The Dubliners

{{Short description|Irish folk band}} {{About|the Irish folk band|the book by James Joyce|Dubliners|the album|The Dubliners (album)}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = The Dubliners | image = The original dubliners.jpg | caption = Ciarán Bourke, Luke Kelly, John Sheahan Barney McKenna, Ronnie Drew | image_size = | background = group_or_band | origin = Dublin, Ireland | genre = Irish folk | label = Columbia, Epic, Legacy, Major Minor, EMI, Transatlantic, Polydor, Stiff, CHYME, Lunar, Harmac, Baycourt | alias = | years_active = 1962–2012 | website = | past_members = Ciarán Bourke Ronnie Drew Luke Kelly Barney McKenna Bob Lynch John Sheahan Jim McCann Sean Cannon Eamonn Campbell Paddy Reilly Patsy Watchorn }} '''The Dubliners''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ʌ|b|l|ɪ|n|ə|ɹ|z|}}) were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as '''The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group''', named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personnel over their fifty-year career, but the group's success was centred on lead singers Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew. The band garnered international success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads and instrumentals.<ref>{{cite news|author=Smiling Seoige sisters |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/dubliners-50year-musical-odyssey-2985040.html |title=Dubliners' 50-year musical odyssey – Music, Entertainment |publisher=Independent.ie |date= 1 December 2012|access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref>

The band were regulars on the folk scenes in both Dublin and London in the early 1960s. They were signed to the Major Minor label in 1965 after backing from Dominic Behan who was paid by the label to work with the group and help them to build a better act fit for larger concert hall venues. The Dubliners worked with Behan regularly between 1965 and 1966; Behan wrote numerous songs for this act, including the song "McAlpine's Fusiliers" created specifically to showcase Ronnie Drew's gravel voice. They went on to receive extensive airplay on Radio Caroline, which was part-owned by Phil Solomon CEO of Major Minor, and eventually appeared on ''Top of the Pops'' in 1967 with hits "Seven Drunken Nights" (which sold over 250,000 copies in the UK)<ref>{{cite web|author=Nick Guida |url=http://itsthedubliners.com/dubs_02.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308180103/http://itsthedubliners.com/dubs_02.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=8 March 2011 |title=The Dubliners 1967–1969: It's the Dubliners |publisher=Itsthedubliners.com |date=1 May 1969 |access-date=6 August 2014}}</ref> and "The Black Velvet Band". Often performing political songs considered controversial at the time, they drew criticism from some folk purists. Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ placed an unofficial ban on their music from 1967 to 1971. During this time the band's popularity began to spread across mainland Europe and they appeared on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' in the United States. The group's success remained steady right through the 1970s and a number of collaborations with The Pogues in 1987 saw them enter the UK Singles Chart on another two occasions.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/arts/music/barney-mckenna-banjo-player-in-the-dubliners-dies-at-72.html | work=The New York Times | first=Dennis | last=Hevesi | title=Barney McKenna, Banjo Player in the Dubliners, Dies at 72 | date=11 April 2012}}</ref>

The Dubliners were instrumental in popularising Irish folk music in Europe. They influenced many generations of Irish bands and their legacy can to this day be heard in the music of artists such as The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. Much adored in their native country, covers of Irish ballads by Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly tend to be regarded as definitive versions.{{cn|date=May 2024}} One of the most influential Irish acts of the 20th century, they celebrated 50 years together in 2012, making them Ireland's longest-surviving musical act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slacker.com/station/St-Patricks-Day |title=St. Patricks Day Station on Slacker Personal Radio |publisher=Slacker.com |date=28 January 1928 |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-date=10 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010101939/http://www.slacker.com/station/st-patricks-day |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcentral.com/news/--Dubliners-Banjo-Barney-McKenna-dies-over-his-morning-cuppa---VIDEOS-146360025.html |title=Dubliners "Banjo" Barney McKenna dies over his morning cuppa – Videos | Irish News |publisher=IrishCentral |date=6 April 2012 |access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref> Also in 2012, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards bestowed them with a Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bljzz |title=BBC Radio 2 – BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Radio 2 Folk Awards 2012 |publisher=BBC |date=8 February 2012 |access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref> The Dubliners announced their retirement in the autumn of 2012, after 50 years of performing, following the death of the last living original member Barney McKenna.<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite web |url=http://www.thedubliners.org/retirement.html |title=The Dubliners: Retirement |publisher=Thedubliners.org |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305160745/http://thedubliners.org/retirement.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, some members of the group continued touring under the name of '''The Dublin Legends'''. As of 2026, Sean Cannon is the only remaining member of the Dubliners in that group, following the retirement of Patsy Watchorn in 2014 and the death of Eamonn Campbell in 2017.

