Finbar Wright, in an interview during a PBS begathon said that he had been contacted at extremely short notice and asked to stand in for John McDermott at the Belfast engagement of the Irish Tenors. John had to back-out because of his mother's death. He did, however, make a surprise appearance at the Belfast concert and performed a tribute to his parents, including, "Tis the Last Rose of Summer", which was his mother's favorite song. He nearly didn't make it through without breaking down. Finbar also appeared in John's absence at the Ellis Island performance, and again, John made a cameo appearance. They way I understood it, the Irish Tenor lineup was always intended to be McDermott, Ronan Tynan, and Anthony Kearns. I'm not sure whether John intends to rejoin them, or if Finbar is now in the permanent lineup.

As for the connection between Eric Bogle and John McDermott - Do you reckon it might be that they are BOTH Scottish-born? John moved to Toronto with his family in the mid-60's. Like Dan said, maybe it's also Eric's keen interest in WW1 and John's in military veterans in general, and the sacrifices they have made for their countries. At any rate, they're both great musicians in their own right, but Eric is the maestro of the two. I certainly plan to catch them if and when they pass through my neck of the woods.

By the way...McDermott sings "Danny Boy" the way it SHOULD be sung, and does indeed stand-out from Ronan and Anthony. There's my two cents worth.

ScottyG