1
20
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Showbands
Subject
The topic of the resource
Interview collection exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members. Six audio interviews with eight people totalling 251 minutes.
Description
An account of the resource
In 1996-1997, researcher Stephen Hunter interviewed a range of musicians, family members and one author on their memories of the ‘showband era’ in Ireland. In the first interview, Seán Lucy (clarinet and saxophone player with Cork band the Dixies from 1954) and Terry McCarthy (singer with the Dixies from 1985) speak briefly about their backgrounds and childhoods in Cork before tracing their musical careers and discussing their experiences as members of the Dixies. Tommy Rooney from Crosshaven recounts playing with army and civilian bands (Trumpet player) before founding the Second City Jazz Band, and talks about the showband era and his experiences of playing in Cork and in Protestant halls in Northern Ireland. Pat Nolan, a saxophone and clarinet player who grew up on Cork City’s Northside, traces the rise and fall of the showbands on the Island of Ireland, and describes playing in dancehalls in Northern Ireland. Vincent Power, author of the book Send ‘Em Home Sweatin’, reflects on the showband phenomenon in his interview. Liam Foley from Blackpool, Cork, a drummer and guitarist, recalls his experiences as a musician in that era. Frances McCarthy and Betty O’Mahony, wife and daughter of the late Christy O’Mahony who played bass with the Dixies from 1958-1985, talks about Christy’s involvement with the band.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1996-1997
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Interviewees: Seán Lucy; Terry McCarthy; Tommy Rooney; Pat Nolan; Vincent Power; Frances McCarthy; Betty O’Mahony.
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/56" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996;</a> <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/57">CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/60" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00055_foley_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00056_various_1997</a>:
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Cork; Belfast; Northern Ireland; Ireland; music; showband music; dancehalls; 1950s-1970s
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Cork Folklore Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Audio
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
6 .wav files [digitized at 96kHz, 24-bit audio from 90-minute cassette tapes]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
Stephen Hunter
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Seán Lucy
Terry McCarthy
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
52min 32sec
Location
The location of the interview
Pa Johnson's Public House, Cork
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
.wav files [digitized at 96kHz, 24-bit audio from 90-minute cassette tapes]
Bit Rate/Frequency
Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio)
16bit / 44.1kHz
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound
The following is a short extract from the interview transcript, copyright of the Cork Folklore Project. If you wish to access further archival material please contact CFP, folklorearchive@gmail.com
S.H: What was your introduction to the band, Terry?
T.M: To this band the Dixies? Ah well, I mean as I said, I was pretty young when the Showbands took off in the early 60's, now, you know. I didn't join a band until 1968 so, then I was with that band for about six or seven years, local band here in Cork.
S.H: What were they called?
T.M: The Sunset. Then I moved on to the cabaret scene, because there was a big demand for cabaret spots in clubs and places all over the place you know, so that suited me fine, and I did that for many years. And then I got an introduction to sing with the Dixies, they needed a singer and at that stage I'll be honest…
S.L: When was that?
T.M: '85, it was 1985.
S.H: So you really have been in awe of these guys, because you had been around. you respected them obviously.
T.M: Oh yes, definitely, I mean..
S.L: They played relief to us he was in the relief band (both laugh)
T.M: The Dixies were the big Showband from Cork and at the time it was a bit of an honour to be asked to join them you know, and I enjoyed it, and I'm still with them now eleven years later. I joined as the youngest member of the band, I was the baby of the band, now I'm the oldest member of the band, they're all retired; a couple of them died actually.
S.H: Yeah. Do you think the phenomenon was something that seemed to be gathering momentum gradually, or something that happened fairly quickly?
S.L: Yeah well...
T.M: Once it took off it took off, it took off pretty quick.
S.L: We went professional, we packed in our jobs, our good jobs, our day jobs, and went professional in 1961. It took off from there.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sean Lucey, Terry McCarthy: Blackpool, Dixies Showband
Description
An account of the resource
Seán Lucy was born in 1936. Seán is from a family of four. He started work as a radio and television repairman in 1950, before becoming a professional musician in 1960. He played the clarinet. He played with the Butter Exchange Band, a brass and reed band that started in the late 1940s.