==Formation and history== thumb|O'Donoghue's Pub on Merrion Row, Dublin, where the group played regularly in the early 1960s.

===Origins=== The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin. The change of name came about because of Ronnie Drew's unhappiness with it, together with the fact that Luke Kelly was reading ''Dubliners'' by James Joyce at the time.<ref name="Its">{{cite web|author=Nick Guida |url=http://itsthedubliners.com/dubs_01.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103180257/http://itsthedubliners.com/dubs_01.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=3 January 2013 |title=The Dubliners 1962–1966: It's the Dubliners |publisher=Itsthedubliners.com |access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref> Founding members were Drew, Kelly, Ciarán Bourke and Barney McKenna.<ref name="Thedubliners.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.thedubliners.org/history.html |title=The Story so far... The Dubliners' History |publisher=TheDubliners.org |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165113/http://www.thedubliners.org/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Drew, McKenna and Thomas Whelan had originally teamed up for a fundraising concert<ref>''The Dubliners Songbook'', Heathside Music/Wise Publications 1974, Introduction by Eric Winter p.4</ref> and then went on to work in a revue with the Irish comedian John Molloy at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. They used to sing songs between acts.

Before joining the Dubliners full-time, Kelly had spent some time playing at English folk clubs such as the Jug o'Punch in Birmingham, run by the folk singer Ian Campbell.

The group played at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963 and that led to them being featured on a BBC programme called ''Hootenanny''. The extra exposure helped them to win a contract with Transatlantic Records, with whom they recorded their first album, called simply ''The Dubliners''. They also recorded their first single featuring "Rocky Road to Dublin" and "The Wild Rover".

===Members of the group=== Drew spent some time in Spain in his younger years where he learned to play Flamenco guitar, and he accompanied his songs on a Spanish guitar.<ref name="Its"/> Drew left the band in 1974 to spend more time with his family, and was replaced by Jim McCann. He returned to The Dubliners five years later, but left the group again in 1995.<ref name="Its"/> Ronnie Drew died at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Dublin on 16 August 2008 after a long illness.<ref>CBC News, [https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/dubliners-singer-ronnie-drew-dies-1.745755 ''Dubliners singer Ronnie Drew dies''], 16 August 2008. Retrieved on 13 March 2010.</ref> Paddy Reilly took Drew's place in 1995. Some of Drew's most significant contributions to the band are the hit single "Seven Drunken Nights", his rendition of "Finnegan's Wake", and "McAlpine's Fusiliers".

Luke Kelly was more of a balladeer than Drew, and he played chords on the five-string banjo. Kelly sang many defining versions of traditional songs like "The Black Velvet Band", "Whiskey in the Jar", "Home Boys Home"; but also Phil Coulter's "The Town I Loved So Well", Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town", "The Wild Rover", and "Raglan Road", written by the famous Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh. In 1980, Luke Kelly was diagnosed with a brain tumour.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ronnie-drew-lead-singer-of-the-dubliners-900669.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ronnie-drew-lead-singer-of-the-dubliners-900669.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Ronnie Drew: Lead singer of the Dubliners – Obituaries |newspaper=The Independent |date=18 August 2008 |access-date=4 February 2013 |location=London}}</ref> Occasionally Kelly was too ill to sing though he was sometimes able to join the band for a few songs. While on tour in Germany he collapsed on stage. When Kelly was too ill to play, he was replaced by Seán Cannon.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} He continued to tour with the band until two months before his death. Kelly died on 30 January 1984.<ref>{{citation | title = Luke Kelly Dies at Age of 44 | quote = Luke Kelly of the Dubliners died last night in the Richmond Hospital in Dublin. He was 44, and since 1980 had undergone two major operations following a brain tumour. | newspaper = The Irish Times | date = 31 January 1980 | page = Page 7 }}</ref> One of the last concerts in which he took part was recorded and released: ''Live in Carré'', recorded in Amsterdam, Netherlands, released in 1983. In November 2004, the Dublin city council voted unanimously to erect a bronze statue of Luke Kelly.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1102/kellyl.html |title=Council votes to erect Luke Kelly statue |publisher=RTÉ.ie – RTÉ News |date= 2 November 2004|access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref> Kelly is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

