The Dubliners

Swaying to the soulful lyrics of ‘Four Green Fields’ must be the most memorable part of seeing The Dubliners perform. Ronnie Drew’s haunting vocals singing about ‘war and death’ created a very poignant and moving atmosphere which sparked my obsession with this band.
The Dubliners went through a few line-up changes since their formation in 1962 and sadly Ronnie Drew, the lead vocalist, is no longer with us. However, many beautiful recordings and documentation of live gigs are available to watch on Youtube – the live performance of their 1984 gig is particularly brilliant. Throughout their time, (1962-2012), the band remained true to their Irish folk roots - using their guitars, mandolins and banjos to give them a signature folk sound - and what is truly brilliant about watching The Dubliners is the mix of emotions that the music can bring out in you. Slower songs are very emotional and people in the audience can be seen getting teary-eyed listening to the lyrics. On the other hand, faster songs produce this buoyant, gleeful atmosphere that not only is mind-blowing to experience but also jumps off the screen if you are watching this band on Youtube.
The bad news is that we will never again be able to watch The Dubliners perform live as they did in the 60s, 70s or 80s. However, former Dubliners members Sean Cannon and Eamonn Campbell have joined up with Patsy Watchorn and Gerry O’Connor to create ‘The Dublin Legends’ which continues in the footsteps of The Dubliners. So get online and look up ‘The Dublin Legends’ – they are touring in 2015 – and enjoy the Irish folk music of today which has been honed by the legacy of The Dubliners.