Luke Kelly Of The Dubliners
Luke Kelly -His life in England before joining The Dubliners with quotes from Christy Moore, Ronnie Drew, Bono and many more.
Luke Kelly is regarded by most Irish people as the most popular Irish folk singer of all time. Judging by the amount of musicians who come to this site to learn Luke's songs I can assure you there's nobody that comes close to The Red Haired Minstrel Boy. There's even a campaign going on over at Facebook to have a statue of Luke Kelly erected in Dublin to honor Ireland's favorite folkie.
It's not only the sheer power in Luke's voice that attracts people to him but it was also his personality on stage . Luke always used a bit of humor while introducing his songs, if you have a listen to the live version of Hand Me Down My Bible [ song ] you'll understand what I'm talking about.
One day the Dubliners done a rehearsal, as Ronnie explains, was a very strange thing for The Dubliners to do because the rehearsal was done when we were singing the song on stage. One of the group said ''Well The Ronnie Drew Group Is This, That And We Should Call It Something Else'', so Luke Kelly happen to be reading a copy of James Joyce's ''Dubliners'', So Luke said ''Why Not Call It The Dubliners''. And that was it .says Ronnie.
It's not only the sheer power in Luke's voice that attracts people to him but it was also his personality on stage . Luke always used a bit of humor while introducing his songs, if you have a listen to the live version of Hand Me Down My Bible [ song ] you'll understand what I'm talking about.
One day the Dubliners done a rehearsal, as Ronnie explains, was a very strange thing for The Dubliners to do because the rehearsal was done when we were singing the song on stage. One of the group said ''Well The Ronnie Drew Group Is This, That And We Should Call It Something Else'', so Luke Kelly happen to be reading a copy of James Joyce's ''Dubliners'', So Luke said ''Why Not Call It The Dubliners''. And that was it .says Ronnie.
The group were Ireland's first urban folk group and were central to the Irish folk scene. They sang Recorded with Transatlantic Records and began recording and preforming in pubs like The Abbey, The Embankment Tallagh ] and O'Donoghue's Pub.It was in O'Donoghue's than Luke Kelly started his relationship with American actress Deirdre O'Connell.
The Dubliners signed up with Major Minor and started to tour and record more extensively. Deirdre and Luke got married in Dublin. In 1967 the groups first single record was banned which caused a major controversy that helped make them stars. Bono from U2 '' I seem to remember not liking anything that was called folk,
especially Irish folk music, I thought it was crap and so did everyone on our street. Because we came from Ballymun, nowhere's-ville, outer space, where there was no sense of culture at all, and I remember people who laid it on thick were to be avoided at all cost. They were the enemy when I was a kid, then there were the Dubliners who were the complete exception to that. They were more like The Rolling Stones or The Clash says Bono.
Ronnie Drew first heard about the song Seven Drunken Nights [ being in the charts when the group were in
London and someone from an Irish showband who had just arrived from Ireland told Ronnie that the song was in the charts and Ronnie's reaction was ''It That Good Or Bad''. None of us were under any delusions that we were now stars says Ronnie, we were just going to get more ''readies'' [ money ] for gigs, which meant more money or Porter.
Christy Moore : ''The way the music was done and the way the songs were sung suggested a lifestyle we embraced, a kind of madness, plenty of craic and porter, plenty of singing and plenty of women, all that kind of thing.''
Ronnie Drew : Ever time you done a gig the natural thing to do was go drinking and we could all manage to preform the next day, don't ask me how but we seemed to be able to. We'd be going into places and meeting people like Keith Moon [ Drummer With The Who] I remember one night we went to our hotel and Keith was playing the drums in the lobby. A drink at that time to us was a bottle of Champagne and we'd drink it like we were drinking a bottle of stout. I remember going over to London to a speak-easy with Luke Kelly and we met Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney and it was like backstage at some pantomime the was everybody was
dressed up says Ronnie.
