Paddy McCarthy’s Music Page
Now that we are all getting into the Saint Patrick’s Day festivities, Irish music will be played and listened to all over the world. So I have to introduce the audience to one of Ireland’s great folk music groups of the last 50 years. Yes, that’s the Fureys and Davey Arthur. I knew them quite well having been a performer myself and a promoter for many years. The Fureys are an Irish folk band originally formed in 1974. They consisted initially of four brothers who grew up in Ballyfermot, Dublin. Brothers Eddie, Finbar, Paul and George were of Irish Travelers heritage. Two of the band’s singles have been number one hits in Ireland, and two of their albums charted in the United Kingdom. In collaborations with Davey Arthur, they have also been credited as The Fureys and Davey Arthur.
Prior to the band’s formation, two of the brothers toured as a duo, known simply as Eddie and Finbar Furey. For a while, in 1969–1970, the duo performed with The Clancy Brothers and appeared on two of the Irish folk group’s albums. The second of these albums contained two songs composed by the Fureys, “Flowers in the Valley” and “Jennifer Gentle.” In the meanwhile, their youngest brother Paul had, together with Davey Arthur and Brendan Leeson, formed a band called The Buskers. Eddie and Finbar, and the Buskers, appeared together in Germany at the “Irish Folk Festival” in 1974, where they performed as The Furey Brothers.
The Buskers, now with the addition of George Furey, appeared there again a year later as The Furey Family, when they were joined by their father Ted, a renowned traditional fiddler, who was 73 at that time. Ted had recorded a solo fiddle album Toss the Feathers released by the Outlet label in 1967. Finbar, Eddie, and Paul formed a folk group called Tam Linn in 1976 with Davey Arthur. When their brother George joined them later that year, the band changed its name to The Furey Brothers and Davey Arthur.
Eventually, they simplified their name to The Fureys and Davey Arthur (and just The Fureys when Arthur didn’t perform with them). In 1981, The Fureys released their most successful single, “When You Were Sweet Sixteen,” which became a worldwide hit, reaching No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart and No. 9 on the Australian Singles Chart. The Green Fields of France” (a title commonly but incorrectly given to Eric Bogle’s “No Man’s Land”) also gave them an Irish No. 1, remaining in the single charts for twenty eight weeks. They also had two Top 40 British albums called Golden Days and At the End of the Day. Other notable songs include “Gallipoli”, “The Red Rose Cafe”, and “Steal Away.”
As of October 24, 2019, the band was still recording and touring. In 2018, the band celebrated their 40th anniversary. Finbar left the band to begin his own solo career in 1996, with Eddie, George, and Davey Arthur continuing some touring in Ireland, the UK and the European continent. Paul Furey died suddenly in June 2002. All four of the brothers married and had children. Finbar’s son, Martin Furey, is a folk singer and musician with The High Kings. George’s son Anthony is the singer with the Young Folk. Eddie’s daughter Sarah-Jane is a streamer in the video gaming industry.
I have done a separate introduction on Finbar as he went solo very early in 1997 so here we go. Born on September 28th,1946, in Ballyfermot, Dublin, Finbar’s well-known musician father, Ted, started him on the uilleann pipes while he was very young. By his teens, he had won three All Ireland Medals, the Oireachtas, and many Feisanna. He was the only piper to win the All Ireland, Oireachtas medal and the four province titles in the same year.
An Irish Traveller, Finbar popularized the pipes worldwide while on tour with his brother Eddie in the 1960s. In 1969, Finbar and Eddie began touring as backup musicians for The Clancy Brothers, the influential Irish folk group. Finbar played the pipes, as well as the banjo, tin whistle, and guitar with the group live, on television, and on recordings. The Furey brothers left the group the following year and began performing as a duo again. Finbar and Eddie were awarded Single of the Year by John Peel in 1972. When the younger brothers Paul and George joined the band, several years later, The Fureys enjoyed hits including “When You Were Sweet Sixteen,” “Tara Hill,” Green Fields of France,” “Red Rose Café” and “The Lonesome Boatman.” In Britain, they became one of the first Irish folk groups to appear on Top of the Pops.
In ’97, after nearly 30 years as The Fureys’ front man, Finbar decided it was time to follow his own path as a singer/songwriter. He decided to step aside and pursue a solo career, to present his definitive one-man show, and explore new pastures as a singer, producer and writer. Finbar also began an acting career in the early 2000s. His first appearance was in Martin Scorsese’s film, “Gangs of New York.” He also appeared in 2004’s “Adam & Paul,” 2007’s “Strength and Honour,” and the 2010 short “Paris Sexy.” He also appeared the RTÉ Television series “Love/Hate.” In 2011, he released the album “Colours” on Dolphin Music. The album, which featured guest performances from Mary Black and Shayne Ward, was released in North America in 2012 on the Valley Entertainment record label.
In August 2013, Furey appeared on the Irish television show, The Hit. He recorded a single pitched by a songwriter, Gerry Fleming, “The Last Great Love Song”, which charted at number one in the Irish charts, against Mundy’s song “Jigsaw Man” written by Mark Walsh, which charted at number five. The song was performed again with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in the final and came first place in the public vote, earning the title “The Ultimate Hit”.
I personally would love to see them back again as the original band — The Fureys and Dave Arthur — because they were just brilliant and they can still do it. Hope you enjoyed that little introduction to one of Ireland’s great Irish Folk Music performers. I keep hoping for that day.