The Showbands of the 50's and 60's

Currently listing 867 showbands as of 21 April, 2008

The true era of the Irish showbands actually started in the mid 1950's, but really didn't catch fire and explode until the 1960's. Many other websites have done a great job articulating how and why the showbands came about. What is certain is that a showband had just one job...entertain the crowds and "keep them dancing."

The term "showband" was reportedly coined by legendary Belfast musician Dave Glover. In a 1989 interview on BBC Ulster radio he said that although the Clipper Carlton were the first band to put on a show with their "Saturday Night Jukebox" segment, he first added the word to his band's name, becoming The Dave Glover Showband. Although in later years the term would come to identify a broad range of musical styles, in the mid 1950's it meant just that...the band included a "show" in the middle of the evening. Usually this "show" included comedy skits, impersonations, or other acts that stopped the crowd in their tracks and they watched the "show" for up to a half hour or more, after which time dancing would be resumed. Click here to listen to Dave's story about the term "showband." (You must have Real Player to hear the streaming audio).

The pictures below are a who's who of the showband scene in the mid 1960's this is the front and back covers of the 1966 Spotlight Annual (kindly contributed by Liam O'Reilly). Click on either photo to get a large size image and the names of all the stars!       

Before the days of electric guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers, brass instruments dominated the music of Ireland. Every showband worth its salt had two, or even three or more, brass players. Although brass instruments were overtaken by guitars and organs in American and British pop music in the sixties, showbands, and some notable pop acts, continued to feature brass.

This was the period in Irish entertainment history that gave the country its first "superstars." Names like Dickie Rock, Brendan Bowyer, Butch Moore, and many others, came to prominence during the heyday of the showbands in the 1960's. Ballrooms dotted the countryside and were packed with "punters" every night. Bands like the Capitol, the Clipper Carlton, the Royal Showband, the Sands, and many others created an industry that employed upwards of 10,000 people at its peak.

Of course these bands were huge, but not all bands were making thousands of pounds a night. Thanks to member Declan Byrne, we have an exclusive from his late mother's collection of memorabilia. Click on the small photo at the left to see the full size image. For those who can't wait to see, the date was 1966, the band was The Royal Earls Showband, and the fee was £60 for five hours from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Those were the days!

Seeing Double: As you peruse the list below, you will occasionally see the same band name twice, but from different towns. This isn't a mistake and the bands didn't move. Often two bands in different parts of the country would choose the same name. Depending on where they played, this usually did not create a problem, but when it did, one band usually changed its name. There are several great resources about this era in Irish entertainment history including Vincent Power's book, Send 'Em Home Sweatin' and Finbar O'Keefe's book, Goodnight, God Bless and Safe Home.            

The photo at left was donated by Liam O'Reilly and was taken in Donegal in 1963. Each ballroom was running twice a week with top bands in all the venues. Click on the photo for a full size version. Most amazingly, all these halls were within twenty miles of Letterkenny.

**We owe major thanks to Patrick Hoye for his help and continuing support in building this list. A very special thanks to David Dwane of the Western People, Billy Swann, formerly of The Cossacks Showband, Joe Dodd, and Liam O'Reilly of the Columbia Showband (among others), who generously contributed their collections of photographs to the website. Also our thanks go to Michael Nesbitt, Glen Brown, John Baird, Dick Lynott, Jan Lynch, Anne Lynch, Lorraine Clarke, Karl Compton, Paddy Brennan, and Teddie Palmer for additional info and photos.   

Click here to see main gallery of photos.                   Click here to visit our personal photo collections

Click on any blue highlighted Showband name to see their photos