Bridie Gallagher greeted by Daniel O'Donnell in 2000.
Singer Bridie Gallagher was born on September 7, 1924, in Creeslough, Co Donegal, the second youngest of ten children. Her father James was from Ards and her mother, Bridget Sweeney, who played the melodeon, was from Creeslough. She was educated at Massinass national school and started her singing in the Creeslough Hall with a local ceili band formed by Bill Gallagher.
She shot to fame in 1956 with her recording of A Mother’s Love’s A Blessing and achieved international acclaim with her rendition of The Boys From County Armagh. During her career, which spanned six decades, she appeared in many leading venues across the globe. She also made songs such as The Homes of Donegal famous. She was spotted in the 1950s by Billy Livingstone who was a talent scout for Decca records, and she moved to Belfast, which she made home. She married George Livingstone (no relation) and had two boys, Jim and Peter. One son, Peter, died at the age of 21 in a motor accident in 1976 while Jim was to later tour with her. “She never really got over that (accident),” said Jim, “but she just kept going.”
She held the record for the largest number of people in attendance in the Albert Hall London, a record that was never equalled as it went on to be come an all-seater venue. She toured North America, Europe, Australia and was known as “The Girl from Donegal”. As well as the Albert Hall, she sang in the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall in New York.”She brought glamour to the Irish stage, she dressed like an international star and that was unheard of in Ireland at that time,” said Dec Cluskey of the Bachelors.
Bridie Gallagher had her own radio show on RTÉ and appearaned on television on RTE, BBC, UTV, and coast to coast in the United States. However endless touring took its toll and her marriage eventually broke-up – a fact she hid from the public for many years.
She was honoured by the people of Creeslough in July 2000 with an event to celebrate her career. Members of her family from Creeslough and Donegal attended along with her two sisters and their families who travelled from Glasgow to be there, plus 2,500 fans. A plaque in her honour was unveiled. Although she never officially retired, she gave her last performance in Letterkenny in 2000.
Bridie Gallagher’s death came just a few weeks after UTV broadcast a tribute show, on December 18, 2011. Her granddaughter Teresa Livingstone was involved in making the UTV programme. “The most significant part of the journey for me was meeting with her fans in New York who could recall the details of her performances over 50 years later.
“The stories of Irish immigrants and how important her music had been to so many were quite overwhelming to listen to first-hand,” she said.
Daniel O’Donnell said of her: “I always say Bridie was the first from Donegal to pave the way for all of us that came after.
He added: “And I would say anyone that you would talk to of the Donegal singers would say that, because coming from Creeslough, or coming from where I come from, it’s a world away from where we ended up.”
Bridie Gallagher suffered a fractured hip after a fall before Christmas and died at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, after succumbing to pneumonia, on January 9, 2012, aged 87.
Singer Bernadette Greevy was born in Clontarf, Dublin, on July 3, 1940. She was educated there at the Holy Faith convent. Her vocal studies were in Dublin with Jean Nolan and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in London, with Helene Isepp.
Her first operatic appearance was in Dublin, aged 18, as Siebel in Gounod’s Faust; this was followed by her professional debut in 1961 as Maddalena in the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Rigoletto. At the 1962 Wexford Festival, she took the role of Beppe in Mascagni’s comedy L’Amico Fritz, thus initiating a happy association with the festival that saw her in such roles as Federica in Verdi’s Luisa Miller (1970), the formidable Hérodiade in Massenet’s opera of that name (1977), Medoro in Handel’s Orlando (1980) – a role she recorded to acclaim – Costanza in Haydn’s L’Isola Disabitata (1982) and the title role of Ariodante (1985).
