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.
The Irish Navy
The Dubliners Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The pride of the Irish navy
When the Captain he blows on his whistle
All the sailors go home for their tea
While the army is off in the Kongo
In Cyprus or some foreign parts
Our navy is strained to the limits
One day from the Russian invader
Defending our very odd fish
We found it was just the red herring
From the signals we got from the cis'
The Clнona, the Meabh and the Mucha
The pride of the Irish navy
When the Captain he blows on his whistle
All the sailors go home for their tea
Each year they go on manoeuvres
To prepare for defence they are keen
Sometimes it's the Lakes of Killarney
More often the pond in the Green
The canal it could be of assistance
In defending our own holy ground
But due to proposed legislation
We'll have to sail all the way round
The Clнona, the Meabh and the Mucha
The pride of the Irish navy
When the Captain he blows on his whistle
All the sailors go home for their tea
We are a seafaring nation
Defence of our land is a right
We'd fight like the devil all morning
Provided we're home by the night
The Clнona, the Meabh and the Mucha
The pride of the Irish navy
When the Captain he blows on his whistle
All the sailors go home for their tea
The Dubliners' song "The Irish Navy" is a humorous take on the Irish naval force. The opening lines of the song, "The Clнona, the Meabh and the Mucha, the pride of the Irish navy" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The song notes that while the Irish army was deployed in the Kongo or Cyprus, the Irish navy was strained to the limits, deploying its nautical acts in defense of the country's holy ground, sometimes defending itself against imagined Russian invaders.
The song then goes on the following verses to poke fun at the Irish navy's maneuvers and the legislature's proposed legislation that would force the force to sail all the way round instead of using the canal as an option. The song ends on an amusing note, "We're a seafaring nation, Defense of our land is a right; We'd fight like the devil all morning, Provided we're home by the night."
Overall, "The Irish Navy" is a satirical tribute to the Irish navy's contribution to the country.
Line by Line Meaning
The Clнona, the Meabh and the Mucha
These ships are the main vessels of the Irish navy
The pride of the Irish navy
These three ships are a source of pride for the Irish navy
When the Captain he blows on his whistle
The sailors stop their work and go home for a break when the captain signals them to do so
All the sailors go home for their tea
The sailors take a break from their work for a tea time
While the army is off in the Kongo
The army is deployed in Congo or some other foreign place
In Cyprus or some foreign parts
The army is deployed in Cyprus or some other foreign place
Our navy is strained to the limits
The Irish navy is under a lot of pressure and operating at maximum capacity
Deploying it's nautical acts
The navy performs its duties on the water
One day from the Russian invader
The navy expects an attack from Russia
Defending our very odd fish
The navy is responsible for protecting Irish fish
We found it was just the red herring
The navy discovered that their expectation of attack from Russia was a false alarm
From the signals we got from the cis'
The navy received a warning from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) about the supposed Russian attack
Each year they go on manoeuvres
The navy conducts training exercises every year
To prepare for defence they are keen
The navy is eager to be prepared for any potential threats
Sometimes it's the Lakes of Killarney
The navy conducts training exercises in the Lakes of Killarney at times
More often the pond in the Green
The navy conducts training exercises in a pond in the Green region more often
The canal it could be of assistance
The canal can potentially help the navy defend the Irish land
In defending our own holy ground
The navy acts to defend the Irish land
But due to proposed legislation
New laws may affect the use of the canal for navy operations
We'll have to sail all the way round
If the proposed legislation passes, the navy will need to take a longer route around the canal
We are a seafaring nation
Ireland has a long history of being a nation that is heavily involved with the sea
Defence of our land is a right
It is the right of Irish people to defend their land from potential threats
We'd fight like the devil all morning
Irish people are willing to fight fiercely if it means protecting their homeland
Provided we're home by the night
However, Irish people do not want to be away from their homes and families for too long
Contributed by Hailey N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.