The Dubliners signed up with Major Minor and started to tour and record more extensively. Deirdre and Luke got married in Dublin. In 1967 the groups first single record was banned which caused a major controversy that helped make them stars. Bono from U2 '' I seem to remember not liking anything that was called folk,
especially Irish folk music, I thought it was crap and so did everyone on our street. Because we came from Ballymun, nowhere's-ville, outer space, where there was no sense of culture at all, and I remember people who laid it on thick were to be avoided at all cost. They were the enemy when I was a kid, then there were the Dubliners who were the complete exception to that. They were more like The Rolling Stones or The Clash says Bono.
Ronnie Drew first heard about the song Seven Drunken Nights [ being in the charts when the group were in
London and someone from an Irish showband who had just arrived from Ireland told Ronnie that the song was in the charts and Ronnie's reaction was ''It That Good Or Bad''. None of us were under any delusions that we were now stars says Ronnie, we were just going to get more ''readies'' [ money ] for gigs, which meant more money or Porter.
Christy Moore : ''The way the music was done and the way the songs were sung suggested a lifestyle we embraced, a kind of madness, plenty of craic and porter, plenty of singing and plenty of women, all that kind of thing.''
Ronnie Drew : Ever time you done a gig the natural thing to do was go drinking and we could all manage to preform the next day, don't ask me how but we seemed to be able to. We'd be going into places and meeting people like Keith Moon [ Drummer With The Who] I remember one night we went to our hotel and Keith was playing the drums in the lobby. A drink at that time to us was a bottle of Champagne and we'd drink it like we were drinking a bottle of stout. I remember going over to London to a speak-easy with Luke Kelly and we met Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney and it was like backstage at some pantomime the was everybody was
dressed up says Ronnie.
Luke's political thinking was as keen as ever. He used The Dubliners success to bring international attention to the struggle of the dispossessed. Mary Maher Journalist Irish Times :There was a very strong commitment going on about the need for justice - a protest about all forms of injustice from the anti apartheid movement, the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement across America.
Des Geraghty S.I.P.T.U. Former President. I think Luke Kelly and The Dubliners were a fusion of the struggles of the Blacks in America and the liberal civil rights supporters, and Luke linked the struggles of these civil rights movements in America with the same struggles as the civil rights in Northern Ireland.
John Hume Former leader of S.D.L.P. : Well I think there's no doubt at all that the 1960's that the civil rights movement in America and their leadership and the impact of Martin Luther King had enormous influence right across the world and had a big impact in Northern Ireland. We were looking for equality of treatment for both sections of our people and when it was boiled down we were really talking about was one person one vote. Luke Kelly was very much in tune with the struggles of the people in Northern Ireland.
Ian Campbell Folk Singer: Luke was always interested in developing a list of good songs to sing. This was very important to him, he absorbed songs. What happened to Luke in England was a massive educational process.
Being passionate about singing Luke joined the socialist Clarion Choir where he met the Irish Communist Sean Mulready and his Republican wife Maud. Maud adopted him and civilist him. She made him get his hair cut and buy a suit of clothes and he found himself a job, a year later he was quiet a presentable young fellow. Luke joined the folk song clubs and was trying hard to learn the folk songs as it was what he lived for.
The same year Luke Kelly was going to night school where he was learning literature and left wing politics where he became fully articulate in anti establishment politics and was an active member of C.N.D. and the young communist league. Luke became known in England as ''Luke The Sun Is Burning Kelly'' after the song of the same name which was later recorded by The Dubliners and was written by Ian Campbell and became an anthem for those opposed to Nuclear bombs. At the time George Thompson who had great influence in Eastern Europe offered Luke a place at Prague university, this was 1962, Luke had two choices. He could go to Prague university or he could come home to Ireland to try his luck at ballad singing, and he chose to come back to Ireland.
Before returning home Luke finished his apprenticeship with the singer / songwriter Ewan McColl and his London based folk group The Critics. Although he alway said that Ewan McColl was his greatest musical influence, their relationship was never an easy one. Luke saw that McColl was a great song writer but not a great singer and he was guilty of an awful lot of intellectually dishonesty but with the songs he was very influential, and Luke Kelly took that back to Ireland with him. But when Luke left Ireland in 1959 he said he never intended to come back. But as he was coming back and forth during the early 60's he could see this enormous change taking place in Dublin and it was clearly the right time and place for him to be.
