The Dubliners
Album: 50 Years(box set)
Label: Irl
Tracks: 50
Website: http://www.thedubliners.org/

It's hard to believe that it is fifty years since The Dubliners formed in 1962. I first saw the band in 1972, when they had been going for a mere ten years.

Originally called The Ronnie Drew Group, they took their name from a book by James Joyce. They were certainly one of the most influential Irish acts of the 20th century and did much to popularise Irish folk music. In 2012 they deservedly received a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Sadly, the band are calling it a day at the end of their half-century and their last ever performance will be on New Year's Eve 2012 on Jools Holland's Hootenanny show on BBC television. The decision to call time on the band follows the death of the last-surviving original member, banjo player Barney McKenna earlier in the year and the decision of fiddle player John Sheahan to retire [he has only been in the band since 1964 !].

However, this is not quite the final word on The Dubliners, as contemporary members Sean Cannon, Eamonn Campbell and Patsy Watchorn will be keeping the band's substantial legacy alive into 2013 as "Spirit of The Dubliners".

During their 50 year career The Dubliners have released over 30 albums [ not including compilations, which at the last count, had reached 25].

The CD now under review "The Dubliners 50 Years" is a 3 CD compilation which consists of [yes, you've guessed it ] 50 of their best tracks.As an overview of their career over the last half-century, this is as comprehensive a collection as you could wish for. It contains all of their best-known [and loved] songs, from their first single "The Wild Rover" through to their mid-sixties hits [ "Seven Drunken Nights" and "Black Velvet Band"] and on to their collaborat

ion with The Pogues, the rumbustious "The Irish Rover"[ with Ronnie Drew trading vocals with Shane]. Other highlights include their classic version of Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town", Luke Kelly's beautiful interpretation of "Raglan Road" and Jim McCann's haunting vocals on "Carrickfergus".

As lead vocalists, Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly [ both now deceased] received much of the limelight but the contributions of Barney McKenna, Ciaran Bourke and John Sheahan should not be underestimated. Barney was considered to be the finest banjo player that Ireland has produced, Ciaran was a fine tin whistle, harmonica and guitar player and John is a classically-trained violinist with a fine ear for melody- just listen to his lovely tune "The Marino Waltz".

If you are a lover of Irish music but don't own anything by The Dubliners [something of a contradiction in terms, I know], then this is an excellent place to start as it provides a representative retrospective of their half-century together, which alas, is now drawing to a close.

Peter Cowley