Irish Band Blasket Sound

Subject: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,Simon Cooper
Date: 27 Jul 07 - 04:07 PM

I recently found an old tape I acquired back in the 1980s of a Dublin-based band called Blasket Sound. Unfortunately there is no information on it apart from a photo of the members. Can any one give me any information about the band and its members and what happened to it/them?

Thanks

Simon Cooper

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: Sorcha
Date: 27 Jul 07 - 04:51 PM

I found some info about 2 of the members...

Roma Casey from Palmerstown in Dublin plays fiddle for the band. She was taught by Sean Keane of the Chieftains and has won All-Ireland firsts in fiddle and tin whistle. She was a member of the group Blasket Sound, which toured the world, and today she can be heard in Dublin sessions at Noones, Hughes and the Barn Owl when the band isn't performing.

http://www.setdancingnews.net/news/bands1.lp

Philip Price: Singer/Songwriter. Irish ballads/traditional after many years in the music scene in Ireland, England, and the lower 48, Philip Price is thrilled to be a part of the vibrant folk and Irish scene in Alaska. Although an academic by day at the University of Alaska, Philip (or "the real Dr. Phil" as he is known to many of his students) has a true passion for the Irish ballads. Born and reared in Dublin, Philip has performed and recorded with a variety of Dublin traditional and bluegrass bands including the Druids, The Blasket Sound and Turlough and has opened for internationally known bands including the Dubliners.

http://www.anchoragefolkfestival.org/performers.htm

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,bigJ
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 06:44 AM

BLASKET SOUND
"AT THE NATIONAL CONCERT HALL, DUBLIN "
Noel Kenny - concertina, button accordion. Roma Casey - fiddle, whistles. Pat Sheeeran - guitar, vocals. Tom McDonagh - bouzouki. Maire Breatnach - fiddle, keyboards, vocals. Declan McNellis - bass.
Cassette Produced by Sound Connections.
Recorded by RTE 14th December 1985

Side A
Green Grow the Rushes/ Ril Gan Ainm/ The Shepherd's Daughter.
Arrane Ghelby/ Ushag Veg Ru/ Cor Y Phoosee
The Broom Oe'r Cowdenknowes (song)
Dwyer's/ Bunch of Green Rushes/ Pigtown Reel.
Raitneach a Bean Bheag (song).
Side B
Swedish Waltz/ Texas Waltz (Midnight on the Water).
Cuil Aodha Jig/ The Frost is All Over/ Tom Harding's Jig.
Westlin' Winds.
Shetland Wedding March/ Strathspey/ Donegal Reel

That cassette was issued, I think, mainly as a promotional aid to the group's LP that came out the following year. The recordings for the cassette were made when the group appeared as support at the launch of one of Sean Davey's musical masterpieces for singer Rita Connolly -I think probably it was the LP "Granuaile" (Tara 3017).
Their own LP (which may have been issued as a cassette) - and the only one they made as far as I'm aware was:
"Blasket Sound"
Arbutus Records BS585

Noel Kenny - concertina, button accordion. Roma Casey - fiddle, whistles. Pat Sheeeran - guitar, vocals. Tom McDonagh - bouzouki, guitar. Maire Breatnach - fiddle, keyboards, vocals. Cian O'Sullivan - flute, whistle. Declan McNellis - bass. Fergal O'Brolochain - bodhran. Peter Eades - synthesiser.

Side A
Green Grow the Rushes/ Ril Gan Ainm/ The Shepherd's Daughter.
The Broom Oe'r Cowdenknowes (song)
Swedish Waltz/ Midnight on the Water.
The Price of the Pig.
Rosc Catha na Mumhan March/ The Bank of Ireland/ The Reel of Rio.
Side B
Homestate New York (Taylor).
The Wings of a Gull.
Cuil Aodha Jig/ The Frost is All Over/ Tom Harding's Jig.
Jock O' Hazeldeane.
Dwyer's/ Bunch of Green Rushes/ Pigtown Reel.

