14 November 1966 I was intrigued to see that Johnny McEvoy, the avuncular folk balladeer who popped up on every Irish light entertainment show of the '80s, originally released his version of 'Muirsheen Durkin' under the nom de folk of The Rambler (a nod to his previous double act The Ramblers Two) with its sleeve … Continue reading Johnny McEvoy – ‘Muirsheen Durkin’ →

7 November 1966 They've had number ones sung by their frontman Brendan Bowyer ('The Hucklebuck' et al.) and their bass player Tom Dunphy ('If I Didn't Have A Dime (To Play The Jukebox)'), and now here's a Royal Showband chart-topper with vocals by their drummer. Was this a marketing move, similar to how most Beatles … Continue reading Charlie Matthews and The Royal Showband – ‘Somewhere My Love’ →

26 September 1966 Here's a factoid to squirrel away for your next table quiz: Dermot O'Brien won an All-Ireland senior football title as captain of Louth in 1957 and had an Irish number one single with 'The Merry Ploughboy' in 1966. We're used to GAA stars topping the polls as politicians, but Dermot O'Brien is … Continue reading Dermot O’Brien and His Clubmen – ‘The Merry Ploughboy (Off To Dublin In The Green)’ →

5 September 1966 In more recent times Joe Dolan was synonymous with much-loved hip-swinging cabaret oldies like 'You're Such A Good-Looking Woman' and 'Make Me An Island' - neither of which got to number one in Ireland. What actually topped the '60s Irish charts for Joe were, and you'll be unastonished to hear this, showband … Continue reading Joe Dolan and The Drifters – ‘Pretty Brown Eyes’ →

22 August 1966 The song 'Happy Birthday To You' dates from the end of the 19th century. Before that, what did people sing at birthday parties? I ask because with 'Yellow Submarine' we're moving into the realm of Beatles songs that transcend mere pop records and have become as woven into our shared human experience … Continue reading The Beatles – ‘Yellow Submarine’ →

15 August 1966 They never had an Irish number one single, but any mention of the Irish folk boom of the '60s should include The Clancy Brothers. I get the sense they were more loved in the US than by traditionalists back home, but they still sold albums here by the truckload. Their influence on … Continue reading The Johnstons – ‘The Travelling People’ →

25 July 1966 This is indeed the same showband with whom Eileen Reid in 1964 became the first Irish woman to go to number one in Ireland, with 'Fallen Star'. Eileen is still there, but The Cadets always had a male vocalist too, to provide some counterpoint and variety for their stage act. In that … Continue reading Gregory and The Cadets – ‘More Than Yesterday’ →

18 July 1966 England's mythical summer of 1966, when London swung and the years-of-hurt counter still said zero, seemed to involve a good deal of pop-star whinge about paying tax, what with the first line of The Kinks' 'Sunny Afternoon' and the opening track of The Beatles' Revolver. Alas, we in Ireland couldn't help; our … Continue reading The Kinks – ‘Sunny Afternoon’ →

20 June 1966 The novel in 'Paperback Writer' is churned-out hackwork: "It's a thousand pages, give or take a few / I'll be writing more in a week or two". Alas, I have to say that 'Paperback Writer' itself, like some other made-to-order Beatle hits we've seen at number one so far, has the same … Continue reading The Beatles – ‘Paperback Writer’ →