The Irish Rovers

History

George Millar and Will Millar were born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and grew up in a musical household; their father Bob played button-key accordion, and cousin Joe Millar also sang and played accordion and harmonica at family kitchen parties. As children, George and Will performed with their sister Sandra Beech as "The Millar Kids" in Ireland before the family emigrated to Canada. In 1963, George met fellow Irish native Jimmy Ferguson at an Irish function in Toronto; they sang together until dawn and founded the Irish Rovers.

According to a 1971 Calgary Herald article, they formed the first Irish Rovers for an amateur variety show in Toronto and won. Joe Millar soon emigrated to Toronto and was recruited as he stepped off the plane. The name "The Irish Rovers" was suggested by George's mother, after the traditional song about a sailing ship that had been a favourite from their kitchen parties. George, Jimmy and Joe were briefly joined by Vic Marcus and Doug Henderson.

George's father Bob became the group's first manager, booking them at folk song festivals, clubs, hootenannies and The Port o' Call. In the early 1960s, Will Millar performed in a Toronto Calypso group, The Kalypso Kews, and later formed a folk trio in Calgary with Derek Swinson, also singing on the local TV show Just 4 Fun.

Personnel

Current members include George Millar (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, 1963–present), Ian Millar (vocals, bass guitar, guitar, 2005–present), Geoffrey Kelly (tin whistle, flute, vocals, 2008–present), Davey Walker (keyboards, vocals, 2019–present), Shane Farrell (banjo, mandolin, fiddle, 2023–present), Jimmy Keane (accordion, 2023–present), Neal Ryan (vocals, 2025–present), Tom Roach (drums, bodhrán, percussion, 2026–present), and Ronnie O'Flynn (bass guitar, 2026–present).

Former members include co-founder Jimmy Ferguson (vocals, 1963–97; died on tour 1997), Joe Millar (vocals, accordion, harmonica, bass guitar, 1963–68/1969–2005; died 2023), Will Millar (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, tin whistle, 1964–94), Wilcil McDowell (accordion, 1968–2020; retired from touring 2018), and many others. Several former members have died: Jimmy Ferguson in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1997; drummer Paul Lawton in Richmond, British Columbia in 2005; bass player Vic Marcus in Lindsay in 2019; singer John Reynolds in Comox, British Columbia in 2021; founding member Joe Millar in 2023; and Wallace Hood at his home in Bangor in 2025.