Des Geraghty S.I.P.T.U. Former President. I think Luke Kelly and The Dubliners were a fusion of the struggles of the Blacks in America and the liberal civil rights supporters, and Luke linked the struggles of these civil rights movements in America with the same struggles as the civil rights in Northern Ireland.
John Hume Former leader of S.D.L.P. : Well I think there's no doubt at all that the 1960's that the civil rights movement in America and their leadership and the impact of Martin Luther King had enormous influence right across the world and had a big impact in Northern Ireland. We were looking for equality of treatment for both sections of our people and when it was boiled down we were really talking about was one person one vote. Luke Kelly was very much in tune with the struggles of the people in Northern Ireland.
Ian Campbell Folk Singer: Luke was always interested in developing a list of good songs to sing. This was very important to him, he absorbed songs. What happened to Luke in England was a massive educational process.
Being passionate about singing Luke joined the socialist Clarion Choir where he met the Irish Communist Sean Mulready and his Republican wife Maud. Maud adopted him and civilist him. She made him get his hair cut and buy a suit of clothes and he found himself a job, a year later he was quiet a presentable young fellow. Luke joined the folk song clubs and was trying hard to learn the folk songs as it was what he lived for.
The same year Luke Kelly was going to night school where he was learning literature and left wing politics where he became fully articulate in anti establishment politics and was an active member of C.N.D. and the young communist league. Luke became known in England as ''Luke The Sun Is Burning Kelly'' after the song of the same name which was later recorded by The Dubliners and was written by Ian Campbell and became an anthem for those opposed to Nuclear bombs. At the time George Thompson who had great influence in Eastern Europe offered Luke a place at Prague university, this was 1962, Luke had two choices. He could go to Prague university or he could come home to Ireland to try his luck at ballad singing, and he chose to come back to Ireland.
Before returning home Luke finished his apprenticeship with the singer / songwriter Ewan McColl and his London based folk group The Critics. Although he alway said that Ewan McColl was his greatest musical influence, their relationship was never an easy one. Luke saw that McColl was a great song writer but not a great singer and he was guilty of an awful lot of intellectually dishonesty but with the songs he was very influential, and Luke Kelly took that back to Ireland with him. But when Luke left Ireland in 1959 he said he never intended to come back. But as he was coming back and forth during the early 60's he could see this enormous change taking place in Dublin and it was clearly the right time and place for him to be.
The Ireland Luke returned to was seeing a great social change. The way the Church and state were running the show since the civil war in Ireland was starting to break down. The composer Sean O'Riada was a major influence in the new popularity of Irish traditional music. Luke said he was thunder struck with his first experience of a fleadh cheoil in miltown malbay.
Ronnie Drew :Luke started coming into O'Donoghue pub to meet Barney McKenna and myself. It was one Christmas Eve we said to Paddy O'Donoghue ''Can We Play A Few Tunes Paddy'' , ah ye says Paddy, but keep it quiet, don't be making too much noise. And the rest as they say is history.
Quote from Ronnie :I think I was a bit jealous of him, you know, but it didn't last very long. He was very generous. It took a little while to get to know him. There was no rivalry. I was close to him, but he'd be shouting, you know, 'Fuck Off' and all that. Luke was a communist, but I didn't quiet agree. For instance I used to ask him why, if communism was so great, why so many people wanted to get out of it ? He used to get very annoyed.
Luke liked to talk about left wing politics. I suppose he was a bit of a rebel socialist in a sense that he couldn't abide the party line. Sometimes I remember days would go by on tour and we wouldn't talk to each other. Then he would start talking and our conversation would go on for a long long time. At times he could be introspective, even a loner. If anything was bothering him I think he found it hard to confide in someone in the group. He couldn't tolerate sham or conceit, for example. He enjoyed the craic, The Dubliner's always enjoyed the craic.
