Liverpool Ceili Band
Press Play to hear Liverpool Ceili Band play two tracks of there first album " Off To Dublin-- Christmas Eve/The Mountain Road/Glenallen" and " The Kilfenora Jig.
Taken from an article by Sean McNamara of THE LIVERPOOL CEILI BAND for Dal gDais
The first ceili band with which I played was a Gaelic League band which played at the weekly Sunday night ceilie. I was brought along to the band by Kathleen Osbyrne --- later known as Kit Hodge--- and the other musicians were Kevin Fitzgerald, on pianoand Kathleen Doyle on the Uilleann Pipes. At this period, 1943-1944 there were there were two other well known cieli bands, playing regularly; the Shannon Star and the Brian Boru. Because of the war, with most men away in the forces, there was a scarcity of musical personnel. When the war ended,and the men returned to civilian life , social activities expanded and there were many more musicians on the scene. At this stage , immediately after the war, I met Eamon Coyne and we started to play together. We were both in our formative years and learning tunes and playing at Gaelic League Ceilithe with several groups over the next ten years or so.
The Formation of the Liverpool Cieli Band
In 1958, after some of us had attended one or two of the all Ireland Fleadhanna, a branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann was set up in Liverpool, and we formed a band to compete in Thurles in 1959. The nucleus of this band were already playing together on a weekly basis but we expanded to the permitted maximum of ten for the fleadh competition. After our first Fleadh competitive appearance at Thurles in 1959 we continued on the competition circuit for about ten years, eventually achieving success by winning the all Ireland at Mullingar and Clones in 1963 and 64, and the Oireachtas competition in 1962 and 63. During these years we competed against such famous ceili bands as the Kilfenora and the Tulla, and we struck up lasting friendships with the great Clare musicians.
The Band
The membership of the successful combinations were: Albert Cruikshank (Drums), Peggy Atkins (piano), Kevin Finnegan and Billy Greenall (piano-Accordion) the late Sean Murphy ( banjo-mandolin), Kit Hodge,Eamon Coyne, Sean McNamara and Charlie Lennon (fiddles),Frank Horan (Accordion), Billy Kilgannon and Pat Finn (Flute).The band competed again on occasions in the 1970'sbut not to the same extent.
Recordings & TV
After the all-Ireland Fleadh successes the band made two recordings on the Rex Label. They also appeared on I.T.V. in the Sunday Night At The London Palladium programme,and have played regularly on R.T.E. radio programme Ceili House, and on R.T.E T.V's Club Ceilli, Bring Down The Lamp, Trom agus Eadrom and the Mountain lark programmes.
Sean McNamara, Eamon Coyne ,Sean Murphy ,
Kevin Finnegan, Albert Cruickshank. Outside The Irish Centre, Liverpool.
OrigInal photo for one of the record covers
Fleadh Boyle Ireland 1960 - Kit Hodge & Eamon Coyne playing fiddle, Tom Canning piano accordian, Sean Murphy banjo-mandolin and Peggy Atkins on piano.
Record cover of the first album - "Off To Dublin".
Liverpool musicians playing for a Ceili in late 1950s. The front row fiddle players are - left to right - Tom Harding, Eamon Coyne, Sean McNamara and his brother Pearse McNamara. Ned ludden on piano.
