In memory of our friend, Danny Burns 1946 ~ 2002
The following information was contributed by Danny Burns, with additions by Ray McAreavey, Kieran Manning, Gogie McCullough and Christine Cuyler.

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The Wolfhound was formed in 1970, in Belfast, by Ray McAreavey, Gogie McCullough and Danny Burns. Ray and Gogie had been with the famous McPeake family, and Danny was playing Jazz with the Billy Hopkins band. Early on, Billy Tierney and Malcom Rodgers were members of the group; Billy left the group and was replaced by Kieran Manning. Malcom left the group around 1973. Billy and Malcolm were only on the "Freedom Sons" album and Billy is on the "Crumlin Kangaroos (Over The Wall)" single—he's the one that mimics Paisley.


The lineup of Ray, Gogie, Kieran and Danny is considered the essential line up. From their first rehearsal in Rays house, on the Falls Road, they really hit it off and decided to give it a go. According to Danny, “The Troubles were in full swing and all being from Republican families, we said we were going to play our part through our music or anything else.” The band was hired for their first gig by Sinn Fein and played in a club called "an Cumman Beag" on the Falls road beside Milltown Cemetery , where Bobby Sands is buried. From that moment on the Wolfhound became the Republican movement's Group. In the first year or so, the band was playing everywhere to get out the message.

  In 1971 the Wolfhound was smuggled into Long Kesh as a group from the Catholic Church, complete with assumed names. They played in Cage 4 and, as Danny puts it “you should have seen the P.O.Ws faces when they realized who the 'church group' was. The Brits who were guarding the cage ran outside as soon as we got into the tunes and a riot ensued and shots were fired.”