Some felt she could have worked on her acting. “Her undeveloped thespian skills were to be commented on more than once”, stated her obituary in The Guardian. “Her Anna in Berlioz’s Les Troyens for Scottish Opera (1969), for example, was said to be ‘imposing’ but dramatically unconvincing. This was undoubtedly one of the chief reasons that Greevy’s operatic career failed to blossom abroad. Her Covent Garden debut did not take place until 1982, when she sang Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande, and although other significant roles were to follow in houses around the world – Britten’s Lucretia, Gluck’s Orfeo, Eboli in Don Carlos, Azucena in Il Trovatore among them – her career was defined by concerts and recitals.”
She was to be heard at her finest and most characteristic in works such as Elgar’s Sea Pictures, recorded successfully with Vernon Handley and the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1981.
Another well-received recording was that of Mahler songs (Songs of a Wayfaring Lad, Rückert Lieder and Kindertotenlieder) with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and János Fürst for Naxos. Both the power of her instrument and a disarmingly genial quality were demonstrated here by Bernadette Greevy, who deployed a seamless legato line and admirable tonal control to achieve moments of searing intensity. Mahler was something of a speciality for her, and she sang on many occasions Das Lied von der Erde at performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet at Covent Garden.
Passionate about fostering young Irish talent, she fought to establish the Anna Livia International Opera Festival in Dublin, of which she became the artistic director, in 2000. Her many honours included the Harriet Cohen international music award for outstanding artistry, the Order of Merit of Malta, honorary doctorates from the National University of Ireland and Trinity College, Dublin, and the papal cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice conferred by the Holy See. She was acclaimed as one of the finest mezzos of her generation, having lifted her range from the original contralto.
In her later years, she gave the benefit of her long experience to a new generation of singers with an annual series of masterclasses conducted at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Bernadette Greevy died on September 26, 2008. She is survived by her son, Hugh. Her husband, Peter Tattan, died in 1983. In line with her wishes, she was given a private burial before any public announement was made.
Guitarist Gary Moore was born in Belfast on April 4, 1952, and grew up near Stormont. He formed his first band, The Beat Boys, when he was just 13 and was even then regarded as a teenage guitar prodigy. He joined Dublin group Skid Row as a 16-year-old in 1969 with Brush Shiels, Phil Lynott and Nollaig Bridgeman. Equally at home with blues, hard rock and jazz, he was also a superb, lyrical, melodic guitar player.
Gary Moore
When Philip Lynott left, Gary shared vocals with Brush Sheils, turning Skid Row into a power-trio of the kind that was in vogue at the time, echoing the success of Rory Gallagher. Skid Row released two albums on CBS, Skid in 1970 and 34 Hours in 1971.
He was a member of Thin Lizzy from 1973 – 74 after Eric Bell left, making up the combo of Phil Lynnot, Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Brian Robertson. He played the extraordinary solo on ‘Still In Love With You’ on the Nightlife album (1974), which became one of Thin Lizzy’s most enduring tracks. Gary returned to the Lizzy line-up briefly again, when Brian Robertson was ruled out of a US tour in 1977. He also featured on the Lizzy album Black Rose, released in 1979.
After leaving Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore and Phil Lynott teamed up in 1979 to record Parisenne Walkways, perhaps his most famous song. The pair were also responsible for his biggest hit as a solo artist, Out in the Fields , which he released in 1985.
“He was a genius player,” said Hot Press editor Niall Stokes. “Even as a teenager, he had something special about him and throughout his career he worked really hard at improving his technique. His contribution to the Irish rock canon was immense, both in his own solo work, his days with Skid Row, the great records he recorded with Philip Lynott and with Thin Lizzy and in various other cameos.”
Gary Moore was a friend of Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green. A 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard which Moore bought from him is one of the most valuable guitars in the world and was listed recently at auction for $2 million.
While he featured along the way alongside Jon Hiseman in Colosseum II, for most of his career Gary Moore led his own band, shifting between hard rock, metal, jazz-influenced fusion music and the blues. The first Gary Moore Band LP, Grinding Stone, was released in 1973. In recent years he had returned to his roots, first with the release of Still Got The Blues in 1991 and later with Back To The Blues, in 2001. In all, he released 20 studio albums, as well as six live collections, including the Live At Montreaux DVD.