Ciarán Bourke was a singer, but he also played the guitar and tin whistle. He sang many songs in Irish ("Peggy Lettermore", "Preab san Ól"). In 1974, he collapsed on stage after suffering a brain haemorrhage. A second haemorrhage left him paralysed on his left side.<ref>{{citation | author = Mary Hardy | title = The Dubliners Scrapbook | quote = The night of 5 April 1974 was little short of catastrophic. [...] There the doctors diagnosed a brain aneurysm. |work=Wise, 1978 | year = 1978 | page = 96 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=q5wvGwAACAAJ&q=The+Dubliners+Scrapbook | access-date =13 March 2010 | isbn = 9780860015307}}</ref> Bourke died in 1988.<ref>{{citation | agency = Associated Press | title = Ciarán Bourke, 48, A Founder of Band Dubliners | quote = [Ciarán Bourke], a ballad-singer, guitarist and tin-whistle playing founding member of the Dubliners folk group, died yesterday. He was 48.| work=Boston Globe|date=11 May 1988|url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59625005.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS&type=current&date=May+11%2C+1988&author=Associated+Press&pub=Boston+Globe+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=73&desc=CIARAN+BOURKE%2C+48+A+FOUNDER+OF+BAND+DUBLINERS|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604185014/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59625005.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS&type=current&date=May+11,+1988&author=Associated+Press&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=73&desc=CIARAN+BOURKE,+48+A+FOUNDER+OF+BAND+DUBLINERS|url-status = dead|archive-date = 4 June 2011|access-date =13 March 2010}}</ref> The band did not officially replace him until his death. {{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}

John Sheahan and Bobby Lynch joined the band in 1964.<ref name="Thedubliners.org"/> They had been playing during the interval at concerts, and usually stayed on for the second half of the show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://voices.yahoo.com/the-dubliners-bobby-lynch-dubliner-forever-3730354.html?cat=33 |title=The Dubliners' Bobby Lynch: A Dubliner Forever |publisher=voices.yahoo.com |date=10 July 2009 |access-date=10 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708004638/http://voices.yahoo.com/the-dubliners-bobby-lynch-dubliner-forever-3730354.html?cat=33 |archive-date=8 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> When Luke Kelly moved to England in 1964, Lynch was taken on as his temporary replacement. When Kelly returned in 1965, Lynch left the band and Sheahan stayed. According to Sheahan, he was never (and still has not been) ever officially asked to join the band.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} Sheahan is the only member to have had a musical education.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} Lynch committed suicide in Dublin in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|author=Nick Guida |url=http://itsthedubliners.com/bl_01.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626223020/http://itsthedubliners.com/bl_01.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=26 June 2009 |title=The Dubliners: Bob Lynch – From the Land of Carolan |publisher=Itsthedubliners.com |access-date=10 May 2012}}</ref>

===Later changes and tours=== [[File:TheDubliners2005.jpg|thumb|The Dubliners in 2005. L-R: Eamonn Campbell, John Sheahan, Barney McKenna, Seán Cannon, Patsy Watchorn.]] In 1996, Ronnie Drew quit the band, and Paddy Reilly came on to replace him. Reilly, a long-time friend of the group, toured with them before on several occasions; he was already a successful solo artist in Ireland, scoring hits with "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Town I Loved So Well".

In 2005, Paddy Reilly moved to the United States, and Patsy Watchorn joined the group. Watchorn made a name for himself with The Dublin City Ramblers; like Kelly, he accompanies his songs on the five-string banjo.

