Fulham Broadway was the place to be in 1960/70s
the music was second to none.Music could be heard in a lot
of the pubs i.e. The White Hart, The Kings Head,The Red Lion
as well as the Hibernian dance hall.Musicians I heard were
Raymond Roland Rip, Finbar Dwyer,John Bowe,Martin Macmahon,all box players.Sean Macguire Rip.Kevin Burke,
Sean O Shea,Josephine Keegan,Danny Meehan,Brendan Mulkere,Angela Creehan.Tom Macarty,Bobby Casey,
P J Crotty Rip. Roger Sherlock,Mick OConnor,John Carty
As well as all the above you would get all the visiting players
from Ireland. The Cheiftans, The Dubliners,Joe Burke, Tony Macmahon,Noel Hill. Charlie Lennon,Frankie Gavin
Those were the days,the music was played at a nice pace, not rushed like most of the stuff you hear now,if you go to a session its like a race to see who will finish first by skimming
over the notes, and sometime leaving a lot of them out.
Bring back real music and slow down.
I arrived in London mid-80's so missed a lot of that. I caught the tail end, right enough, at various sessions in Kilburn, Camden Town, Islington and Harlesden. I have to say though I was very much a learner (I still am), but fortunately I managed to get to sit in with some of the people you mentioned.
BTW, I don't like speedophiles either.
I think these discussions are great examples of how opinions of good music is relative to generations from a particular period and ultimately the persons identity and personality itself.
Essentially what we do in this genre is play tunes; that's what everyone does. How people go about that is what creates identity and that's a very strong factor within this particular genre.
When people play tunes, they have a few options. They can play them with the melody being the most important thing (martin hayes?), or focus more on what the result of the melody is; sometimes yes at the expense of it (teen session in the conradh!). Others then will play with rhythm being the most important factor, this is particularly in the case of dancing. (alot of older box players)
Essentially, all approaches are valid. The road that a musician takes or supports defines that persons identity also. The same person who likes slow steady music for example wouldn't really be into fast cars etc! And the young person from the city mightn't always find appeal in something so slow that it contains as much emotion as a stone.
Where I am at the minute, I'm trying to explore all roads in relation to myself, noting that apart from personal opinion, one essentially isn't actually better than the other.
I, too, went to many of those sessions in Fulham (most of them were gigs, but there didn´t seem to any objection if you joined in - basically, you joined in if you were able to !) and in some of them the music was quite fast, the exceptions being the Comhaltas sessions in the Kings Head and, later, the bar of the Hibernian.
But I take the main point that goose..... made, in that there seems to be a tendency these days that, if it´s not played at 150 mph, it´s no good or doesn´t have the "craic".
I think what we´re really talking about - and it´s an old chestnut as far as threads go - is the elusive "lift" or "pulse", call it what you like, that has nothing to do with speed and more to do with steady rhythm and accentuation of certain notes.
I would certainly agree with the views expressed. I lived in, and was playing around the Holloway area during those years. In the Favourite at Holloway we were often visited by what Jimmy Power used to refer to as 'The Fulham Crowd' . In the seventies I played for a time with the resident band in the Hibernian Dance Hall in Fulham and that gave me the opportunity to visit the local pubs before going on stage. Some great sessions in those pubs and some of those musicians, namely Rodger Sherlock, John O'Shea and an box player, (I think his name was Jimmy) used to play for the Irish dances in the Hibernian. To me that era was the halcyon years of ITM in the London area. Incidentally, worthy of a mention was the great banjo player who always played with Raymond Roland,.... Liam Farrell ( I apologise if I've got his name wrong)
Just wondering did anyone ever get down to the Coach and Horses in Harlesden, late 80's?
Most often featured Mulkere, Paddy Hayes, Sean O'Shea, John Carty sometimes, Paul Gallagher and many others. Then there was the Telegraph a bit later in Brixton Hill with Marcus Hernon and Austin Dawe etc....
Johnny Oleary,made the very same point in an interview on RTE,he said to play nthe music now you have to have two pairs of hands, and to dance, it two pairs of feet.
he said if DenisMurphy was alive, he wouldnt be playing at all because the musics too fast.
Dick Miles
Hi KML
I played at the Telegraph ,Brixton Hill and at one time I was travelling up from Folkstone just for the privilage . Austin Dawe Marcus and PJ Hernon ,the Judge sisters in fact the whole of the St Albans band at one time plus many others including at one session a very large rotund young flute player from Birmingham ,what ever happened to him ? Oh yes he joined Lunasa . I still have the video we made some where .Must be 18 years ago . I am annoyed I cannot remember the name of the box player grrrrrrr
The other place I remember fondly was the Brighton in Camden playing on a sunday morning with Bill Glasheen ,Fegus McTaggart , Noel Malouge, Nick Rowan, Marcus Hernon among others .
I remember going to see Marcus play a gig at the Crown in Dalston where every one spoke gealic apart from me
Like most things you dont realise how lucky you were until those days are no more . Real Gentlemen often missed most of them
Bazouki dave - you must remember then, when Marcus Hernon did a miked-up residence gig, with three others (can't remember who - may have been some of the lads you just mentioned) at The Good Mixer, Camden Town, every Saturday night, that must have been about 1987-88. Bloody hell, they were brilliant. And the pub was always jam-packed full. Irish traditional music a minority interest? Hard to believe when you saw a pub that busy. And the audience were all heads who either played or knew the score about the music.