He had been living in Brighton for the last 15 years. Gary Moore died while on holiday in Estepona, Spain, on February 6, 2011. He was 58. He was survived by his mother Winnie, and children Saoirse, Lily, Jack and Gus.
Bass player and songwriter Paul Ashford was born in Bray, Co Wicklow, in 1950. A member of the popular Dublin group, the Chosen Few, he attracted strong criticism when in 1967 with his friend, singer Fran O’Toole, he left to join the Miami Showband. The Chosen Few was a hip blues and soul band who had a huge and devoted following on Dublin’s southside.
Fellow musicians accused them of “selling out.” Ashford said later that beat groups generally did not like showbands because they “were just playing other people’s music”.
He acknowledged that he had been offered a “huge amount” of money. “I bought a house when I was 17 and I couldn’t even sign for it, I was under the legal age.”
He also said that “a lot of good guys came out of showbands” (one being Rory Gallagher).
Paul Ashford left the Miami in the early 1970s. Later, in 1975, three Miami bandsmen, including Fran O’Toole (Ashford was best man at his wedding), were murdered by a UVF gang at Buskhill, Co Down, when their van was stopped as they drove home from a gig in Banbridge.
After a brief stint with the Emmet Spiceland folk group, Paul Ashford helped to form Stepaside, “A good time rock band” by their own definition. The band, which was fronter by Deke O’Brien and included Brendan Bonass and Robbie Brennan, played mostly original material with a strong US west coast influence.
They had a residency at the Mississippi Rooms, Bray, and regularly played at the Baggot Inn, Dublin. An album Sit Down and Relapse was released in 1980. Stepaside, however, failed to establish a national profile and Ashford left to join the Sharks.
Much in demand as a session musician, he had a long association with the Furey Brothers. He also played with Paul Brady, Ronnie Drew, Dolores Keane and Mark Knopfler, and toured with Jerry Lee Lewis for two years. He also jammed with Phil Lynott.
Later, with the Paul Ashford Band, he played corporate events and weddings. As a songwriter he is best known for Jenny, The Last Resort and There’s One in Every Town.
Paul Ashford died on January 10, 2011, aged 61. He lived in Greystones. His son Ian, sister Chrissy and former wife Breda survive him.
Dermot O'Brien. Louth football legend and accordion player.
Singer and accordion player Dermot O’Brien was born in Ardee, Co Louth, in 1933. He played GAA football for his local club, St Mary’s, with whom he won three county SFC titles, while his interest in music was encouraged by Sister Malachy in the local school.
His progress as a footballer through the ranks in Louth was matched by his development as a musician. At 19 he was a member of the Emerald Ceili Band based in Slane and earning one pound a night in venues around the country.
Following his debut as a senior player with Louth at the age of 20 in 1952, he managed to combine both football and music, but in 1953 he was seriously injured in the All-Ireland semi-final which they lost to Kerry. Hospitalised and unable to make an engagement with the Emerald Band on the night of the semi-final, he lost his place in the band. The injury kept him out of fooball for a lengthy period – but he used the time to practice his accordion technique.
He returned to the Louth county team in 1957 and captained the third Louth team to win the senior All-Ireland. Before the game he was the centre of an off-the-field episode when the Croke Park PA system carried an announcement requesting him to report to the dressingroom. Dermot O’Brien was getting a last-minute injection for an injured shoulder in a Dublin hotel and when he arrived Croke Park, the gateman refused to believe that he was the Louth captain and denied him entry. Fortunately, a young Garda on duty recognised him and he made it on time to lead Louth onto the pitch. He continued to play for club and county until injury forced him to hang up his boots in 1960.
His musical career took over and, abandoning his clerical job with Meath County Council, he formed his own band, the Clubmen in 1962. His single The Merry Ploughboy went to No 1 in 1966, and he hosted many television shows on RTE, including The Dermot O’Brien Show. He toured England, America, Germany and Canada. He performed on the Ed Sullivan St Patrick’s night TV show with Bing Crosby. He quit the band in 2000 and embarked on a solo career.