Terry McCarthy was born in 1948. Terry is from a family of eight. He became a stonecutter in 1963. He joined a band in 1968 and began a career in music; he was a vocalist. Both were educated by the Christian Brothers at the North Monastery.
Seán and Terry talk about the Irish showband scene, and their band, the Dixies. The band started playing Trad Jazz as the Dixieland band, copying English bands who copied American bands. Terry had been in a band called The Sunset; joined the Dixies in 1985. The Dixies went professional in 1961, toured England and America. Showbands had to leave the country during Lent and play elsewhere. They identify the heyday of the showbands as being approximately from 1965 to 1971. Seán’s favourite venue in Cork was the Arcadia, in Lower Road, later the CIE club, with audiences of 3,000. They played in Northern Ireland before The Troubles began.
Rory Gallagher played support to The Dixies when he was very young. Terry saw Rory’s band Taste play their first gig, at the Cavern Club, Leitrim Street.
The arrival of discos killed the live music scene.
They discuss the extent of the Northside area.
They topped the bill at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1964. The band has an entry in the Guinness Encyclopaedia of Popular Music.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
9 December 1996
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Interviewees: Seán Lucy and Terry McCarthy
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Cork: Ireland; 1930s-1990s.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Cork Folklore Project
Language
A language of the resource
English
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1.wav File
Subject
The topic of the resource
Interview exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Relation
A related resource
<strong>Showbands Collection Catalogue Numbers: <br /><br /></strong>Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/57">CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/60" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00055_foley_1997</a>;<br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00056_various_1997</a>:
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Aloys Fleischmann senior
Arcadia
Butter Exchange Band
Carnegie Hall
Cavern Club
Clipper Carlton showband
Dixies showband
Las Vegas
Leitrim Street
Lonnie Donegan
Lower Glanmire Road
Music
Northern Ireland
Northside
Radio Luxembourg
Rory Gallagher
Shandon Street
Showbands
Taste (band)
The Sunset (band)
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8cb1487608186852ed4f4a83a614e21a
https://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/files/original/7c207050f3227de97320e19cd0e6b231.mp3
f2d5939b4da7962a76bc7f77dbeb72ff
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Showbands
Subject
The topic of the resource
Interview collection exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members. Six audio interviews with eight people totalling 251 minutes.
Description
An account of the resource
In 1996-1997, researcher Stephen Hunter interviewed a range of musicians, family members and one author on their memories of the ‘showband era’ in Ireland. In the first interview, Seán Lucy (clarinet and saxophone player with Cork band the Dixies from 1954) and Terry McCarthy (singer with the Dixies from 1985) speak briefly about their backgrounds and childhoods in Cork before tracing their musical careers and discussing their experiences as members of the Dixies. Tommy Rooney from Crosshaven recounts playing with army and civilian bands (Trumpet player) before founding the Second City Jazz Band, and talks about the showband era and his experiences of playing in Cork and in Protestant halls in Northern Ireland. Pat Nolan, a saxophone and clarinet player who grew up on Cork City’s Northside, traces the rise and fall of the showbands on the Island of Ireland, and describes playing in dancehalls in Northern Ireland. Vincent Power, author of the book Send ‘Em Home Sweatin’, reflects on the showband phenomenon in his interview. Liam Foley from Blackpool, Cork, a drummer and guitarist, recalls his experiences as a musician in that era. Frances McCarthy and Betty O’Mahony, wife and daughter of the late Christy O’Mahony who played bass with the Dixies from 1958-1985, talks about Christy’s involvement with the band.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1996-1997
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Interviewees: Seán Lucy; Terry McCarthy; Tommy Rooney; Pat Nolan; Vincent Power; Frances McCarthy; Betty O’Mahony.
