There is something natural and enchanting about the Furey Brothers. Without hardly knowing it, you are drawn into their world of song and music, rich in story that goes back generations.
Cork-based writer, Damien Enright, in his superb book, Dope in the Age of Innocence, reflects on his years spent in Ibiza and Formentara in the 1960s, before the onslaught of mass tourism. He made one simple reflection that dances in the memory: “The heart is always old-fashioned,” he opined, no matter how liberal some folks think they are.
It is that old-fashioned quality of the heart that has always served the Fureys well. People warm to them. They are an enduring presence on the music scene here in Ireland and on the folk circuit around the world.
With some dates of their current tour already behind them, The Fureys and Davey Arthur are looking forward to a busy February which will see them play dates in Thurles, Galway, Virginia, Newtownabbey, Longford, Carnlough, Enniscorthy, Roscommon, Enniskillen and Tullamore.
They play the Market Place Theatre in Armagh on 1 March and round off the tour with shows in Castlebar on 4 April, Vicar Street, Dublin, on 5 April and Keady, Co Armagh, on Sunday, 20 April.
They have been entertaining worldwide for around four decades. Audiences have included former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, former Irish President Mary McAleese and the late Pope John Paul.
Recently, President Michael D Higgins attended their concert in Dublin’s National Concert Hall.
Among their hit songs from over the years are I Will Love You, Sweet 16, The Green Fields of France, The Old Man, Red Rose Café, From Clare to Here, Leaving Nancy and Steal Away.
“There was always music in our house,” says Eddie, who still resides in his native Dublin.
“My father and mother, Ted and Nora, loved the music and the old songs. They encouraged us to play and sing and the house was always great for lively sessions. In 1966, we won a major national competition down in Tralee with a song called I Know Where I Am Going. That was a big break for us at the time. It brought us a lot of attention. Soon after, we started doing the folk scene in England and even went over to America.
“We met the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem and they invited us to play the uilleann pipes and the mandolin on an album they were recording in London around 1968.”
The Fureys were the forerunners of many other folks bands such as Planxty and Stockton’s Wing and were ahead of the posse in the folk revival that swept across Europe and the USA in the mid- to late-1960s.
“We’ve been going to America since 1969 and we’ve been touring in the UK, Germany, Holland, Scandinavia, France and other countries for many years. We’ve been down to Australia and New Zealand on many occasions. But we always love to tour here at home. We attract an across-the-board audience and we love the banter with the crowd.”
Eddie has always had a special affection for country people, going back to his days growing up in Dublin.
“I did some summer work for two brothers who ran a farm up towards the mountain if you took the road from behind the Cuckoo’s Nest pub in Tallaght. They would give me spuds and cabbage and turnips. I can still recall one of my father's great sayings: ‘You can’t beat a country spud.’ Farming can be a hard auld life, out in all kinds of weather and all hours.
“In Devon and Cornwall we have been playing in a village hall for around 16 years to mainly farming and rural people. The same holds true in Scotland, around Aberdeen and Inverness.
“Funny what sticks in the mind. I remember calling into a pub in Ballyheigue in Kerry in the 1980s and meeting these two elderly ladies who ran their own farm. They had two hot whiskeys to warm them up that cold day. They were lovely people and we had a great chat as they knew us from the television.”
Eddie is old stock at heart.
“My idea of a good holiday is two weeks anywhere down the country. It is such a pity to see so many pubs closing, tearing the heart out of rural Ireland. These pubs were like clubs for many from the area who rambled in for their few quiet drinks.
“It meant so much to them to meet people and chat about cattle and greyhounds or whatever.”
Time changes everything and such has been the case with The Fureys over 30 years. Their brother Paul died suddenly in June 2002 and Finbar left the band in December 1996.
However, George, Eddie and Davey Arthur, together with other musicians, have continued to delight audiences and have just released a new cd, Songs Through The Years.
Joe McCadden has been their manager for several years now and Eddie says he is one of the best.
A night at The Fureys and Davey Arthur is always a night to remember. They have the power to stir the soul, evoking emotions of laughter and tears, sadness and joy. From their well-known classics to such favourites as The Tennessee Waltz and May We All Someday Meet Again, these lads can always deliver.
Catch them if you can in the weeks ahead.
Tour dates and further details can be found at www.thefureys.com.