He was the subject of a Laochra Gael documentary in 2001 on TG4, which also highlighted his fluency in Irish. He wrote songs, one of which, Neansai, in Gaelic, won the International Pan Celtic song contest in 1980. He recorded nine albums and also produced records for The Fureys, Wolfe Tones, Johnny McEvoy Larry Cunningham and Philomena Begley among others.
While battling cancer, he attended most of the celebrations in Dundalk that marked the 50th anniversary of Louth’s All-Ireland win and producing his accordion entertained the audience.
Dermot O’Brien died on May 22, 2007. He was predeceased by his wife, Rosemarie, and was survived by his five children, Catherine, Ronan, Dermot, Grace and Roisin.
Born in Carrick-on-Suir in 1935, Liam Clancy was the youngest of the three brothers who made up the Clancy Brothers folk group. He was one of the 11 children of Robert Joseph Clancy and Joanna McGrath and was educated at the local Christian Brothers.
The Clancy home was a musical one. Their mother loved a singsong – the least excuse would do, according to Liam’s sister Peg – and their father was an opera buff. Aunt Mary Jo’s in William Street was a popular house for gatherings, songs and set dancing. “I enjoyed it and learned a few folk songs there,” said Paddy Clancy.
After leaving school, he worked for a while in the insurance business in Dublin, attending night classes at the National College of Art. He also enrolled in Brendan Smith’s acting school, and had a small part in a production of The Playboy of the Western World which starred Siobhán McKenna and Cyril Cusack.
Liam Clancy accompanied the American folk music collector Diane Hamilton of the Guggenheim family in late 1955 on a trip around Ireland recording songs and tunes in their natural settings – kitchens and parlours. During that trip he heard the singing and music of Seosamh O hEanaigh (Joe Heaney), Willie Clancy, Seamus Ennis and Sarah Makem. He also formed an enduring friendship with Tommy Makem.
The following year Liam and Tommy Makem went to America and joined Paddy and Tom Clancy who were by then running the Cherry Lane theatre in Greenwich Village. As the folk revival was making headway they rented out space for folk concerts, eventually promoting folk concerts there themselves. Among the audience was one Bob Dylan. They recorded The Rising of the Moon, album in 1959.
Now performing as a group, they built up a following through live performances in Boston, Chicago and New York. A 16-minute appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on St Patrick’s Day in 1961 brought them to national attention and they were signed to Columbia Records. They played for President Kennedy in the White House. Dressed in Aran sweaters and belting out songs with great gusto, they broke from the standard Irish-American repertoire, and introduced songs like Jug of Punch, Shoals of Herring and Leaving of Liverpool to young folk audiences.
They also brought a new consciousness to Irish music and, in Liam Clancy’s words, made it “respectable again for so-called respectable people to sing working-class songs”.
In 1973 he left the group after a row with brother Tom to pursue a solo career. He moved to Calgary, Alberta, where he became an established television performer.
In 1974 Clancy and Makem were booked to perform separately in Cleveland, Ohio. Persuaded to do one set together, they soon afterwards became Makem and Clancy, recording and touring as a duo until 1988. They made Eric Bogle’s song And the Band played Waltzing Matilda their own. In the mid-1980s they teamed up with the other Clancys for a reunion tour.
After his brother Tom’s death in 1990, he teamed up again with his brothers Paddy and Bobby and nephew Robbie O’Connell, though he still performed shows with his Fayreweather Band as well as with the Phil Coulter Orchestra.
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.
He featured in Martin Scorsese’s 2004 documentary on Bob Dylan No Direction Home. He was the subject of Alan Gilsenan’s documentary about his life The Legend of Liam Clancy which won an Ifta award in 2007 and which was extended and released as The Yellow Bittern in 2009.