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/56" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996;</a> <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/57">CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/60" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00055_foley_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00056_various_1997</a>:
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Cork; Belfast; Northern Ireland; Ireland; music; showband music; dancehalls; 1950s-1970s
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Cork Folklore Project
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Audio
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
6 .wav files [digitized at 96kHz, 24-bit audio from 90-minute cassette tapes]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
Stephen Hunter
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Frances McCarthy
Betty O’Mahony
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
29 mins 28 sec
Location
The location of the interview
Silversprings Lawn, Tivoli, Cork
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
90 Minute Cassette Tape
Bit Rate/Frequency
Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio)
24bit / 48kHz
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound
The following is a short extract from the interview transcript, copyright of the Cork Folklore Project. If you wish to access further archival material please contact CFP, folklorearchive@gmail.com
S.H: Do you think the public see a different side of an entertainer like your late husband to what close friends and family do?
B.O’M: I don’t know, like they were so well known. Even at the dances they’d know everybody.
S.H: So they weren’t really up there as stars?
B.O’M: No. I remember once he saw an old friend and he shouted out across the road ‘ Jesus Christ, girl are you still alive?’ You know he was a real Northside man, he never changed over the years. I don’t think he was any different in Las Vegas to the way he would have been at home.
S.H: Were you heartened by Northside people after he passed away?
B.O’M: So many people rallied round, it was the holiday time and somebody said ‘if they hadn’t been on holiday they’d still be there’ I remember Joe said it and I thought to myself, ‘My god that’s right’. We were so long outside the church we thought that was the end we didn’t realise we had to go to the graveyard after. I said ‘Jesus there’s another funeral ahead of us’.
F.Mc: We thought we had come in on top of another funeral.
B.O’M: There was so many people, thousands of people, at the grave outside our door they had come with us. But of course he was so well known, at the bar, he was in a partnership with a bar, his brother down in Blackpool for years and years.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Frances McCarthy and Betty O’Mahony: The Dixies, Christy O'Mahony
Subject
The topic of the resource
Interview exploring the ‘showband era’ (late 1950s to early 1970s) in Ireland from the perspective of Cork-based musicians and family members.
Description
An account of the resource
Frances has always lived on the Northside. She was born in Poulraddy, went to school in North Presentation school. When she was seven she moved to Ballyvolane and went to school at St Patrick’s College, Gardiner’s Hill, and Mayfield Community School. After she married she lived in Fairhill, and then in Tivoli. (The other interviewee, Betty O’Mahony, is her mother.)
Frances talks about her father, Christy, who was a musician with The Dixies showband. She describes the extent of the Northside area, which she says consists of Fairhill, Churchfield, Farranree, and Blackpool.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
26 May 1997
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Interviewees: Frances McCarthy and Betty O’Mahony
Interviewer: Stephen Hunter
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
CFP_SR00056_various_1997
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Cork; Ireland; 1930s - 1990s;
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Cork Folklore Project
Language
A language of the resource
English
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
1.wav File
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Cork Folklore Project Audio Archive
Relation
A related resource
<strong>Showbands Collection Catalogue Numbers: <br /><br /></strong>Accession number for collection [CFP Acc. No. 1997-004]; <br /><a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/items/show/56" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00051_dixies_1996;</a> <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/57">CFP_SR00052_rooney_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00053_nolan_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/59" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00054_power_1997</a>; <a href="http://corkfolklore.org/archivecatalolgue/document/60" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CFP_SR00055_foley_1997</a>;
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Cork Folklore Project
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
Abu Dhabi
Arcadia
Ballyvolane
Betty O’Mahony
Blackpool
Blackpool Brass Band
Carnegie Hall
Christy O’Mahony
Churchfield
Fairhill
Farranree
Frances McCarthy
Gardiner's Hill
Glen Rovers hurling club
Mayfield Community School
North Presentation school
Northside
Second World War
St Patrick’s College
The Dixies showband
The Emergency
Tivoli