Showband memories brought to Ennis

CLARE will get a taste of the showband years again in the new year when RTÉ’s Ronan Collins hosts Reeling in the Showband Years in Glór on January 5.
Acclaimed as the showband show to top them all, the show will bring the audience back in time to this magical era of the showbands, which will include Ronan Collins singing his tribute to Joe Dolan and Dickie Rock.
This year, the show will include Crystal Swing, the family group from Cork who have become somewhat of a performing sensation almost worldwide, with their number one hit, The Hucklebuck and He Drinks Tequila.
Another popular performance at the show will be the big sound of The Conquerors Showband, which is said to be one of the greatest showbands of them all and still packing them in everywhere they go. The Galway boys were best known for singing Baby Blue and many more.
Also on the line-up is Des Lee from The Miami Showband, who took over as lead singer with the band after the tragic death of Fran O’Toole. Undoubtedly, the biggest drawing band in Ireland throughout the ’70s, Des wrote Clap Your Hand Stamp Your Feet, one of their many hit records.
Eurovision stars Tommy and Jimmy Swarbrigg have also joined the show. They performed for Ireland in 1975 and 1977 and had 20 hit records throughout their career, including Looking Through The Eyes of a Beautiful Girl, If Ma Could See Me Now, It’s Nice to be in Love Again and That’s What Friends are For, as well as many others.
Other performers at the show, are Lorraine McDonald, one of the brightest talents to emerge from the latter days of the showband boom, from The Showband Show, DJ Curtin, former lead singer with The Kerry Blues Showband, who can cover everything from Tom Jones to Englebert Humperdinck.
The show’s finale is an all-cast salute to the showband era, in which all of the cast will join up in a medley of songs from the unique showband years.
Reeling in the Showband Years will take place at Glór on Wednesday, January 5 at 8pm. For tickets, contact the Glór box office on 065 6843103 or www.glor.ie.