FOLLOWING on from their reunion gig at the West County Hotel, Ennis in January 2009, Stockton’s Wing are taking to the stage in Clare again at the end of April.
Paul Roche, Maurice Lennon, Mike Hanrahan and Tommy Hayes will be the band’s line-up for the gig, augmented by a few surprise guests on the night.
“We’ll be performing all our old favourites and anything really that the crowd want us to play. We feel that the music we play still has the same relevance for people, because traditional music is very strong still, especially in Clare,” Paul said.
“We were overwhelmed by the reunion gig last year and the level of support it received and it certainly encouraged us to come back with another gig this year in our hometown. We are really looking forward to the show again. Last year’s reunion was a mighty session that went on well after the show officially ended. So many friends and family came out to support us,” Paul added.
But one of their fans, who won’t be there to cheer them on this year, is Paul’s brother-in-law Kevin Murray, who died on March 13 and was buried on St Patrick’s Day.
“Kevin was a great whistle player, and on uileann pipes and was loved by a wide circle of friends and his family, with whom he was very close. He was only 46. He had been unwell for some time but had gone downhill a lot since his father, Sonny, died four months ago. He took it very badly.
“We played together in St Flannan’s Céilí Band in 1977/78 and at U-18 level. We won All-Ireland competitions, as well as fleadhs and Slógadh. He was an accomplished player and he understood music deeply. He was very passionate about music. He was a great man to give a critical ear to a piece of music or song. We had a firm friendship, as there was only Helen and Kevin, as well as their parents, Sonny and Frances. So we had a strong friendship and were very close. We miss him very much and feel his absence from our lives in a very significant way,” the musician said.
He felt that it was a fitting tribute to Kevin that so many turned out at the funeral. “There was about 30 musicians playing in Ennis Cathedral and others at the graveside in Drumcliffe. The funeral was more of a session than anything else, which is what Kevin would have loved. One of the most moving parts for us all was when Donagh Wilde played a piece on the organ, accompanied by Stephen Flaherty on electric guitar, who also gave an oration in tribute to Kevin. That piece of music was one that Donagh had composed and one that Kevin really loved. All of us in Stockton’s Wing knew Kevin for years and already feel his absence. He will be missed very much on the night of the West County gig but we certainly believe he will be with us in spirit.”
Indications already are that the gig is selling out very fast, so it is advisable to book very soon to catch Stockton’s Wing.
“It’s amazing that we’re still drawing in crowds and get such great support. People always felt that we had a unique sound – a marriage between trad and rock, as opposed to folk rock. We were all trad players originally, and we brought in the rock element through the bass and drums. We always had very strong lyrics too. One of the other things that made what we did over the years work was that we knew each other so well,” Paul said.
All of the band members grew up in Ennis. Paul, Mike and Kieran are first cousins. “We lived across the road from each other in St Michael’s Villas and went to school together in the CBS. We met Maurice when he was working in Brogans and we started playing together at sessions. While we aren’t doing shows much anymore, we are all still in regular contact and are all still good friends.”
Paul said that he is out of the music scene most of the time now but does play in casual sessions. “It’s more of my hobby now. I toured with the group for about 25 years, so it was time I wound down a bit. Of course, I still love playing and it’s a very big part of who I am,” he added.
Maurice is living in the United States and is gigging regularly. “He has mainly been doing solo projects, but has mixed with a couple of other musicians, including master guitarist Denis Cahill. I think there may be an album in the offing there,” Paul said.
Mike Hanrahan has had a total career change and is now teaching cookery in Ballymaloe, with Darina Allen. “He did a cookery course with them and he was so good that they kept him. He was chief cook in our flat in Ranelagh many years ago. He had a flair for cooking then, so to be honest I’m not a bit surprised at this at all.”
Tommy has done a number of solo music projects but these days he is mainly involved in music therapy in East Clare. But whatever the talented musicians are doing these days, they’re very much focused on performing another showstopper in the West County Hotel on April 24.
“We thought last year’s reunion gig would be a once-off but it went so well that we probably will make it an annual event in Ennis – maybe elsewhere too – but there’s always something special about playing in your hometown, back where it all began,” Paul said.