He built a home, which included a recording studio, by the sea in Ring, Co Waterford, where he lived until his death. His last album The Wheels of Life , released in 2009, featured duets with Mary Black and Gemma Hayes along with tracks by Tom Paxton and Donovan.
He was due to perform at the first Clancy Brothers Festival in Carrick-on-Suir in June, 2009, but was taken ill. He later told The Irish Times: “I got this virus in California and it attacked my immune system. It’s called pulmonary fibrosis – scarring of the lungs. That’s what killed my brother. There’s no cure, but it seems to be moving quite slowly in my case.” He could socialise, but with an oxygen mask nearby: he attended the cinema premier of The Yellow Bittern in Dublin in September 2009.
He retained his mischievous sense of humour, though. According to Gilsenan they held a limited number of press interviews in a Dublin hotel. As each journalist arrived, Liam Clancy would offer them some oxygen.
Liam Clancy died in a Cork hospital on December 4, 2009. He was survived by his wife Kim, daughters Fiona and Siobhán and sons Eben and Dónal, as well as his daughter Anya from a previous relationship.
Susan Reed, singer, harpist and zitheris, was born in New York City on January 11, 1926. She delighted nightclub and radio audiences in the years after World War II. A standout Irish folk performer in such New York venues as Cafe Society, where she starred for two years, and the Blue Angel, Susan Reed toured the country making 107 concert appearances alone in one year that brought her the title “America’s Concert Favorite.” She was also a regular at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York and at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, and she performed in leading nightclubs throughout the country, including Chicago’s Palmer House. After a performance there, Chicago Tribune critic Claudia Cassidy labeled her “The heroine of every song she sang.”
Reed also starred with drummer Gene Krupa in the Columbia musical Glamor Girl (1948) and in numerous TV shows of the period, including The Firestone Hour. On Broadway, she starred in the 1946 Max Liebman production of Billy the Kid and co-starred with her husband James Karen in regional theater productions of Brigadoon and Finnian’s Rainbow. She also appeared in concert with poet/performer Carl Sandburg, a family friend who played the guitar and sang.
She made several albums for Columbia Records and RCA Red Seal, including the two-volume Folk Songs and Ballads, which featured such classics as Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair and Greensleeves. She also recorded the folk classic Songs of the Auvergn. She was raised by her father Daniel Reed, the author of the play Scarlet Sister Mary, which starred Ethel Barrymore on Broadway, and her mother, Isadora Bennett, a Martha Graham producer. Her grandfather, Clarence Bennett, was a theatrical producer with his own stock company in the Midwest. According to the Wall Street Journal obit:
“Members of the Abbey Theater Company of Dublin, often visited the Reeds when the company toured in the United States. Actors and musicians from this company, including Ralph Cullinan and Farrell Pelly, introduced Reed to Irish folk music. She was so deeply influenced by these performers and their musical tradition that she began playing the Irish harp and learning Irish folk songs. In just a few years, Reed had mastered the instrument; she had also learned to play the zither and the Appalachian autoharp.”
Victim of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Susan Reed died on April 25 of natural causes at a nursing home in Greenport, N.Y. She was 84. She was survived by a son, Reed Karen, and two grandchildren.
Youtube recording of three songs by Susan Reed on 1940s vintage radio show. Youtube Link
Sean O Riada was born in Cork city in 1931. His mother was from Ballyvourney, Co Cork, and his father from Clare. At a young age the family moved to Adare, Co Limerick, before returning to Cork and he went to school at Farranferris. While in Adare where his father was posted, he started to learn the piano and violin.
He took music in his Leaving Cert exam and went to university in Cork to study Classics. After two years he switched to Music, graduating in 1952 with a B. Mus. At this time he used the English form of his name – John Reidy. While a student he played piano with jazz and dance bands in Cork.
