Showband nostalgia has its own unique appeal and the Christmas season tends to lend itself to this mood in a special manner. Back by demand this Christmas, Ireland’s Showbands - Do you come here often? tour will play nine shows in Dublin, Belfast and Derry.

David Hull Promotions in Belfast have promoted this series over several years and they are delighted with the support there is for the show, with patrons returning year after year.

“People love to take a trip down memory lane, back to times when they were young and they enjoyed those wonderful nights dancing to the showbands. There were some wonderful bands and entertainers on the circuit and people travelled miles to see them perform. It was a magical time for the music industry here at home,” says a spokesperson for the promoters.

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This year, the bill features Dickie Rock, Roly Daniels, Brendan Shine, Sandy Kelly, Hugo Duncan, Gregory Donaghy and Lisa Stanley, whose mother Maisie McDaniel was one of Ireland’s premier country singers.

The Galaxy Showband will provide the music for all the acts and the compere is George Jones from Downtown Radio in Belfast.

For those of you who love the songs and sounds of the famous era, this is the show for you. Many of the great songs from that era will be included during the shows, while the atmosphere is a throwback to those lazy hazy days of summers past. The show opens with three nights in The Waterfront in Belfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 28, 29 and 30 December.

It moves to The Helix (01-700-7000) at DCU in Dublin the following weekend, 3, 4 and 5 January, and concludes in the Millennium in Derry on the 7, 8 and 9 January.