I think that the demise of the group came about not long after one of their members was killed in an accident, but certainly Maire Breatnach and Roma Casey are still musically active.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,Simon Cooper
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 07:51 AM

bigJ and Sorcha

thanks very much for the information

Simon

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 05:46 AM

Funnily enough when i was at home in ireland I went to a concert in the national concert hall on st patricks day last and there was a great line up of mucicians including noel kenny and tom macdonagh...they did not speak unfortunately as they were great showmen back in the pre river dance days when Irish music wasn't so respected and musicians like them really earned their money. They weren't so well known in Ireland at the time but toured all over. Right enough I remember declan macneilis being killed and that spelled the end of the band. I was a great fan of theirs...and i know they recorded a record which was being made at the time of declans death...that was so sad...he was beaten up otside a gig in limerick. I would love to hear that album though they were one of the best if not the best live spontaneous band of irish musicians i ever saw. I had heard that noel wemt walkabout after declans death so i was delighted to see him in good health and he played a great duet with paul mcgrattan...in fact all the mucicians that paddys night were the same era...kevin glackin, sean potts etc...if you had lived in dublin in the early eighties these lads were all around ..great funny times....noel kenny also played with paddy keenan for a while
Marie Gilmartin

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,Tom Mc Donagh
Date: 24 Jan 11 - 03:18 PM

Yep, agree with most of above. Sadly Declan`s death was so tragic, miss his wit and humour, was a very peaceful lovely man, died after he was assulted after a gig in Limerick. Band broke up shortly after, we had just about finished recording second album, sadly it was never released, maybe get it out sometime in honour of Declan. I remember it was quite a good recording, some very good tracks.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 24 Jan 11 - 05:32 PM

Is that named after the Blasket Islands? Do you know anything about them? Any of the former band from there? No..I guess that does not make sense as there are no current inhabitants, are there? My ancestors were from Dunquin, but I am wondering if my ggm Crean or Crehan could have been from there..we know County Kerry and know there were Creans there and also in Anascoul...probably other places as well.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,Sean O' kelly
Date: 05 Apr 11 - 12:36 PM

I saw Blasket Sound playing a gig in a hall in Brittany. I was on my honeymoon and both my wife and I say it was the highlight of the trip. They were amazing people and were known all over Brittany as we discovered. I remenmber Pat sheeran and Noel of course, what a fantastic pair of "brats" as my wife put it. I'd love to see them again . The music was such fun and though they were all great musicians, it was absolutely unpretentious. They all sang after the concert in a small pub nearby. One of them made my wife cry with emotion as he sang accompanied by a beautiful piece on the concertina.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,Ma Flannery
Date: 06 Apr 11 - 04:29 AM

I agree fully with your wife Sean , she must be a shrewd observer of human misbehaviour.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 16 May 12 - 03:01 PM

I wonder is there anything on u tube of this band.it would be nice to see them as i have heard so much about them.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: mikesamwild
Date: 24 May 12 - 09:53 AM

I saw a youtube of Noel Kenny and friends and also one of him playing in a pub session Japan , enter Nollag to find it.

he was living near Achill Island I think and teaching languages

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 12 - 04:37 PM

Hello,

Apologise my english, please ;-)

I still have the first vinyl album. Album the band had offered and dedicated during one of these sessions in my bar in St. Pabu in Britain.

Maire, had learned us the horrible death of Declan McNelis. In his honor, Jacqueline and I decided to give his name for our son born in 1996.

Pat, Tom, Roma, Maire, Noel and Declan, you are forever in our hearts.