Noel O Grady I think was the Bouzouki player and johnny Carty on the banjo never seen him on a fiddle in those days played together a regular gig I think it was could have been others . I remember seeing them one time there not sure if that was the regular line up
As I remember it was packed and lots of players in the crowd I would have paid to see the gig the crowd could have put on never mind Marcus and friends .
I think he was also playing a lot with Fergus McTaggart a great fiddle player and true gentleman whom I first met in the Norfolk Arms on the Holloway Road from Lietrim way I seem to remember
Yes I remember the Mother Red Cap, and the Norfolk Arms. What about the Green Man, Harlesden - Ciaran Bradley, Mick O'Connor and Martin Oakley; the Powerhouse, Islington; The Fiddler's Elbow, Kentish Town; then there was one at King's Cross, not far from the station, and I used to do one in the St. Pancras area called The Boot, with Mick Murphy, banjo; and of course The Stag's Head, Camden Town...god, the list goes on and on....
I remeber the Power House near the Angel on a sunday Dinner Time Good Tunes and dancing. I also remember well the Fiddlers Elbow in Kentish Town where at one point I ran a session/ set Dance on a Wednesday night..
Ever head out East to the Spotted Dog .
As for the Stags............ used to have a Sunday After Noon Lock in ............Show your cases and get let in .
I lived right off Fulham Broadway/New Kings Rd in the 70s. Unfortunately I was not playing Irish music yet then. But every night coming home off the tube heading to Eel Brook Common you could hear the music pouring out of the pub as you left the tube station. And it was mobbed all the time with people outside trying to get in the door. Big whoosh of music every time the door opened, When the door was shut you could still hear it. Wish there were recordings of those sessions to listen to now!
Fulham 1960/70s
Fulham 1960/70s
Fulham Broadway was the place to be in 1960/70s
the music was second to none.Music could be heard in a lot
of the pubs i.e. The White Hart, The Kings Head,The Red Lion
as well as the Hibernian dance hall.Musicians I heard were
Raymond Roland Rip, Finbar Dwyer,John Bowe,Martin Macmahon,all box players.Sean Macguire Rip.Kevin Burke,
Sean O Shea,Josephine Keegan,Danny Meehan,Brendan Mulkere,Angela Creehan.Tom Macarty,Bobby Casey,
P J Crotty Rip. Roger Sherlock,Mick OConnor,John Carty
As well as all the above you would get all the visiting players
from Ireland. The Cheiftans, The Dubliners,Joe Burke, Tony Macmahon,Noel Hill. Charlie Lennon,Frankie Gavin
Those were the days,the music was played at a nice pace, not rushed like most of the stuff you hear now,if you go to a session its like a race to see who will finish first by skimming
over the notes, and sometime leaving a lot of them out.
Bring back real music and slow down.
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by gooseinthenettles
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
I arrived in London mid-80's so missed a lot of that. I caught the tail end, right enough, at various sessions in Kilburn, Camden Town, Islington and Harlesden. I have to say though I was very much a learner (I still am), but fortunately I managed to get to sit in with some of the people you mentioned.
BTW, I don't like speedophiles either.
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
I think these discussions are great examples of how opinions of good music is relative to generations from a particular period and ultimately the persons identity and personality itself.
Essentially what we do in this genre is play tunes; that's what everyone does. How people go about that is what creates identity and that's a very strong factor within this particular genre.
When people play tunes, they have a few options. They can play them with the melody being the most important thing (martin hayes?), or focus more on what the result of the melody is; sometimes yes at the expense of it (teen session in the conradh!). Others then will play with rhythm being the most important factor, this is particularly in the case of dancing. (alot of older box players)
Essentially, all approaches are valid. The road that a musician takes or supports defines that persons identity also. The same person who likes slow steady music for example wouldn't really be into fast cars etc! And the young person from the city mightn't always find appeal in something so slow that it contains as much emotion as a stone.
Where I am at the minute, I'm trying to explore all roads in relation to myself, noting that apart from personal opinion, one essentially isn't actually better than the other.
My penny's worth.
Martin.
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by martin t
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
I, too, went to many of those sessions in Fulham (most of them were gigs, but there didn´t seem to any objection if you joined in - basically, you joined in if you were able to !) and in some of them the music was quite fast, the exceptions being the Comhaltas sessions in the Kings Head and, later, the bar of the Hibernian.
But I take the main point that goose..... made, in that there seems to be a tendency these days that, if it´s not played at 150 mph, it´s no good or doesn´t have the "craic".
I think what we´re really talking about - and it´s an old chestnut as far as threads go - is the elusive "lift" or "pulse", call it what you like, that has nothing to do with speed and more to do with steady rhythm and accentuation of certain notes.
