (1979 band formed by Jimi Slevin, but short lived, released album "Getting There," then broke up)
Frupp [Dublin] (Early 70's band that made a big splash, but was relatively short lived)
Gaslight (Early 70's band)
Gentry (P2) [Ballymena] (One of Ireland's early rock bands originally featured Cahir O'Doherty on lead vocals)
Ghost of an American Airman [Belfast] (1985 - 93, hailed as the next U2, but despite a major record deal, never quite made it)
Granny's Intentions [Dublin] (One of the top groups of the mid to late 1960's and into the 70's)
Hennigan's Blooze Band/P2 [Sligo] (Short lived mid 80's rock group formed by top local musicians named after local bar)
Honey Suite [Dublin] (mid 70's rock group which featured the late Robbie Walsh on vocals)
Horslips (Ireland's premiere Celtic rock export, having practically invented the genre in the early 1970's)
Interns [Dublin] (Mid 60's beat group with Nick Hellewell on keyboards)
Jason (mid 70's rock group which featured Brian Donaghy on drums, who would go on to Chips)
Keltic Wine (early 70's band featuring Roy & Richie Fitzgerald)
Kingbees [Dublin] (mid-sixties group featuring Ditch Cassidy)
Les Enfants
Light [Dublin] (Late 70's rock band)
Light A Big Fire [Dublin] (Rock band that started in the mid 80's and have reformed recently)
The Lookalikes/P2 [Dublin] (Popular rock group of the early 80's)
Mad Lads [Belfast] (Mid-sixties Northern based group)
Mama's Boys/P2/P3
The Modulators
Moondogs [Derry] (three piece rock band that was on the go in 1980)
Movement [Dublin] (Dublin based mid 60's group featuring John Farrell on vocals)
Moving Hearts (Helped create the Celtic/jazz fusion sound in 1981, paving the way for Riverdance 13 years later in 1994)
Mushroom/P2 (short lived mid 70's Celtic rock group featuring Aonghus McNally on lead guitar broke up in late '74)
Myster Men [Dublin] (Dublin based early 80's rock band that changed name to Blue Russia and released one single)
Orange Machine (group featured future showband members Tommy Kinsella and Ernie Durkin and RTE's Jimmy Greeley. )
Orphanage (early 70's Irish "supergroup" once managed by Louis Walsh and featured Robbie Walsh on lead vocals)
Others (sixties group that lasted into the mid seventies)
The People/P2 [Belfast] (Belfast based sixties beat group)
Peggy's Leg (early 70's rock band led by Jimmy Slevin)
Phantom Orchestra
Pickford Set [Dublin] (60's Dublin based rock band)
Pig [Belfast] (early 80's  Belfast punk band)
Protex [Dublin] (four piece rock group on the road in 1980)
Pulling Faces
Pulse
Pump House Gang
Richmond Hill (Belfast 70's rock group-Brian McCaffrey, Peter Cochrane, Davey Esler, Johnny Gregg, George Kinlough)
Rodeo [Coleraine] (early to mid 70's)
Rory Gallagher/P2/P3/P4 [Ballyshannon] (The greatest Irish guitar hero that ever lived...he lives on in his music)
Reform [Limerick] (Three piece 70's rock/pop band that did very well nationally, but never broke overseas)
Taste
Teddie and the Tigers [Belfast] (Featured Teddie Palmer and Tiger Taylor)
The Limited Company [Dublin] (60's group featured Deke O'Brien, Paul Ashford and Fran O'Toole)
The Machine [Portadown] (Late 60's rock group from Co. Armagh managed by Teddie Palmer)
The Terminals [Wicklow] (60's group from Wicklow)
The Resistors
The Rides [Dublin] (late 70's rock band - Tony Laverne, Frank Daly, Derek Fay, and Sam Nevin)
The Roach Band
The Shade (1979-82 band featured Brendan McCarthy, David Keating, Cathal O'Reilly and Tom Killian)
The Taxi [Dublin] (early 70's rock band)
The Urge [Dublin] (early 70's rock band)
Them featuring Van Morrison/P2 (the first of Ireland's super groups, Van and the band became international icons)
Thin Lizzy [Dublin] (One of the greatest rock groups to come out of Ireland, Phil Lynott died in 1986)
Those Nervous Animals [Sligo] (Sligo based rock group that had nationwide success in the mid 1980's with LP Hyperspace)
Time Machine
Tokyo Olympics (Dublin based band won Hot Press Award in 1983 for best Rock single, "Radio")
Skid Row [Dublin] (Band formed by Brush Shiels in late 60's which included at various times, Gary Moore & Phil Lynott.)
Snakehips (Early 70's rock band)
Some Kind of Wonderful
Something Happens
Soul Agents [Dublin]
Stepaside/P2 (formed in 1974 by Bob Bolton and Bobby Kelly, continued into the early 1980's with different lineups.) 
Stiff Little Fingers [Belfast] (formed in 1977-Jake Burns, Henry Cluney, Brian Faloon, and Ali McMordie) 
Stop Press (Dublin early 70's band featuring Freddie, Billy & Benny White-ex Elmer Fudd and Soul Agents)-thanks Alan White
Strangers [Dublin]
Subtle Muscle [Dublin] (Dublin based band playing jazz influenced original material in the early 80's)
The System [Dublin]
U2/P2 [Dublin] (Arguably the greatest band in the world according to some critics and Ireland's number one export.)
Vampires [Dublin] (60's group which featured future pop stars, Tony Kenny and Mick Roche among its ranks)
Van Morrison (the original Irish rocker & product of the showband era, Van led the way for the rest of Ireland's rock musicians)
Virgin Prunes
Zen Alligators (Band formed by Johnny Fean and Eamon Carr of Horslips from 1980 to 1983)
 
More to come!


In Loving Memory of Grant Gallagher: Sept. 21, 1990 - Nov. 18, 2006
© 2004-2008 GMS Productions