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The Rocky Road From Dublin: 50 Years of The Dubliners

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BBC Radio 2 - The Rocky Road From Dublin: 50 Years of The Dubliners

Mark Radcliffe traces the 50-year history of Irish music legends The Dubliners.

Another chance to hear Mark Radcliffe trace the history of The Dubliners, one of Ireland's greatest folk bands.

First broadcast in 2012, another chance to hear Mark Radcliffe trace the colourful history of The Dubliners, who changed the face of Irish traditional music when they formed in the back room of O'Donoghue's pub on Dublin's Merrion Row in 1962.

Half a century later, they continued to be one of the best-loved and most recognisable of Ireland's folk groups, responsible for definitive versions of Ireland's greatest ballads. The Wild Rover, Whiskey In The Jar, The Rocky Road To Dublin; for a lot of people around the world, The Dubliners are Irish music, and Irish music is The Dubliners.

When Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna and Ciarán Bourke began playing regular sessions together in O'Donoghue's, they essentially created the Irish pub music scene. With their arresting, bearded appearance, pioneering musicians and charismatic singers, they revived Ireland's interest in the ballad and - as the Clancy Brothers had previously done in America - they popularised the form in the UK and Europe.

However, despite scoring top ten hits and drinking countless venues dry of porter, the band's story isn't just one of chart success and mighty craic. They've suffered premature and tragic losses through ill health.

And yet, despite some cruel twists of fate, the band's future has almost never been in doubt. Members have come and gone, but the respect in which "The Dubs" are held by audiences, particularly at home and in the great Irish diaspora, remains as deep as ever. In 2007, U2's Bono dubbed Ronnie Drew "The King Of Ireland".

This programme features interviews with three band members who have sadly died since the programme was first aired: Barney McKenna, Jim McCann and Eamonn Campbell.

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

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