The Dubliners started off in O'Donoghue's pub in Dublin 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")
The seventies started like the sixties ended; wild touring, drinking, playing. They started doing regular tours, and they were still recording, of course. Then, in 1974, Ciarán Bourke collapsed on stage with a brain haemmorrage, which eventually led to his death. He first, though, recovered remarkably , and was back on stage with The Dubliners, but collapsed again. At the same time, Ronnie decided to take a break, and Jim McCann took his and Ciaráns place in the group.
In 1979, Ronnie decided to make a comeback as a member of the group, although he probably never really left it. In the five years, he had recorded two solo albums, and The Dubliners three albums. With Ronnie returning, Jim left, and The Dubs were almost back where they started. Then Luke Kelly became ill, he collapsed on stage with a brain tumour, for which he received surgery several times. He too, made remarkable recoveries, and went on touring with the Dubliners, at the same time continuing his wild and unhealthy lifestyle. Seán Cannon, a long time friend, stepped in for Luke, when he couldn't be on stage. Seáns appearence wasn't that well received by the audiences at the beginning, but he has later turned out to be an important addition to The Dubliners, and their repertoir. In 1984, Luke Kelly died, but The Dubliners, now with Seán Cannon as a member, decided to keep on.
1987 turned out to be one of the best - and busiest - years for the Dubliners. Their long time friend, and guest musician, Eamonn Campbell (29 November 1946 – 18 October 2017), brought the group together with the Pogues on the hit single the Irish Rover. This single took the Dubliners back to the charts, and also gave them a completely new audience; people who weren't even born when The Dubliners started off. And with Dublin celebrating its milennium in 1988, The Dubliners also received more attention than for years. Eamonn Campbell joined them on regular basis, a move which has turned out to be one of the most important in their history. In 1988 Ciarán Bourke died, after years of pain and difficulties. He always was, and still is very much remembered by The Dubliners, just like Luke Kelly is.
The eighties finished off with rumours that The Dubliners were to retire, probably something that's always been following the group. However, they didn't, and celebrated their 30th anniversary in 1992, with a double cd and extensive tour. The nineties have later brought a tour video from the German tour 1995, and the "shock" news that Ronnie Drew was leaving. He left in December 1995, after releasing a superb album, "Dirty Rotten Shame" a few months earlier.
Now, even the most optimistic Dubliners fans thought it was the end, but the remaindours decided to convince Paddy Reilly to join them, and they continued their busy touring and recording schedule. This move has also turned out to be excellent. Paddy, not very well known in Europe, had never been touring there, so he too enjoyed the experience, as well as being part of a band. He still, though, does tours in the USA in the winter and summermonths.
2002, they temporarily reunited with Ronnie Drew and Jim McCann, for their 40th anniversary tour. They made a string of appearances on Irish television throughout this time, including a memorable appearance with Phil Coulter and George Murphy on RTÉ 1.
After the tour, Jim McCann was diagnosed with throat cancer and, though he fully recovered, his voice was severely damaged, and he has not been able to sing since his illness
In 2005, Paddy Reilly moved to the United States, and Patsy Watchorn joined the group. Watchorn made a name for himself with The Dublin City Ramblers; like Kelly, he accompanies his songs on the five-string banjo.
The band toured Europe every year. A planned tour of Denmark two weeks after the death of McKenna on 5 April 2012 went ahead as planned. From the first show in Copenhagen on 18 April onwards he was replaced by the Irish banjo player Gerry O'Connor.
The band celebrated their 50th anniversary with an extensive year-long European tour and the release of a live DVD recorded live at Dublin's Vicar Street.
In the fall of 2012 the band announced their retirement, effective after their 50th anniversary shows at the end of the year. The Dubliners played the final shows at Vicar Street in Dublin on 28/29/30 December 2012 the band were joined by former band member Jim McCann.
The band made their final TV appearence in the UK on the BBC's New Year's Eve edition of Jools Holland Annual Hootenanny' on 31 December. Their last public appearance as the Dubliners was on 27 January 2013 in memory of Barney McKenna. The remaining members Sean Cannon, Eamonn Campbell, Patsy Watchorn and Gerry O'Connor continue to tour Europe in 2013/14.
People probably don't recognize what The Dubliners have meant to the world of music. By the way, not only the world of music, but the world as a whole. They have first of all paved the way for dozens of bands from Ireland and Scotland, like the Chieftains, the Pogues, U2, Ossian, the Fureys and so on. The number of artists that list The Dubliners as one of their major influences and idols, is endless. They have brought folk music to millions of people all over the world, people who never would have been interested at all. That isn't only because of the folk music, the instrumentals alone, it's because of The Dubliners, their astonishing voices, their undescribable instrumentals, the wild life style and drinking, late sessions, their enormous beards, their extensive touring, their charisma and characters. It was, and still is to a certain extent, a blend the world will never see again.
The Dubliners have brought Ireland to the world in a way that no emigration has, they have brought the world to Ireland, and they have brought people all over the world closer together. Whenever it ends, the world will never be the same again.
Seven Drunken Nights
The Dubliners Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're only allowed to sing five of them, so here goes
Oh, as I went home on Monday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a horse outside the door
Where my old horse should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
Who owns that horse outside the door
Where my old horse should be?"
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a lovely sow that my mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow, sure, I never saw before
And as I went home on Tuesday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a coat behind the door
Where my old coat should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that coat behind the door
Where my old coat should be?"
