Dublin City Ramblers

Did You Know?

• The band originally called themselves The Jolly Tinkers in the mid-60s before changing to The Quare Fellas due to other groups using the same name.
• Patsy Watchorn, a former member, joined The Dubliners in 2005, taking Paddy Reilly's place, and later retired from The Dublin Legends in April 2014 due to health problems.

History

The Dublin City Ramblers started out in the mid-1960s as The Jolly Tinkers. Because other ballad groups already used that name, they switched to The Quare Fellas. That lineup included Patsy Watchorn, brothers Sean and Matt McGuinness, and Pat Cummins. They put out two albums, At Home and A Fond Tale, on the CBS label, but saw themselves as part-time musicians.

Pat Cummins left after the first CBS album, and Brendan Leeson took his place. In 1970, The Quare Fellas split up, and The Dublin City Ramblers formed with Patsy Watchorn, Sean McGuinness, Mick Crotty, and Kevin Gerahty. That lineup held together until around 1977. When Mick Crotty and Kevin Gerahty left in 1972, Philip "the horse" McCaffrey on fiddle and Kevin Molloy on guitar and vocals joined.

The foursome of Patsy, Sean, Philip, and Kevin scored a Top 10 hit album with A Nation Once Again in 1972. This period, during which they released seven albums, is seen as the band's most prolific and successful, and is often called the "original" lineup. In 1978, they released Irish Republican Jail Songs, which stirred up major attention and controversy in Ireland. The album included tracks like "Our Lads in Crumlin Jail," "Over the Wall," and "19 Men," a song about a Provisional IRA escape from Portlaoise Prison.

It also marked Philip McCaffrey's first time as lead vocalist; his debut song was "Bring Them Home," about the Price Sisters' hunger strike. A member of Dáil Éireann reportedly called the album "ludicrous and full of delusion" in 1978. Between 1979 and 1987, the band had most of their hits, starting with "The Rare Ould Times" by Pete St. John, and including "John O'Dreams," "The Punch and Judy Man," and "The Ferryman." In 1981, they recorded "The Ballad of Bobby Sands, MP." They also found international success with their version of "Wind in the Willows" in 1984.

Lore

The band's 1987 album The Flight of Earls, written by Liam Reilly of Bagatelle, was seen as their most melancholic, steeped in sadness and emigration during the recession-hit late 80s in the Irish Republic. It included foot-tapping ballads like "The Whistling Gypsy" and "Botany Bay" alongside Phil Coulter's "Steal Away" and originals "Farewell to Carlingford" and "Sailing Home." Band members performed on The Boys in Green, the Republic of Ireland national football team's official song at Euro 1988, and reworked it for the 1990 World Cup, playing it at the team's homecoming celebration.

In 1988, both Philip McCaffrey and Kevin Molloy left, and Paddy Sweeney stepped in, resulting in the album Home and Away with original material like "Dublin is Me" and "A Children's Winter." Shay Kavanagh joined in 1992, and the lineup of Patsy, Sean, Paddy, and Shay released Recorded Live at Johnny Fox's Pub and The Craic and Porter Black, the latter considered one of their better albums. They supplied the official song for the 1994 Irish World Cup Soccer Team, "You'll Never Beat The Irish."

Patsy Watchorn left in 1995 to pursue a solo career, later joining The Dubliners in 2005, taking Paddy Reilly's place. Sean, Paddy, and Shay continued touring and released Raise The Roof (1997) and On Holy Ground (2000). In 2000, The Rare Oul' Times Millennium E.P. entered the Irish Charts at No. 28, peaked at No. 22 for three weeks, and left the Top 30 after six weeks. Paddy Sweeney and Shay Kavanagh left in 2002, and new members joined, including Pierce McAllorum, Stephen Leeson, and Derrick Keane.

In the last ten to twelve years, the band tours as a three-piece with only one original member, Sean McGuinness. Patsy Watchorn retired from The Dublin Legends in April 2014 due to health problems and was replaced by his brother Paul Watchorn. Shay Kavanagh replaced ex-Dubliner Eamonn Campbell in The Dublin Legends after Campbell died in October 2017. In April 2022, former band member Phillip McCaffrey died.