Showbands etc

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:35 pm

Threehanded guitar player?

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:43 pm

another from the mists of time

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:48 pm

The Furys (from the past) 1996?

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:51 pm

Sorry too big

the late Bernard Keogh (one of my best friends) a great bass player/singer

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:18 pm

THE NORVICS-196?

BACK ROW-TOMMY HANLON-PAUL MERRIGAN-TOMMY KNOX
FRONT --- BERNARD KEOGH DENNIS Mc GUINNESS

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:23 pm

Jimmy Ledwidge-Gerry Westby-Tommy Knox

196?

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:26 pm

FLORIDA SHOWBAND 1962/3

Post by **Strum** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:08 pm

Well done Grammer.
Ok, I had to reduce a few of the photos and I also split the topic to this music thread. More appropriate.
You can resize your photos at image shack and I would recommend that just before you browse for a photo
you rezize them to 1024 x 768.
You will see the resize box on that page. (as below)

Cheers!

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:05 am

hi Strum

Thanks for all your help

If all ( how do you do that) explanations were so straight forward

it would be a great world

thanks everyone for all the help

Love you all xxxxxx

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:10 am

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:48 am

1963

Post by **spudseamus** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 4:00 am

Grammer -- Benny Keogh? did he have a mate called Cristy Byrne ? worked at Farrells

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:22 pm

yeh your right spud Bernard (benny) did work in Farrells

he lived in Castleburn PK- originaly from Bakers corner if iremember rightly

areally nice guy

im not sure about Cristy Byrne

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:38 pm

anyone want to luck up old showbands or groups

www.irishshowbands.com
:beerme:

enviro500 · Post by **enviro500** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:52 pm

Hi Grammar,
Great articles on showbands, though having said that I was a group man, Caroline, Bective,Longford, Claremont and Sandycove Tennis club scenes 1963 - 67, oh I know. "a Protestant thing you say", but no great times ,great fun and Great mates TO THIS DAY.
I was possibly the only chap from Monkstown Farm NEVER to have been inside the TOP HAT !!!! I knew Alan Defelice, God Rest him and his Dad. Al knocked about with my late friend Peter Mooney before Peter joined the police in England as a lad. I lost touch with Alan and met up with him again, of all places at Peter Mooneys's funeral in Kilmore Quay in Oct 1997. Peter died of cancer while in service with Thames Valley Police as a Dog handler. Only 49. Three years later Alan was dead, some incident in Cyprus...

My lead up is that I was home recently in Dun Laoghaire (Sept 21st-29th)
and my great mate George O'Rorke from Ballybrack presented me with a book just launched "The Miami Showband Massacre". The book was personally signed by the author and survivor Steve Travers, my old mate Paul Ashford and Albert Reynolds T.D.. George O'R and I go back to 1962, and he was a Kingstown Grammar Boy. we met while hitting each other with our respective sports attachents, My hated Hurley stick and his beloved Hockey stick.... never mind the North Troubles... we were there at the start.. and dear old John De Courcey Ireland alighting from his 'Michael Collins' bike to separate us. Great times indeed. Georg became a sort of gofor for a band called the Chosen Few, managed by Pete Selwood. In the band were, Deke O'Brien, Mick Molloy, Robie Brennan, Doni Ryan, Fran O'Toole, Paul Ashford.
I became friendly with the band as I knew Fran as he was a school in Bray with my cousin. We were to travel ALL over Ireland 'tween 1964 -67 and had great fun. Eventually the band broke up and Fran & Paul went to the Miami Showband and the rest is sadly, history. Paul Ashford left the band prior to that terrible night near Banbridge and the madmen.
I was xtremely touched to receive the book and though never met Steve, I thank him for his courage in reliving the terrible events.
The boys will never be forgotten. This is thanks to my best Irish mate George O,Rorke of Coolevin.. The best of them
I remember with fondness a few of the musicians back home, Tommy Vella, John Ryan, Brendan Shiels, Brennie Bonass, Ian McGarry and Peter Adler (I was later to work in London with Peter , Sax man and the Antique game) His dad was a well known Harmonica player. Ian played with a great band 'Bluesville' and did Presentation Collecge in Glasthule before Caroline Started also in the band was Mick Molloy, Deke O'Brein, Ian Mc Garry, Ian Whitcombe and Barry Richardson.... great days too.

