Spectacular ‘The Dubliners Show’ comes to the Alley

A SPECTACULAR show which brings you music and songs of Ireland’s most successful and forever-loved folk band, The Dubliners, is coming to the Alley Theatre, Strabane next Saturday – so take a sup from the parting glass or clink that whiskey in a jar and get settled down for a nostalgic night of tunes and pure musical entertainment.

Described as ‘the only Dubliners sound-a-like-show’, ‘The Dubliners Show’ is an entertaining two-hour re-enactment of a concert performance by the original Dubliners, and it has been played to full houses and standing ovations on its Irish and British tours.

The original line-up of Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciaran Burke and John Sheenan will be brought to life with uncanny accuracy, using the exact same instrumentation, songs and close-as-you-will-get vocals.

With his red hair, beard and magnetic charisma, five string banjo maestro James Gallagher’s powerful impressive voice is so reminiscent of Luke Kelly’s golden vocal chords, that it has to be a fluke.

His rendition of songs such as ‘Raglan Road’ and ‘Scorn Not His Simplicity’ are breath-taking in their pureness and clarity.

‘Magnificence’

Guitar-picking Dublin man, Anthony Rooney, sings with gusto and a reality that encompasses the wonderful talent of the great Irish Balladeers – and in doing so, he keeps alive a wonderful Dublin tradition.

On whistles, guitar, vocals and some amusing chat is deep-voiced Dubliner, Jeremy Jenkinson, bringing to the show the magnificence of the contribution that Ciaran Burke and Ronnie Drew brought to the original Dubliners.

In fact, it’s Jeremy’s vocals that are featured on the Liberties recording of ‘All For Me Grog’.

Kieran Burke – yes, that is his real name! – is a young man from a family steeped in traditional music. His consummate skill on the tenor banjo just has to be seen and heard to be believed and appreciated.

His mastery of Barney McKenna’s style and sound is a show in itself. Niall Connaire is the ‘quiet man’ of the band, but his fiddle playing is a talking, singing, electrifying experience. A classically-trained musician, he replicates Dubliners violin maestro John Sheehan’s unique sound to perfection.

‘Uplifting hits’

Playing ‘The Black Velvet Band’; ‘McAlpines Fusiliers’; ‘The Spanish Lady’; ‘The Irish Rover’; ‘The Auld Triangle’; ‘The Parting Glass’; and of course, the song that made The Dubliners international stars, ‘Seven Drunken Nights’ – plus all their other hits – will have you clapping your hands, stomping your feet and joining in the chorus of the well-known and much loved songs at this uplifting show.

What’s more, the exciting performance will be expertly presented by five top-rated folk musicians and singers who are deeply honoured to become the bearers of the torch which has been borne with such power and dignity over the past decades by The Dubliners.

And to quote from Liam Murphy’s review in the Munster Express: ‘From the moment they struck up ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, you knew you were in for a good night – and indeed it was’.

l The Dubliners Show’ will come to The Alley Theatre, Strabane on Saturday, November13. Tickets are £20 and available from the Alley Theatre Box Office on 028 71 384444 or online here.