The band toured Europe every year. A planned tour of Denmark two weeks after the death of McKenna on 5 April 2012 went ahead as planned. From the first show in Copenhagen on 18 April onwards he was replaced by the Irish banjo player Gerry O'Connor. In the autumn of 2012, the band announced their retirement, effective after their 50th anniversary shows at the end of the year. The Dubliners played their final shows at Vicar Street in Dublin on 28/29/30 December 2012, and made their final TV appearance in the UK on a pre-recorded New Year's Eve edition of ''Jools Holland Annual Hootenanny'' on 31 December. Their last public appearance as the Dubliners was on 27 January 2013 in memory of Barney McKenna.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedubliners.org/tourdates/tour2013.html |title=Concerts 2013 |publisher=Thedubliners.org |date=30 January 2013 |access-date=4 February 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041633/http://www.thedubliners.org/tourdates/tour2013.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Reunions== left|thumb|A wall in O'Donoghue's dedicated to The Dubliners

===25th anniversary=== In 1987, The Dubliners celebrated their 25th anniversary. They recorded a double CD, produced by Eamonn Campbell, a long-time friend and guest musician. He introduced them to The Pogues, and their collaboration resulted in a hit with "The Irish Rover". It reached No. 8 in the UK singles chart and No. 1 in Ireland. In 1990, their final hit single was "Jack's Heroes/Whiskey in the Jar", again with The Pogues, which reached No. 63 in the UK and No. 4 in Ireland. Campbell, who plays the guitar on stage, has been touring with the band ever since. Christy Moore, Paddy Reilly and Jim McCann also featured on the CD; Moore sings a tribute to Luke Kelly, and McCann sings the song "I Loved the Ground She Walked Upon", written by Phil Coulter and Ralph McTell. The following year, to coincide with Dublin's millennial celebrations, Raidió Teilifís Éireann produced an hour-long special on the band and the city's influence on their music, titled ''The Dubliner's Dublin''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.talkingelephant.co.uk/artists/artist.php?Artist_Ref=22738&Genre_id=all |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421093916/http://www.talkingelephant.co.uk/artists/artist.php?Artist_Ref=22738&Genre_id=all |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2013 |title=The Dubliners |publisher=Talking Elephant |access-date=4 February 2013 }}</ref>

===40th anniversary=== In 2002, they temporarily reunited with Ronnie Drew and Jim McCann, for their 40th anniversary tour. They made a string of appearances on Irish television throughout this time, including a memorable appearance with Phil Coulter and George Murphy on RTÉ 1.

After the tour, Jim McCann was diagnosed with throat cancer and, though he fully recovered, his voice was severely damaged, and he was unable to sing since his illness. Despite this, he regularly acted as MC at folk gigs, notably at The Dubliners reunion shows, and at the 2006 ''Legends of Irish Folk'' shows (where he also played guitar in the finale).

[[File:Dubliners Luxembourg.jpg|thumb|350px|The Dubliners performing in Luxembourg, 11 October 2008]]

===50th anniversary=== In 2012, the band celebrated their 50th anniversary with an extensive year-long European tour and the release of a live DVD recorded live at Dublin's Vicar Street featuring Chris Kavanagh from the Band "The Legend of Luke Kelly" as a special guest. The tour continued in the wake of the death of the final founding member Barney McKenna, although the band announced that the final shows of the tour, to be held 28–30 December also at Vicar Street would be the band's final shows in which the band were joined by former band member Jim McCann.

==Success== left|thumb|The Dubliners with president Higgins of Ireland in 2012. L-R: Gerry O'Connor, Eamonn Campbell, Sean Cannon, John Sheahan, President Michael Higgins and Paddy Reilly

The Dubliners became well known, not just in Ireland but also as pioneers for Irish folk in Europe and also (though less successful) in the United States. Their 1967 recordings of "Seven Drunken Nights" and "The Black Velvet Band" were released on the fledgling Major Minor label, and were heavily promoted on pirate radio station Radio Caroline. The result was that both records reached the top 20 in the UK singles chart. A third single, "Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man" reached No. 43 in December 1967. It was their last UK hit single till they recorded with The Pogues in 1987.

In 1974, Ronnie Drew decided to quit the band, to spend more time with his family. He was replaced with Jim McCann. Before joining the band McCann had a TV show in the early seventies called ''The McCann man''. He is best known for his incarnations of "Carrickfergus", Makem's "Four Green Fields", and "Lord of the Dance". He stayed with the band until 1979 when he left to start a solo career; then Ronnie Drew rejoined the band. First Ronnie went to Norway to record two songs in the Norwegian language with the Norwegian band Bergeners.