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by murfbox
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
I would certainly agree with the views expressed. I lived in, and was playing around the Holloway area during those years. In the Favourite at Holloway we were often visited by what Jimmy Power used to refer to as 'The Fulham Crowd' . In the seventies I played for a time with the resident band in the Hibernian Dance Hall in Fulham and that gave me the opportunity to visit the local pubs before going on stage. Some great sessions in those pubs and some of those musicians, namely Rodger Sherlock, John O'Shea and an box player, (I think his name was Jimmy) used to play for the Irish dances in the Hibernian. To me that era was the halcyon years of ITM in the London area. Incidentally, worthy of a mention was the great banjo player who always played with Raymond Roland,.... Liam Farrell ( I apologise if I've got his name wrong)
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by Free Reed
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Good stuff lads, keep the reminicences coming. Those truly must have been glory days for Irish music.
I wish there was more of this kind of talk around here.
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by Killone
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Yes, murfbox, but you tell that to the young folk and they'll just laugh at you.
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
I know (sigh) ! And if you don´t drool over Lunasa, Flook and the like, you´re a flintstone !
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by murfbox
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Just wondering did anyone ever get down to the Coach and Horses in Harlesden, late 80's?
Most often featured Mulkere, Paddy Hayes, Sean O'Shea, John Carty sometimes, Paul Gallagher and many others. Then there was the Telegraph a bit later in Brixton Hill with Marcus Hernon and Austin Dawe etc....
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Johnny Oleary,made the very same point in an interview on RTE,he said to play nthe music now you have to have two pairs of hands, and to dance, it two pairs of feet.
he said if DenisMurphy was alive, he wouldnt be playing at all because the musics too fast.
Dick Miles
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by dickens metrognome
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Hi KML
I played at the Telegraph ,Brixton Hill and at one time I was travelling up from Folkstone just for the privilage . Austin Dawe Marcus and PJ Hernon ,the Judge sisters in fact the whole of the St Albans band at one time plus many others including at one session a very large rotund young flute player from Birmingham ,what ever happened to him ? Oh yes he joined Lunasa . I still have the video we made some where .Must be 18 years ago . I am annoyed I cannot remember the name of the box player grrrrrrr
The other place I remember fondly was the Brighton in Camden playing on a sunday morning with Bill Glasheen ,Fegus McTaggart , Noel Malouge, Nick Rowan, Marcus Hernon among others .
I remember going to see Marcus play a gig at the Crown in Dalston where every one spoke gealic apart from me
Like most things you dont realise how lucky you were until those days are no more . Real Gentlemen often missed most of them
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by bazouki dave and the real tooty flutey
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Bazouki dave - you must remember then, when Marcus Hernon did a miked-up residence gig, with three others (can't remember who - may have been some of the lads you just mentioned) at The Good Mixer, Camden Town, every Saturday night, that must have been about 1987-88. Bloody hell, they were brilliant. And the pub was always jam-packed full. Irish traditional music a minority interest? Hard to believe when you saw a pub that busy. And the audience were all heads who either played or knew the score about the music.
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Noel O Grady I think was the Bouzouki player and johnny Carty on the banjo never seen him on a fiddle in those days played together a regular gig I think it was could have been others . I remember seeing them one time there not sure if that was the regular line up
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by bazouki dave and the real tooty flutey
As I remember it was packed and lots of players in the crowd I would have paid to see the gig the crowd could have put on never mind Marcus and friends .
I think he was also playing a lot with Fergus McTaggart a great fiddle player and true gentleman whom I first met in the Norfolk Arms on the Holloway Road from Lietrim way I seem to remember
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by bazouki dave and the real tooty flutey
Also anyone remember the Mother Red Cap at this time on the Holloway Road with sessions hosted By Con Ryan on the whistle and Shamus on the box ?
# Posted on April 21st 2008 by bazouki dave and the real tooty flutey
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
Yes I remember the Mother Red Cap, and the Norfolk Arms. What about the Green Man, Harlesden - Ciaran Bradley, Mick O'Connor and Martin Oakley; the Powerhouse, Islington; The Fiddler's Elbow, Kentish Town; then there was one at King's Cross, not far from the station, and I used to do one in the St. Pancras area called The Boot, with Mick Murphy, banjo; and of course The Stag's Head, Camden Town...god, the list goes on and on....
# Posted on April 22nd 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
I remeber the Power House near the Angel on a sunday Dinner Time Good Tunes and dancing. I also remember well the Fiddlers Elbow in Kentish Town where at one point I ran a session/ set Dance on a Wednesday night..
.
Ever head out East to the Spotted Dog .
As for the Stags............ used to have a Sunday After Noon Lock in ............Show your cases and get let in
# Posted on April 22nd 2008 by bazouki dave and the real tooty flutey
Re: Fulham 1960/70s
I lived right off Fulham Broadway/New Kings Rd in the 70s. Unfortunately I was not playing Irish music yet then. But every night coming home off the tube heading to Eel Brook Common you could hear the music pouring out of the pub as you left the tube station. And it was mobbed all the time with people outside trying to get in the door. Big whoosh of music every time the door opened, When the door was shut you could still hear it. Wish there were recordings of those sessions to listen to now!
# Posted on April 30th 2008 by LH