There is something natural and enchanting about the Furey Brothers. Without hardly knowing it, you are drawn into their world of song and music, rich in story that goes back generations.
Cork-based writer, Damien Enright, in his superb book, Dope in the Age of Innocence, reflects on his years spent in Ibiza and Formentara in the 1960s, before the onslaught of mass tourism. He made one simple reflection that dances in the memory: “The heart is always old-fashioned,” he opined, no matter how liberal some folks think they are.
It is that old-fashioned quality of the heart that has always served the Fureys well. People warm to them. They are an enduring presence on the music scene here in Ireland and on the folk circuit around the world.
With some dates of their current tour already behind them, The Fureys and Davey Arthur are looking forward to a busy February which will see them play dates in Thurles, Galway, Virginia, Newtownabbey, Longford, Carnlough, Enniscorthy, Roscommon, Enniskillen and Tullamore.
They play the Market Place Theatre in Armagh on 1 March and round off the tour with shows in Castlebar on 4 April, Vicar Street, Dublin, on 5 April and Keady, Co Armagh, on Sunday, 20 April.
They have been entertaining worldwide for around four decades. Audiences have included former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, former Irish President Mary McAleese and the late Pope John Paul.
Recently, President Michael D Higgins attended their concert in Dublin’s National Concert Hall.
Among their hit songs from over the years are I Will Love You, Sweet 16, The Green Fields of France, The Old Man, Red Rose Café, From Clare to Here, Leaving Nancy and Steal Away.
“There was always music in our house,” says Eddie, who still resides in his native Dublin.
“My father and mother, Ted and Nora, loved the music and the old songs. They encouraged us to play and sing and the house was always great for lively sessions. In 1966, we won a major national competition down in Tralee with a song called I Know Where I Am Going. That was a big break for us at the time. It brought us a lot of attention. Soon after, we started doing the folk scene in England and even went over to America.
“We met the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem and they invited us to play the uilleann pipes and the mandolin on an album they were recording in London around 1968.”
The Fureys were the forerunners of many other folks bands such as Planxty and Stockton’s Wing and were ahead of the posse in the folk revival that swept across Europe and the USA in the mid- to late-1960s.
“We’ve been going to America since 1969 and we’ve been touring in the UK, Germany, Holland, Scandinavia, France and other countries for many years. We’ve been down to Australia and New Zealand on many occasions. But we always love to tour here at home. We attract an across-the-board audience and we love the banter with the crowd.”
Eddie has always had a special affection for country people, going back to his days growing up in Dublin.
“I did some summer work for two brothers who ran a farm up towards the mountain if you took the road from behind the Cuckoo’s Nest pub in Tallaght. They would give me spuds and cabbage and turnips. I can still recall one of my father's great sayings: ‘You can’t beat a country spud.’ Farming can be a hard auld life, out in all kinds of weather and all hours.
“In Devon and Cornwall we have been playing in a village hall for around 16 years to mainly farming and rural people. The same holds true in Scotland, around Aberdeen and Inverness.
“Funny what sticks in the mind. I remember calling into a pub in Ballyheigue in Kerry in the 1980s and meeting these two elderly ladies who ran their own farm. They had two hot whiskeys to warm them up that cold day. They were lovely people and we had a great chat as they knew us from the television.”
Eddie is old stock at heart.
“My idea of a good holiday is two weeks anywhere down the country. It is such a pity to see so many pubs closing, tearing the heart out of rural Ireland. These pubs were like clubs for many from the area who rambled in for their few quiet drinks.
“It meant so much to them to meet people and chat about cattle and greyhounds or whatever.”
Time changes everything and such has been the case with The Fureys over 30 years. Their brother Paul died suddenly in June 2002 and Finbar left the band in December 1996.
However, George, Eddie and Davey Arthur, together with other musicians, have continued to delight audiences and have just released a new cd, Songs Through The Years.
Joe McCadden has been their manager for several years now and Eddie says he is one of the best.
A night at The Fureys and Davey Arthur is always a night to remember. They have the power to stir the soul, evoking emotions of laughter and tears, sadness and joy. From their well-known classics to such favourites as The Tennessee Waltz and May We All Someday Meet Again, these lads can always deliver.
Catch them if you can in the weeks ahead.
Tour dates and further details can be found at www.thefureys.com. 
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