The Dubliners also gained popularity amongst famous musicians such as Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason, who were all self-proclaimed Dubliners fans.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/the-dubliners-legends-in-their-own-happy-hour-500749.html |title=The Dubliners: Legends in their own happy hour |publisher=Independent.ie |date= 24 November 2012|access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref>

In the 1960s, The Dubliners sang rebel songs such as "The Old Alarm Clock", "The Foggy Dew" and "Off to Dublin in the Green". However, the conflict in Northern Ireland from 1969 onwards led them to drop most of these from their repertoire. They resumed performing such songs occasionally towards the end of their career. They have also recorded satirical protest songs against nuclear weapons such as "The Button Pusher" and "Protect and Survive", feminist songs such as "Don't Get Married", and socialist songs such as "Joe Hill".

On 8 February 2012, The Dubliners received a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

==Personnel== [[File:FiS 2010 920.jpg|thumb|270px|The Dubliners performing at the 2010 International Folk Festival in Bad Rappenau, Germany. Pictured left to right are Barney McKenna, John Sheahan, Seán Cannon, Patsy Watchorn, and Eamonn Campbell.]] ===Members=== * Ciarán Bourke – vocals, guitar, tin whistle (1962–73, 1973–74; guest – 1987; died 1988) * Ronnie Drew – vocals, guitar (1962–74, 1979–95, 2002; guest – 1978, 2005; died 2008) * Luke Kelly – vocals, banjo (1962–65, 1965–83; died 1984) * Barney McKenna – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, fiddle, vocals (1962–2012; died 2012) * Bobby Lynch – vocals, guitar (1964–65; died 1982) * John Sheahan – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina, guitar (1964–2012) * Jim McCann – vocals, guitar (1973, 1974–79, 1984, 1987, 2002; guest – 2009, 2011, 2012; died 2015) * Seán Cannon – vocals, guitar (1982–2012) * Eamonn Campbell – guitar, mandolin (1984, 1988–2012; died 2017) * Paddy Reilly – vocals, guitar (1984, 1995–2005; guest – 2011) * Patsy Watchorn – vocals, banjo, bodhrán, spoons (2005–2012) * Gerry O'Connor – Irish tenor banjo (2005, 2012)

===Guest musicians=== * Mary Jordan (1960s) * Ann Mulqueen (1962–63) * John Reavey (1964–66) * Danny Doyle (1970s) * Michael Howard – guitar (1980s, 2006) * Nigel Warren-Green – cello (1983–84) * Bobby Kelly (1986) * Gerry O'Connor – Irish tenor banjo (2005, 2012) * Chris Kavanagh – vocals, banjo (2011–12) * Al O'Donnell – vocals, guitar (2011) * Neill Martin – Cello (2012) * Christy Sheridan – Irish tenor banjo (2012)<ref>{{cite web|author=Nick Guida |url=http://itsthedubliners.com/hd.htm#sb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606233023/http://itsthedubliners.com/hd.htm#sb |url-status=usurped |archive-date=6 June 2014 |title=The Dubliners: Group Members (Honorary Dubliners) – It's The Dubliners |publisher=Itsthedubliners.com |date=12 December 2005 |access-date=6 August 2014}}</ref>

====Timeline==== <timeline> ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:22 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:10 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1962 till:24/12/2012 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1962 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1962

Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Banjo value:limegreen legend:Banjo id:Fiddle value:skyblue legend:Fiddle id:Wind value:yellow legend:Wind_instruments id:Whistle value:tan2 legend:Tin_whistle id:bars value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

BarData = bar:Drew text:"Ronnie Drew" bar:Kelly text:"Luke Kelly" bar:Bourke text:"Ciarán Bourke" bar:Lynch text:"Bobby Lynch" bar:McCann text:"Jim McCann" bar:Cannon text:"Séan Cannon" bar:Reilly text:"Paddy Reilly" bar:Watchorn text:"Patsy Watchorn" bar:McKenna text:"Barney McKenna" bar:Sheahan text:"John Sheahan" bar:Campbell text:"Eamonn Campbell"

PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:Drew from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/1974 color:Vocals bar:Drew from:30/06/1979 till:30/06/1995 color:Vocals bar:Drew from:01/01/2002 till:31/12/2002 color:Vocals bar:Drew from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/1974 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Drew from:30/06/1979 till:30/06/1995 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Drew from:01/01/2002 till:31/12/2002 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Kelly from:01/01/1962 till:30/06/1964 color:Vocals bar:Kelly from:30/06/1965 till:01/11/1983 color:Vocals bar:Kelly from:01/01/1962 till:30/06/1964 color:Banjo width:3 bar:Kelly from:30/06/1965 till:01/11/1983 color:Banjo width:3 bar:Bourke from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/1974 color:Vocals bar:Bourke from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/1974 color:Wind width:5 bar:Bourke from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/1974 color:Guitar width:7 bar:Bourke from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/1974 color:Whistle width:3 bar:McKenna from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/2012 color:Banjo bar:McKenna from:01/01/1962 till:05/04/2012 color:Wind width:3 bar:Sheahan from:30/06/1964 till:end color:Fiddle bar:Sheahan from:30/06/1964 till:end color:Whistle width:3 bar:Lynch from:30/06/1964 till:30/06/1965 color:Vocals bar:McCann from:05/04/1974 till:30/06/1979 color:Vocals bar:McCann from:01/01/2002 till:31/12/2002 color:Vocals bar:Lynch from:30/06/1964 till:30/06/1965 color:Guitar width:3 bar:McCann from:05/04/1974 till:30/06/1979 color:Guitar width:3 bar:McCann from:01/01/2002 till:31/12/2002 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Cannon from:01/11/1982 till:end color:Vocals bar:Cannon from:01/11/1982 till:end color:Guitar width:3 bar:Campbell from:30/06/1987 till:end color:Guitar bar:Reilly from:30/06/1995 till:30/06/2005 color:Vocals bar:Reilly from:30/06/1995 till:30/06/2005 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Watchorn from:30/06/2005 till:end color:Vocals bar:Watchorn from:30/06/2005 till:end color:Banjo width:3 </timeline>

===Line-ups=== {| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="float:width:375px; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #e2e2e2; width:99%;" |- ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1962–64 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1964–65 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1965–73 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1973 (Bourke temporarily replaced due to illness) |- | valign=top | *'''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar *'''Luke Kelly''' – vocals, banjo *'''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals *'''Ciarán Bourke''' – vocals, guitar, tin whistle | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''Ciarán Bourke''' – vocals, guitar, tin whistle *'''Bobby Lynch''' – vocals, guitar *'''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Luke Kelly''' – vocals, banjo * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''Ciarán Bourke''' – vocals, guitar, tin whistle * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Luke Kelly''' – vocals, banjo * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina *'''Jim McCann''' – vocals, guitar |- ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1973–74 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1974–79 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1979–82 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1982–83 |- | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Luke Kelly''' – vocals, banjo * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''Ciarán Bourke''' – vocals, guitar, tin whistle * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina | valign=top | * '''Luke Kelly''' – vocals, banjo * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Jim McCann''' – vocals, guitar | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Luke Kelly''' – vocals, banjo * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Luke Kelly''' – vocals, banjo * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina *'''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar |- ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1983–88 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1984 (RTÉ's Festival of Folk Concert) ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1988–95 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 1995–2005 |- | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Jim McCann''' – vocals, guitar * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar *'''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin *'''Paddy Reilly''' – vocals, guitar | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar * '''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin | valign=top | * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar * '''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin * '''Paddy Reilly''' – vocals, guitar |- ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 2002 (40 Years Reunion Tour) ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 2005–12 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 2012 ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 2013–14 (As "The Dublin Legends") |- | valign=top | * '''Ronnie Drew''' – vocals, guitar * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Jim McCann''' – vocals, guitar * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar * '''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin * '''Paddy Reilly''' – vocals, guitar | valign=top | * '''Barney McKenna''' – Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, melodeon, vocals * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar * '''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin *'''Patsy Watchorn''' – vocals, banjo, bodhrán, spoons | valign=top | * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar * '''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin * '''Patsy Watchorn''' – vocals, banjo, bodhrán, spoons | valign=top | * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar *'''Gerry O'Connor''' – Irish tenor banjo, violin * '''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin * '''Patsy Watchorn''' – vocals, banjo, bodhrán, spoons |- ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 2014–17 (As "The Dublin Legends") ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 2017–present (As "The Dublin Legends") ! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;"| 2020 (Reunion) |- | valign=top | * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar *'''Gerry O'Connor''' – Irish tenor banjo, violin * '''Eamonn Campbell''' – guitar, mandolin * '''Paul Watchorn''' – vocals, banjo, guitar | valign=top | * '''Seán Cannon''' – vocals, guitar, octave mandola *'''Gerry O'Connor''' – Irish tenor banjo, violin * '''Shay Kavanagh''' – guitar, vocals * '''Paul Watchorn''' – vocals, banjo, guitar | valgin=top | * '''John Sheahan''' – fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle, concertina * '''Sean Cannon''' – vocals, guitar *'''Gerry O'Connor''' – Irish tenor banjo, violin *'''Shay Kavanagh''' – guitar, vocals *'''Paul Watchorn''' – vocals, banjo, guitar |}