THEN THE ALARM CLOCK WENT OFF 1967 AND I NEEDED A JOB AS MY APPRENTICESHIP FINISHED. THEN THEY WERE NOT TO BE FOUND IN IREALND !!! GOODBYE YOUTH AND CHILDHOOD SAD DAYS INDEED
Envciro500

Post by **spudseamus** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:06 am

grammer wrote:yeh your right spud Bernard (benny) did work in Farrells

he lived in Castleburn PK- originaly from Bakers corner if iremember rightly

areally nice guy

im not sure about Cristy Byrne

A top bloke for sure --manys a pint we sank together -- it saddened me greatly to hear he had passed

I worked with him for many years -- he did metal polishing for Farrells eng and a bloody good one he was !

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:46 pm

Hi Enviro

yeh good days they were too I went the showband trail for a while

Willy was into the same scene as yourself club-Caroline- especially-

a couple of times he arrived home with a saxophone- -im gonna fill in with the Few (if I learn how to play)

I Played with Tommy Vella for a while-agood guy and good guitar player
Les O' Neill-John(flash)Ryan and myself played in a 3 piece for a while -weddings etc

John Ryan now lives in Lanzorote (he got married a while ago) and plays the pub scene -

yeh the book on the Miami sure makes hard reading
some nice guys killed for what?
At the time it stopped all bands travelling to the North

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:51 pm

Hi Spudseamus

When you menioned it had rained i thought you were lamenting the fact that the good weather had gone

Yes Benny was some guy-actually I was agroomsman at his wedding to Mary

Tried to talk him into doing a gig that night -NO GO
we were with the Florida showband at the time

Post by **Strum** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:54 pm

Enviro...I believe Robbie wants to move back to Dublin. I'll keep you posted!

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 6:10 pm

thanks Strum

Post by **farmboy** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:42 pm

grammer wrote:yeh your right spud Bernard (benny) did work in Farrells

he lived in Castleburn PK- originaly from Bakers corner if iremember rightly

areally nice guy

im not sure about Cristy Byrne

Christy Byrne was indeed a great friend of Benny Keogh. I met Christy and his wife in the Playright on Newtownpark Avenue a few years ago and he was still cut up about Benny who had died a few years previously. As Spud knows, they were polishers together in Farrells and were inseperable. Maybe Spud had left and gone to Oz but I recall a time when farrells got a forktruck and Benny and Christy were messing about on it one lunchtime. Benny was driving and what did he do only drive over poor Christy,s foot, breaking it in the process! Christy was on crutches for months but it didnt seem to diminish their friendship. They would,ve made a great comedy act, sort of on the style of Cannon and Ball, two really funny guys.

Post by **farmboy** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:51 pm

Grammer, I was just a bit too young for the showband scene but that chap Tommy Knox.....somewhere in the distant past I think I met him. I have two memories , one of him perhaps being an insurance man or maybe did he have a job in Albright and Wilsons? Could be wrong but thats what I seem to remember.

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:52 pm

yes Farmboy your right -funny indeed

when i met benny first he had a puch 50 that ran for about a month
on 50 cents worth of juice (a mixture ithink)

even in the bands he was afunny guy

grammer · Post by **grammer** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:55 pm

yeh farmboy i hold my hands up im not the insurance man from O Donnell Gardens -im the other one-from the noggin-

I lived in the farm for a couple of years Oliver Punkett Ave.

Post by **Snowhite** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:18 pm

Does the name Mc Manus & Geoghegan ring a bell for you.