Irish Rovers, The

The Irish Rovers is a group of Irish musicians that originated in Toronto, Canada. Formed in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover" they are best known for their international television series, contributing to the popularization of Irish Music in North America, and for the songs "The Unicorn", "Drunken Sailor", "Wasn't That a Party", "The Orange and the Green", "Whiskey on a Sunday", "Lily the Pink", "Finnegan's Wake" and "The Black Velvet Band".

The primary voices heard in the group's early songs were Will Millar (tenor), Jimmy Ferguson (baritone), George Millar and Joe Millar, and in the last twenty years, also John Reynolds and Ian Millar. Wilcil McDowell's accordion has been a signature sound of the band throughout their more than fifty years.

Founding member George Millar and his cousin Ian are both from Ballymena, Davey Walker from Armagh, Sean O'Driscoll from Cork, Gerry O'Connor from Dundalk, with Morris Crum from Carnlough and percussionist Fred Graham from Belfast. Flute and whistle player Geoffrey Kelly was born in Dumfries, Scotland.

In the 1980s, the group briefly renamed itself The Rovers. During this period, their "Wasn't That a Party" led to crossover success in the country rock genre.

The Irish Rovers have represented Canada at five World Expos, and in 2018 were honoured as one of Ireland's greatest exports at Dublin, Ireland's EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.

In 2023, they sang their 50th Anniversary, which featured a two-disc CD.

Birth and Death Data: Born Founded 1963

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1959 - 1971

Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 76-79 of 79 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca L 15271 7/29/1969 Sam Hall Irish Rovers, The Musical group  
Decca L 15272 7/29/1969 Bunclody cuckoo Irish Rovers, The Musical group  
Decca L 15273 7/26/1969 Molecatcher Irish Rovers, The Musical group  
Decca L 15287 8/21/1969 Winkin' blinkin' & nod Irish Rovers, The Musical group  
(Results 76-79 of 79 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Irish Rovers, The," accessed April 24, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/322571.

Irish Rovers, The. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/322571.

"Irish Rovers, The." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/322571

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