==Discography== :''See: The Dubliners discography''

=== Original albums === * 1964 ''The Dubliners'' (Live) * 1965 ''In Concert'' (Live) * 1966 ''Finnegan Wakes'' (Live) * 1967 ''A Drop of the Hard Stuff'' (a.k.a. ''Seven Drunken Nights'') * 1967 ''More of the Hard Stuff'' * 1968 ''Drinkin' and Courtin''' (a.k.a. ''I Know My Love'') * 1968 ''At It Again'' (a.k.a. ''Seven Deadly Sins'') * 1969 ''Live at the Albert Hall'' (Live) * 1969 ''At Home with The Dubliners'' * 1970 ''Revolution'' * 1972 ''Hometown'' (Live) * 1972 ''Double Dubliners'' (a.k.a. ''Alive And Well'') * 1973 ''Plain and Simple'' * 1974 ''Live'' (Live) * 1975 ''Now'' * 1976 ''A Parcel of Rogues'' * 1977 ''Live at Montreux'' (Live) * 1977 ''15 Years On'' * 1979 ''Together Again'' * 1983 ''21 Years On'' (Live) * 1983 ''Prodigal Sons'' * 1985 ''Live In Carré'' (Live) * 1987 ''25 Years Celebration'' * 1988 ''Dubliner's Dublin'' * 1992 ''30 Years A-Greying'' * 1996 ''Further Along'' * 1997 ''Alive Alive-O'' (Live) * 2002 ''40 Years'' (features old and new songs) * 2002 ''Live From The Gaiety'' (Live) * 2006 ''Live At Vicar Street'' (Live) * 2008 ''The Late Late Show Tribute to The Dubliners'' (Recorded Live, with special guests, 1987) * 2009 ''A Time to Remember'' (Live)

=== Compilation albums === * 1967 ''The Best of The Dubliners'' (Transatlantic TRA 158) * 1969 ''It's The Dubliners'' * 1969 ''A Drop of The Dubliners'' * 1976 ''Drinking and Wenching'' [1967–1969] * 1977 ''Home, Boys, Home'' * 1978 ''20 Original Greatest Hits'' * 1979 ''The Dubliners Collection'' * 1981 ''20 Original Greatest Hits Volume 2'' * 1981 ''18 Original Greatest Hits Volume 3'' * 1986 ''Luke's Legacy'' * 1992 ''Off to Dublin Green'' * 1993 ''Original Dubliners'' * 1995 ''Milestones'' * 1997 ''The Definitive Transatlantic Collection'' * 1998 ''At Their Best'' * 1998 ''Ageless Classics – The Transatlantic Years Revisited'' * 2000 ''Collection'' (reassembling) * 2000 ''Definitive Dubliners'' * 2002 ''The Best of The Dubliners'' * 2002 ''The Transatlantic Anthology'' * 2003 ''Spirit of the Irish'' * 2005 ''Wild Irish Rovers''<ref>{{cite web|author=Wild Irish Rovers |url=https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Irish-Rovers-Dubliners/dp/B000065TKT |title=Wild Irish Rovers: Dubliners: Music |website=Amazon |access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref> * 2006 ''The Dubliners Collection'' (reassembling) * 2006 ''Too Late to Stop Now: The Very Best of the Dubliners'' * 2009 ''The Very Best Of: The Dubliners'' * 2010 ''The Very Best of the Original Dubliners'' * 2011 ''Wild Rover'' * 2012 ''50 Years''