He got a job as assistant director of music – mostly administrative work – with Radio Eireann in 1953. He married Ruth Coughlan and they set up home in Dublin. After two years he left and went to Paris and on his return he got a job in 1957 as musical director of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
Riobaird Mac Gorain and film director George Morrison asked O Riada to produce the musical score for the film Mise Eire. It was performed by the Radio Eireann Symphony Orchestra. Both the film, which dealt with the War of Independence, and the music captured the imagination of the Irish public. O Riada’s dramatic and imaginative use of traditional airs and marches along with his own scores, made him a household name when the film went on general release in 1960. The follow-up Saoirse again exhibited his talents.
Meanwhile The Abbey was staging Song of the Anvil by Bryan McMahon, which called for incidental music. “It had to be some kind of traditional music,” he told journalist Marion Fitzgerald. “So I went into the whole question of ensemble playing.”
In his quest to recruit musicians he initially met accordeonist Eamon de Buitlear who introduced him to Paddy Moloney. Soon whistle player Sean Potts, fiddler Martin Fay, accordeon player Sonny Brogan, flute player Vincent Broderick and fiddler and concertina player John Kelly joined in. Rehearsals tended to become late night sessions. Martin Fay had already being playing violin with the Abbey’s six-piece orchestra. Soon the famous rehearsal sessions commenced at O Riada’s home in Galloping Green, between Dublin and Bray. Michael Tubridy had replaced Vincent Broderick on flute. O Riada played bodhran and Ronnie McShane played bones.
Named Ceoltoiri Cualann, the group was an instant success when it played in public in Dublin. He also brought in singers Sean O Se and Darach O Cathain. O Se’s recording of An Puc ar Buile was the nearest the Irish language came to enjoying a pop chart hit.
In 1962 Garech de Brun set up Claddagh Records. Gradually Paddy Moloney and the others formed The Chieftains in 1963. When they released their first album The Chieftains, O Riada’s gave it a mixed welcome. Ceoltoiri Cualann continued to exist and perform occasionally.
In 1963 he abandoned the job in The Abbey and set up house in Cul Aodha, near Ballyvourney in the west Cork Gaeltacht. He also took up the post of Lecturer in Irish Music in University College, Cork.
He also composed music for the Mass and, performed by Chor Cuil Aodha, led by his son Peadar, this is the “O Riada Mass” that brings the Willie Clancy Summer School and now many other traditional music gatherings to a close. He set the words of Ag Criost and Siol to music for it.
He was hospitalised in Cork in the summer of 1971. In September he underwent an operation in London. His death in October came as a shock to the Irish people. Months before he died he made one final recording. On an antique harpsichord in Garech de Brun house in the Wicklow mountains, he recorded the poignant O Riada’s Farewell.
Book Sean O Riada, His Life and Work, Tomas O Canainn, (2003), The Collins Press, ISBN 1-903464-40-4
On CD Ceol an Aifreann & Aifreann 2 (O Riada Mass 1&2) Gael Linn Ceol an Aifreann, (O Riada Mass), Sean O Riada, CD11537
Mise Eire, ORIADACD001
O Riada sa Gaiety, Sean O Riada (2005)
Barney McKenna of the Dubliners. Nearly a Chieftain.
Born on December 16, 1939, in Dublin’s Donnycarney. Both his brother Seán Óg and cousin Mickey McKenna play the banjo. He became interested in music at a young age and got lessons on the mandolin from an uncle before moving on to the banjo.
It’s said he was turned down by the Number One Army Band because he didn’t have 6/6 vision. By this time, he had mastered the tenor banjo so well that he embarrassed most musicians who had ever attempted to play it. He left school at 14 and a few years later emigrated to England. After returning to Dublin he got a job laying telegraph poles with Posts and Telegraphs. He caused a stir when he turned up at the door of the Pipers Club, not yet with beard, banjo case in hand, wearing a red shirt, black lace tie and winklepickers. He was admitted, however.
