It was a great pleasure recently to have a telephone chat with John Sheahan, the last surviving original member of the legendary Irish folk group, The Dubliners. I had met John in person on the group's 40th and 50th anniversary tours and our conversation this time consisted of sharing anecdotes, stories and even, poetry, as we reminisced about the halcyon days of "The Dubs" and our memories of them.
This year, we are being treated to a reminder of those days in "The Dubliners Encore," a show created by John and Phil Coulter, another musical legend, who produced several of the groups albums. The singers and musicians have been handpicked by John and Phil and are recreating the sound (and look) of what many see as the definitive line up of The Dubliners (Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Ciaran Bourke, Barney Mc Kenna and John himself). The show is produced by John's daughter, Ceoladh and tour dates are already set for well into 2025.
"The Dubliners Encore" hits Birmingham Town Hall this Saturday (16th November) and I am looking forward to being present and giving what I am sure will be a very positive review. Thanks again to John for his time and here's to a great show.