Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after

Subject: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: John Moulden
Date: 15 Jul 02 - 07:18 PM

Fergus (Fergie) Woods and Brendan Fulton have set up a web-site which seeks to bring together people who were involved in the Balfast Folk Club or traditional Music scene in the 60s and 70s. The URL is http://www.belfastfolk.co.uk. I think this could be a very useful forum for the establishment of an old-person's network and a bit of history swapping.

Subject: RE: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: musicmick
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 02:11 AM

In the late sixties, I played at a quasi-legal club called the Felons Club. It was an after hours club and was, as its name implies, a Republican meeting place. When I was there, Belfast was still reeling from events like the raid on the Divis Tower by the UDF or whatever the UDF was calling itself then. There were also some folk venues around Queens College but most of the traditional and protest singing was politically dangerous, not that we were deterred for a minute. I always figured that I would be able to get out of any jams by ripping off a few stanzas of The Sash My Father Wore but it never came to that.

Mike Miller

Subject: RE: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: John Moulden
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 03:08 AM

Mike should contribute some of that to the site mentioned.

Subject: RE: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 05:19 AM

Blue clicky: http://www.belfastfolk.co.uk. I'll definitely point my parents to this one.

Subject: RE: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: GUEST,Hille
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 12:53 PM

Hi,

Too young for this - but I think me old mate Trevor Crozier (now sadly deceased) was involved with this - so would love to read about the scene he was involved in before I knew him. Regards, Hille

Subject: RE: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: GUEST,Den
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 01:05 PM

Mike, that would have been UVF there never was a UDF.

Subject: RE: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: GUEST,Ballyholme
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 02:08 PM

Hille,

I believe I saw Trevor Crozier in Belfast with a Dublin-based band called The House of David Jug Band. They played at Queen's University Festival one year (mid-60s, possibly). I understood that he went to university in Dublin. Did he live in Belfast for a time?

Subject: RE: Belfast Folk Clubs - Sixties and after
From: musicmick
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 09:54 PM

I stand corrected. UVF (Ulster Voluteer Force) it most certainly was. They were mostly RUC moonlighting in orange sheets. As you can plainly see, I am not objective about the conflict. I used to stay at Jimmy Drumm's house and I often sang with Moira and the kids. They taught me some swell street songs, some of which I have never seen in collections. I still remember a late night at the Felons Club. A boy sang a song about that UVF raid that chilled is all. It was to the tune of Sean South From Garryowen. Here's the first verse.

It was on a dreary Augut day in 1969

It was only one of many that I can bring to mind

When policemen gave the orders, "Come prepared to fight.

For we're up to the ears in Fenian blood in Belfast town tonight"

Mike Miller