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Declan Ryan dies in Cork
Declan Ryan from Cork, a popular entertainer from the showband era, died last week.
He fronted The Regal Showband back in the 1960s and enjoyed a Top 10 hit with I Need You which reached No 6 in 1965. The Cork-based band played dates all over Ireland in that era and they were especially popular in the Munster region as well as in Galway where they did numerous dates out in Seapoint, Salthill.
Declan was still performing at the popular series of Cork Legends of the Showband Era shows up until a few months ago along with Joe Mac (McCarthy) and Art Supple and friends.
He commanded great respect among the showband fraternity and always took pride in presenting a professional show. Several tributes were paid to him in recent days by people in the business and many who remembered him with special affection down the years.
He is survived by his wife Pamela (née Philpott) and their family, Jackie, Gillian, Suzanne, Gerard and Shane, his sister Monica, in-laws, grandchildren, relatives and friends.
Bob Brolly honoured in Birmingham
The Alexander Theatre in Birmingham recently played host to the sell-out concert in honour of Bob Brolly, the well-known presenter of the Sunday Irish Show with BBC in the English Midlands.
Bob had a stroke back in May of last year when he lost the power of his left side but, fortunately, his voice was not affected. He has made a great recovery and is now walking unaided again.
Bob was born in Derry city and moved with his family to England when he was 15 and they settled in Coventry. As a young boy he began singing with The Waterside Chapel Choir in Derry. He trained as an engineer and worked in the automotive industry for many years.
The Birmingham show included Daniel O Donnell, Philomena Begley, Nathan Carter, Michael English, Brendan Shine, Mary Duff, Foster and Allen, Marc Roberts and also Fergal Flaherty who came from Tenerife.
All the artists paid their own tributes to Bob for all his work for the Irish artists over many years and the night concluded with an emotional rendition by all the artists of The Way Old Friends Do.
“There was a massive standing ovation when Bob came on stage during the second half of the show. He has a very loyal radio following in the Birmingham and midlands region and they were all delighted to see him make such a good recovery. We wish him the best of health in the times ahead,” says Leitrim native Brendan Mulvey who has co-ordinated many of Bob’s annual shows in Birmingham over the last two decades.
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