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a woolen blanket that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But buttons on a blanket, sure, I never saw before
And as I went home on Wednesday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a pipe upon the chair
Where my old pipe should be
Well, I called my wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that pipe upon the chair
Where my old pipe should be?"
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a lovely tin-whistle, that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But tobacco in a tin-whistle, sure, I never saw before
And I went home on Thursday nigh
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw two boots beneath the bed
Where my old boots should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them boots beneath the bed
Where my old boots should be?"
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
They're two lovely geranium pots me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But laces in geranium pots I never saw before
And as I came home on Friday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a head upon the bed
Where my old head should be
Well, I called my wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that head upon the bed
Where my old head should be?"
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a baby boy that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But a baby boy with his whiskers on, sure, I never saw before
"The Seven Drunken Nights" is a humorous folk song that tells a story of a drunk man who comes home every night and notices strange things in his house. Each night he confronts his wife, who dismisses his claims and tells him that what he sees is something else entirely. The song follows the same structure each night with the man describing what he sees and his wife dismissing it as something else. It is only on the seventh night that the truth is revealed to him, and he learns that the strange objects he saw were actually gifts from his mother-in-law.
The song's humor lies in the absurdity of the situations, and the man's inability to see what is right in front of him due to his drunkenness. The song also pokes fun at Irish rural life through the use of colloquialisms, such as "lovely sow" and "tobacco in a tin-whistle," that might not make much sense to outsiders but add to the song's character.
One interesting aspect of the song is that it has been adapted and changed over time by different performers. The version by The Dubliners is one of the most famous, but other artists have added their own verses or changed the order of the nights. The song has also been translated into multiple languages, including Dutch, Swedish, and Finnish.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, as I went home on Monday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a horse outside the door
Where my old horse should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that horse outside the door
Where my old horse should be?"
The singer was drunk and came back home on Monday night. He found a horse outside the door, but it was not his horse. He asked his wife whose horse it was, but he was too drunk to remember whose house he was at.
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a lovely sow that my mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow, sure, I never saw before
The singer's wife called him a "silly old fool" because he was too drunk to tell the difference between a horse and a sow with a saddle on its back. The sow was actually a gift from the singer's mother, and he had never seen anything like it before.
And as I went home on Tuesday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a coat behind the door
Where my old coat should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that coat behind the door
Where my old coat should be?"
The singer was still drunk on Tuesday night and noticed that his old coat was missing, but there was a different coat hanging behind the door. He asked his wife whose coat it was, but he was too intoxicated to remember whose house he was at.
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a woolen blanket that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But buttons on a blanket, sure, I never saw before
The singer's wife informed him that it was just a woolen blanket that his mother had sent him, but he had never seen one with buttons on it before.
And as I went home on Wednesday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a pipe upon the chair
Where my old pipe should be
Well, I called my wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that pipe upon the chair
Where my old pipe should be?"
On Wednesday night, the singer noticed a pipe on the chair, which was not his old pipe. He asked his wife whose pipe it was, but he was too inebriated to remember whose house he was at.
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a lovely tin-whistle, that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But tobacco in a tin-whistle, sure, I never saw before
The singer's wife told him that it was a tin-whistle that his mother had sent him, which he had not seen before. He was too drunk to notice that there was tobacco inside it.
And I went home on Thursday nigh
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw two boots beneath the bed
Where my old boots should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them boots beneath the bed
Where my old boots should be?"
The singer was drunk on Thursday night and noticed two boots beneath the bed. He asked his wife whose boots they were, but he was too drunk to remember whose house he was in.
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
They're two lovely geranium pots me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But laces in geranium pots I never saw before
His wife informed him that they were actually two lovely geranium pots that his mother had sent him, which he had never seen before. He was too drunk to notice that his old boots were missing.
And as I came home on Friday night
As drunk as drunk could be
I saw a head upon the bed
Where my old head should be
Well, I called my wife and I said to her
"Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that head upon the bed
Where my old head should be?"
On Friday night, the singer was drunk and noticed a head on the bed where his old head should be. He asked his wife whose head it was, but he was too intoxicated to remember whose house he was in.
Ay, you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool
Still you cannot see
That's a baby boy that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've traveled, a hundred miles or more
But a baby boy with his whiskers on, sure, I never saw before
The singer's wife revealed that it was actually a baby boy that his mother had sent him, with a full set of whiskers. He was too drunk to realize that he was not actually missing his own head.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Barney McKenna, Ciaron Bourke, John Sheahan, Luke Kelly, Ronald Drew
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@baycast
Never tire of listening to the fabulous Dubliners. Ronnie had such a sparkle in his eyes and that voice is memorable. Each one had his own unique qualities and they blended incredibly well.
@wissenschaftenundpraxishan1952
Well said!
@THEJR-of5tf
Ronnie Drew has an awesome voice It is perfect for Irish Folk songs.
@mottthehoople693
Had
@iansmith5738
Ronni Drew had such a unique voice , there will never be another group like them 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
@dezperado9365
the counterpoints are really good too.
@pompom7x728
😄🎼🎸🇫🇷🇨🇭🌺🤗
@briandavis8939
Ireland has changed so much it’s not gonna be Irish much longer
@davidharkin8554
Even Eskimos who have never knew an Irish man would say........ this sounds a bit irish eh?.... seminal 😊
@angelagardner5230
@Brian Davis true