Folk music and ballads from The Barleycorn live at The National Stadium in Dublin.
Formed in Belfast in 1971, The Barleycorn came to public attention when the song 'The Men Behind The Wire' written and composed by one of the band’s original members Paddy McGuigan went to number one in the Irish charts.
They followed that success with ‘Sing Irishmen Sing’ in 1972, and they have performed at venues in every corner of the country since. ‘The Fields of Athenry’ was another hit in 1982.
The band has gone through several changes but the lineup consists of John Delaney (banjo), Dennis O’Rourke (fiddle), Derek McCormack (bass and vocals) and Paddy Sweeney (guitar and vocals).
Derek McCormack introduces three tunes, ‘Drowsy Maggie’, ‘Cooley’s’ and ‘The High Reel’, and asks the audience to join in whichever way they like.
We want everyone in the Stadium to be clapping their hands and stamping their feet.
This episode of ‘Festival Folk’ was broadcast on 9 December 1985.
‘Festival Folk’ was a series of concerts recorded in the National Stadium, Dublin, featuring well-known folk singers and musicians. It ran from 1983 to 1984.