Ronnie Drew :Luke started coming into O'Donoghue pub to meet Barney McKenna and myself. It was one Christmas Eve we said to Paddy O'Donoghue ''Can We Play A Few Tunes Paddy'' , ah ye says Paddy, but keep it quiet, don't be making too much noise. And the rest as they say is history.
Quote from Ronnie :I think I was a bit jealous of him, you know, but it didn't last very long. He was very generous. It took a little while to get to know him. There was no rivalry. I was close to him, but he'd be shouting, you know, 'Fuck Off' and all that. Luke was a communist, but I didn't quiet agree. For instance I used to ask him why, if communism was so great, why so many people wanted to get out of it ? He used to get very annoyed.
Luke liked to talk about left wing politics. I suppose he was a bit of a rebel socialist in a sense that he couldn't abide the party line. Sometimes I remember days would go by on tour and we wouldn't talk to each other. Then he would start talking and our conversation would go on for a long long time. At times he could be introspective, even a loner. If anything was bothering him I think he found it hard to confide in someone in the group. He couldn't tolerate sham or conceit, for example. He enjoyed the craic, The Dubliner's always enjoyed the craic.
There's not a single ballad session that I ever attended that I didn't here a Dubliners song being played. Luke Kelly had a massive influence on folk music in Ireland. It wasn't just his singing that people latched on to, it was also his personality. Most ballad groups in Ireland use a set lest of songs that they play on a regular basis, I too fall back on the set list and of the 50 or so songs that I play regularly there are over 20 that were Dubliners songs and of them half were Luke Kelly songs.
Folkies often debate what Luke would have being doing if he was still alive, if he'd still be playing with The Dubliners or have gone solo. Judging by the type of song that he embraced I'd say he'd be singing songs abour Ireland's present economic difficulties and how emigration and austerity has crippled our country. These kind of songs seemed have vanished from Irish life. Christy Moore kept that tradition alive after Luke's departure but Christy seemes to have stopped writing songs about injustice that effect people on a daily basis.
Inspiration comes from many places in life and I remember when I was going to record the song Luke Kelly's Land by Pete St. John as a tribute to Luke I learned to play a new instrument just for the song. I remember laying down a few tracks such as voice, guitar and tin whistle but found the the outcome lacking something. So I learned how to play the piano keyboard, well just the basic lead notes to have in the background. So without Luke I would never had learned how to play the keyboard. When I was 30 I first picked up the guitar as I'd being singing in pubs for years and thought it was time to back myself up while singing and one of the very first songs I learned was Monto by The Dubliners. It wasn't because it was my favorite song, it was the fact that I was looking for easy stuff to get me started and Monto only had three chords, G Em and D. So I practised singing and playing at the same time and had Monto off by heart within an hour or so. So I suppose you could say Luke had an influece on me taking up the guitar also. Martin Dardis November 2013
Folkies often debate what Luke would have being doing if he was still alive, if he'd still be playing with The Dubliners or have gone solo. Judging by the type of song that he embraced I'd say he'd be singing songs abour Ireland's present economic difficulties and how emigration and austerity has crippled our country. These kind of songs seemed have vanished from Irish life. Christy Moore kept that tradition alive after Luke's departure but Christy seemes to have stopped writing songs about injustice that effect people on a daily basis.
Inspiration comes from many places in life and I remember when I was going to record the song Luke Kelly's Land by Pete St. John as a tribute to Luke I learned to play a new instrument just for the song. I remember laying down a few tracks such as voice, guitar and tin whistle but found the the outcome lacking something. So I learned how to play the piano keyboard, well just the basic lead notes to have in the background. So without Luke I would never had learned how to play the keyboard. When I was 30 I first picked up the guitar as I'd being singing in pubs for years and thought it was time to back myself up while singing and one of the very first songs I learned was Monto by The Dubliners. It wasn't because it was my favorite song, it was the fact that I was looking for easy stuff to get me started and Monto only had three chords, G Em and D. So I practised singing and playing at the same time and had Monto off by heart within an hour or so. So I suppose you could say Luke had an influece on me taking up the guitar also. Martin Dardis November 2013
