The Bearded Dubliners

The Dubliners formed in 1962 in O'Donoghues pub, the founding members were Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Ciaran Bourke and Barney McKenna. They received their major breakthrough in 1967 when their song Seven Drunken Nights received huge airplay and entered the charts. They began to achieve fame and success as singers of street ballads, bawdy songs and great instrumental Irish traditional music. Their infamous drinking, long hair, beards, gruff accents and magnificent humour endeared them to audiences across the globe. Between 1967 and 1969 they released five albums and a number of singles, one The Black Velvet Band charted very well in Britain. In 1968 they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and toured America, Australia and New Zealand. Tragedy struck the band in 1974 when Ciaran Bourke suffered a brain haemorrhage, he rejoined the group but he collapsed again, this time being left partially paralysed, he had to leave the group permanently. On June 30, 1980 Luke Kelly collapsed on stage, after suffering a brain tumour, he would later recover, re-joining the group on a part-time basis, but suffered further ill-health, he died in 1984. In 1987, they released a new album, Celebration, in conjunction with their twenty-fifth anniversary, it sparked a remarkable comeback. They appeared on a special edition tribute Late Late Show television show with U2. Christy Moore, Stockton's Wing and The Pogues. Their collaboration with The Pogues on the Irish Rover became a massive hit, countless television programmes and sold out shows followed. The Dubliners continue to tour, release albums; 2002 marked the fortieth anniversary of the band, they released an album, a live album and a DVD to mark the occasion.