Blarney Brothers celebrate 40 show-stopping years
The Blarney Brothers celebrate 40 amazing years with a 40th anniversary and St Patrick's Day performance at the Barnyard Theatre.
NOW celebrating their 40th anniversary, the indefatigable three-man musical outfit have been at the heart of South Africa’s music scene for four decades this year, livening up parties and gala events with their own special brand of music, including Irish ballads, catchy pub songs, popular ‘newies’ and the occasional Irish jig.
Surely our longest-running group with an unbroken performance record, The Blarney Brothers remain at the forefront of the South African entertainment industry.
Comprising siblings Paul and Damien McIlroy and fellow band member, Tony Fisher, who all settled in South Africa in the 70’s, the three Irish-born musicians joined forces to form their own professional band in August 1974, landing a six-month contract to perform six nights a week at Durban’s Astra Hotel in Russell Street.
With a swiftly growing fan base, they moved on to the Pool Bar at the Lonsdale Hotel, then on to the Killarney Hotel. Thereafter, they signed up as an entertainment act aboard a cruise ship, Oceanic Independent, heading for Cape Town in 1976.
“We came in for a lot of publicity when we were invited to perform on the same bill as Pat Boone and his daughter, Debbie Boone, during their South African tour. This was in 1977, the year Debbie Boone hit the big time globally with her rendering of You Light Up My Life,” recalled Blarney Brothers leader, Paul McIlroy.
When asked why they chose the name Blarney Brothers, Paul said they needed a name to convey that they are an Irish band and thought that
Blarney had the right connotation.
“We have done so many big performances it is difficult to pick just one, but our biggest success has to be the Barn at the Athlone Hotel (now Riverside Hotel) where we performed twice a week for a period of 13 years. The average crowd there was over a 1 000people a week.”
But they didn’t just make it locally. About 30 years ago they performed in Taiwan: “It was a fantastic experience to be in China for the first time and certainly one of our most memorable performances.”
Their extensive touring also led them to rub shoulders with some big name acts such as The Beach Boys, Van Morrison, Roger Wittager, Marmalade, Amen Corner, Aker Bilk, The Equals, Pat and Debbie Boone and many others.
A career highlight during the following decade was a commission to make the seven-part television documentary series, You Don’t Have To Be Irish. This saw the Blarney Brothers taking a month off to film in Ireland for SABC 3. The series was screened in South Africa in 1986 over six weeks.
And to celebrate the brothers’ 40 years’ non-stop entertainment, they’ll put on a special St Patrick’s Day show on March 17 at the Barnyard Theatre at Gateway.
While scores of Blarney Brothers fans need no introduction to the famous group, new recruits can log onto www.blarneybrothers.co.za
For bookings, call 031 202 1221/ 082 443 7411 or email paulmc@eastcoast.co.za