===Video=== * 1984 ''The Dubliners – Visions of Ireland'' (re-released in 1991 as ''The Dubliners – Recorded Live in Dublin'' and in 1992 as ''The Dubliners – Live with Paddy Reilly and Jim McCann'') * 1989 ''The Dubliners Dublin'' * 1987 ''The Late Late Show Tribute to The Dubliners'' * 1998 ''O'Donoghue's Opera'' * 1999 ''Luke – The Documentary'' * 2002 ''40 Years: Live From The Gaiety'' (re-released in 2004 as ''The Dubliners – Live: Legends In Concert'' and as a DVD/CD set ''The Dubliners – Live'') * 2005 ''Five Beards on the Road'' (re-released in 2007 as ''On The Road – Live In Germany'') * 2005 ''Luke Kelly – The Performer'' * 2005 ''The Dubliners Tour Sampler'' * 2006 ''Live At Vicar Street'' * 2008 ''The Dubliners – World Icons'' (2 DVD/CD Compilation)<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://itsthedubliners.com/dubs_vi2008_wi.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304203011/http://itsthedubliners.com/dubs_vi2008_wi.htm | url-status=usurped | archive-date=4 March 2013 | title=The Dubliners: Live at Vicar Street – the Dublin Experience – the Dubliners Videography}}</ref> * 2012 ''50 Years – Celebration Concert in Dublin''

===Irish Chart singles=== * 1966 – "Nelson's Farewell" (No. 6)<ref name="irishcharts.ie">[http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=3] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721125307/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=3|date=21 July 2011}}</ref> * 1967 – "The Black Velvet Band" (No. 4)<ref name="irishcharts.ie"/> * 1967 – All For Me Grog (No. 10)<ref name="irishcharts.ie"/> * 1967 – "Seven Drunken Nights" (No. 1)<ref name="irishcharts.ie"/> * 1968 – "Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man" (No. 11)<ref name="ReferenceA">[http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829101401/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=2|date=29 August 2009}}</ref> * 1968 – "Dirty Old Town" (No. 10)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> * 1971 – "Hand Me Down My Bible" (No. 7)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> * 1971 – "Free the People" (No. 7)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> * 1986 – "Raglan Road" (No. 30)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> * 1987 – "Don't Get Married" (No. 24)<ref name="ReferenceB">[http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514063919/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1|date=14 May 2011}}</ref> * 1987 – "The Irish Rover" (No. 1)<ref name="ReferenceB"/> * 1990 – "Jack's Heroes" (No. 4) (with The Pogues)<ref name="ReferenceB"/> * 1991 – "The Rose" (No. 2) (with Hothouse Flowers)<ref name="ReferenceB"/> * 1994 – "Red Roses for Me" (No. 13)<ref name="ReferenceB"/> * 2008 – "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" (No. 1) (With U2) * 2012 – "The Rocky Road to Poland" (No. 1 Ireland)(with Bressie and Damien Dempsey) * 2013 – "The Auld Triangle (No. 80) (with Luke Kelly)

===UK Chart singles=== * 1967 – "Seven Drunken Nights" (No. 7) * 1967 – "The Black Velvet Band" (No. 15) * 1967 – "Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man" (No. 43) * 1987 – "Irish Rover" (Feat The Pogues) (No. 8) * 1990 – "Jacks Heroes" (Feat The Pogues) (No. 63)

==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links== * [https://www.theballadeers.com/itsdubs/dubs_01.htm History and discography ''It's the Dubliners''] * [http://www.patsywatchorn.com/index.php Patsy Watchorn Official Website] * [http://www.dgdclynx.plus.com/music/dubliner.html Discography] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090914063647/http://www.outlawproyect.com/tributoaRonnie.html Tribute CD to Ronnie Drew]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubliners, The}} Category:The Dubliners Category:1960s in Irish music Category:1962 establishments in Ireland Category:1970s in Irish music Category:1980s in Irish music Category:1990s in Irish music Category:2000s in Irish music Category:2010s in Irish music Category:2012 disestablishments in Ireland Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines Category:Irish folk music groups Category:Irish-language musical groups Category:Major Minor Records artists Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2012 Category:Musical groups established in 1962 Category:Musical groups from Dublin (city) Category:Polydor Records artists Category:Transatlantic Records artists