June 8, 2007
Deirdre Drew passes away
It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of Deirdre Drew. Deirdre was the wife of Ronnie Drew. I had the great pleasure of meeting and spending time with Deirde in the late 1980's. She was one of the nicest, most down to earth people you'd ever meet—welcoming a stranger from American into her home. My sincere condolences go out to Ronnie, her children Cliodhna and Phelim, and her entire family.
Nick
…from the Irish Independent
July, 24, 2007
Ronnie Drew Interviewed on RTE
Singer, songwriter, sometime actor and all-round purveyor of craic, Ronnie Drew is possibly the most famous Dubliner. Deirdre, his beloved wife of almost 44 years recently passed away. Ronnie talks to Miriam about the pain of losing his soul mate, his own battle with cancer. He casts a look back at his early days in the music business, the story behind his trademark beard and about his most recent work.
August, 1, 2007
Tommy Makem—Rest in Peace
It is with great regret that I post the news of the death of Tommy Makem. I had the great fortune of meeting Tommy and actually spending the day with him—a memory for which I am very grateful. My heart felt
condolences to his family. Below comes from Liam Clancy's website.
“Good friends - I just got the word from the family that Tommy passed away at about 6.45PM in Dover NH. As you all probably know he has been ill for quite a while. His suffering at last is over.”
Liam Clancy
November, 1, 2007
New CD from The BeerMats…
Our good friends, the BeerMats have just release their latest CD, “Easter Lilly”, featuring 9 brand new songs. According the Colm Gibbons, “The title track is about James Connolly's wife, Lilly, and was written by Brendan Phelan—who wrote ‘Dublin in my Tears' for
the Barleycorn.” Visit their website for more information about this album and the photo gallery from the CD launch party.
December 27, 2007
Joe Dolan passes away
DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) — Joe Dolan, one of Ireland's first pop music stars who entertained audiences for decades with Vegas-style showmanship, has died from a brain hemorrhage, his family announced. He was 68.
Dolan collapsed at his family home in suburban south Dublin on Christmas night and died Wednesday after falling into a coma at a hospital.
He was the most celebrated — and fondly caricatured — survivor of Ireland's bygone “showband” era of the 1960s and 1970s, when homegrown rock 'n' roll acts toured the country playing cover versions of international hits.
January 23, 2008
RIP Joe Dolan (of Sweeney's Men) 1942 - 2008
Singer, songwriter and artist Joe Dolan who died on January 7, 2008, was a founder member of Sweeney’s Men. The prefix “Galway” Joe Dolan was later applied for late night clarity to distinguish him from the showband singer Joe Dolan of Mullingar, who died on December 26, 2007.