Philippe du Chasse-Maree

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jul 13 - 10:46 AM

Declan mc neils was my uncle. Never got to meet him but heard he was a great man.. Lovely to see his name still lives on

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 13 - 10:55 AM

I saw Declan play many times with "Hotfoot" and it was a real shame what happened. Does anybody know what year the tragedy happened in Limerick. RIP Declan.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: Gutcher
Date: 14 Aug 13 - 12:05 PM

If guest mg is still around I was very friendly with the late Dr. Gerry Crean fiddle player and secretary of the Scottish fiddle Orchestra. Gerry was a nephew of the late Tom Crean who took part in three Antartic expeditions and was about to take part in a fourth when he got married, his new wife would not allow him to go on that expedition, he then opened a pub called the "South Pole" which I understand is still functioning in Kerry. Gerry was 17 when his uncle died so he remembered many stories from him.
If interested in the Blasket Islands search out for a book called "The Islandman" in an English translation from the gaelic.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,Roma Casey
Date: 28 Feb 15 - 04:32 PM

Just got sent a recording of the gig Blasket Sound did in the National Concert Hall over those 30 years ago. Brought back many memories. Laughed and cried. Never forget you Declan and all the great times we had.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: michaelr
Date: 28 Feb 15 - 05:18 PM

I believe this is the same Declan McNeilis whom Donal Lunny dedicated his composition "Declan" to, recorded on the memorable live album from 1987.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: michaelr
Date: 28 Feb 15 - 05:20 PM

Roma, if you have any plans to make that recording available to the public (whether as a CD release or online), please do let us know here.

Thanks

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,Coleen
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 05:47 PM

Declan mc nelis was my uncle.. Hs anyone any pictures or any details (memories) that they can share .. Id love to see them
Please my email is [e-mail]

Thanks

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 07 Apr 15 - 09:44 AM

Blasket Sound was a dublin group that mercifully never emerged from obscurity. Fussy, pointless arrangements going nowhere and appaling vocals, burdened with gorilla-bouzouki and cowboy-chord guitar accompaniment. The lead line-up of concertina, fiddle and flute was slightly better but still sub-standard, even by comparison with other De Danann/Bothy Band clones of that time.

The addition of Delan McNelis helped but couldn't work miracles.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 07 Apr 15 - 04:48 PM

Cowboy chords, huh? Sounds like my kind of band!!

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 16 Jul 15 - 01:22 PM

It's really great to read how much this band were appreciated, especially after the tragedy they experienced. I first got to hear them because I sang a song my great aunt taught me which she learned at school to my new boyfriend. when he turned up with the recording of Jock O'Hazeldeane by Blasket Sound I knew he was the one for me! it would be so great if they released the last album.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST,John G
Date: 27 Aug 15 - 10:40 AM

I played in what was probably Declan's first group as we were still in school when we first started messing around, me, Declan and Pat Farrell (although Pat was never messing around, even then).

Declan was one of the gentlest people I ever met, as well as being a lovely bass player. A lovely sense of humour as well, never cruel but always a wry, subtle comment.

We had all moved on at the time of Declan's death but there was such a turnout in Marino for his funeral.

Subject: News flash Oct. weekend 2015 gig Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Oct 15 - 04:54 PM

The traditional music band BLASKET SOUND will visit Clifden on the October Bank Holiday weekend for a special blast from the past concert at Ballyconnelly Golf Club on Sunday 25th. 4.00 P.M.

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jul 16 - 09:46 AM

I knew Declan when we were both growing up in Dublin. Lovely lad. Even as a youngster he had great musical ability. For a long time I lost touch with him (I moved to France) until I saw him with the band Blasket Sound at the Lorient festival. He was great. I must say I felt sorry for him and the small dark-haired woman playing the fiddle. They were the obvious musicians of the group. The musical ability of the others was questionable. But they were funny, especially the stout bloke playing the accordion, I think

Subject: RE: Irish Band Blasket Sound
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Mar 26 - 07:26 PM

I'm enjoying listening to their LP titled 'Blasket Sound' on youtube.

https://youtu.be/U3jDDwx6fzE?si=n12_O_QifxVVgaWq