During this time, he played the banjo at concerts, cabarets, and a stint in a quartet with Martin Fay and Paddy Moloney, who were forming The Chieftains. He once remarked “I should have been a Chieftain but instead I grew a beard and became a Dubliner”. He met Ronnie Drew following a Gate Theatre show with John Molloy and shortly after The Dubliners were formed.
He uses GDAE tuning, an octave below fiddle/mandolin and, according to musician Mick Moloney, is single-handedly responsible for making the GDAE tuned tenor banjo the standard banjo in Irish music. In 1979 he travelled to Europe with accordion player Tony MacMahon as part of an RTE television series. They played Irish music and visited locations in Europe that had strong historical and cultural links with Ireland.
While The Dubliners are best known as a ballad group, Barney’s banjo playing and his duets with fiddle player John Sheahan were an important component in the raucous excitement that Dubliners concerts generated.
An innovative performer of Irish dance music on the banjo, his duet with Belfast fiddler Sean Maguire on The Mason’s Apron is breath-taking. He once said that the artists he most admired were Paul Robeson, Joe Heaney, Segovia and Julian Bream.
Suffered a stroke in 2001. He was diagnosed late with diabetes and lost the sight of his right eye completely. As a result, he walks unsteadily and with assistance but still continues to delight fans with his banjo playing and wit.
Sample: “There’s no use in being an eejit, unless you can prove it.”
Barney McKenna suffered a heart attack and died at his home in Howth, Co Dublin, on April 5, 2012. He is buried in Trim, Co Meath.
Maisie McDaniel. Quit Irish showband scene prematurely.
With hits like Pick Me up on Your Way Down, Roomful of Rosesand Blackboard of My Heart, Maisie McDaniel became a household name during the Irish showband boom of the 1960s.
However, a promising showbiz career was cut short dramatically when she and her then husband, the well-known accordion playerFintan Stanley, were involved in a serious road accident which left her badly injured and led to her premature retirement from the music business. A highlight of her career was when she performed with legendary US singer Jim Reeves when he visited Ireland.
She was born Mary Anne McDaniel in Sligo. After winning a ballad competition in Mayo, she came to prominence in the early 1960s with a local band in Sligo called The Fendermen. She then teamed up with Fintan Stanley who was recognised as one of the top accordion players of his time.
Maisie McDaniel and Fintan Stanley were so successful that they came to the attention of the record companies and a shrewd promoter, George O’Reilly, suggested she sing country and western. She was to front the Nevada Showband and on St Stephens Night, 1964, the band made its debut at the Premier Ballroom in Thurles.
The new band was just getting off the ground when disaster struck. Masie was a passenger in a car driven by showbiz entrepreneur Oliver Barry when the accident happened in January 1965. She broke her hip and was hospitalised for several months. She also missed her chance to represent Ireland in Eurovision, her place being taken by Dickie Rock.
After her recovery, she decided to take a break from the showband scene. Her place was taken by the singer Kelley, who went on to have some success with the band which lasted for many years and was fronted by, among others, Red Hurley.
Maisie and Fintan Shanley married and they went to England playing the cabaret scene there for several years.
Returning to Ireland in 1969 she made regular TV appearances and she and her husband formed the Nashville Ramblers and became known for their recording of Okie from Muskogee. They toured England and appeared on the BBC.
But in August 1970, Maisie left the band because of a threatened miscarriage and her husband also quit.
She remained out of the limelight after her daughter Lisa was born in 1973, only performing in a local show in Sligo called Jamboree. Eventually Maisie and Fintan split up. He emigrated to America.
She died at her home in County Sligo on June 28, 2008, aged 62. Lisa Shanley, also a singer, released a CD of Maisie’s hits in 2009.
She was spotted in the 1950s by Billy Livingstone who was a talent scout for Decca records, and she moved to Belfast, which she made home. She married George Livingstone (no relation) and had two boys, Jim and Peter. One son, Peter, died at the age of 21 in a motor accident in 1976 while Jim was to later tour with her. “She never really got over that (accident),” said Jim, “but she just kept going.”
