Valencia Govindasamy
Celebrating a milestone of 40 years is the brilliant three-man musical outfit, The Blarney Brothers (pictured). And to commemorate, The Rhumbelow Theatre is hosting Durban’s top talent until the end of October.
After four decades, the band is still livening up parties and gala events with their special brand of music, including Irish ballads, catchy pub songs and the occasional Irish jig.
Comprising siblings Paul and Damien McIlroy and fellow band member Tony Fisher, who all settled in South Africa in the 70s, the three Irish-born musicians joined forces in August 1974.
Tonight chatted to lead singer Paul McIlroy to find out the secret to their long-standing collaboration.
As we talk about the Blarney Brothers, it’s clear that after all these years, their passion is music and they still possess a love for the stage.
So how do you feel when you hear it’s been four decades?
“Ooh. Don’t say that,” laughs McIlroy. ”You know, it’s been a long time but it seems like it’s all gone very quickly. When you work on something you enjoy, it makes life a lot easier. If you enjoy your work, you never really have to work a day in your life.”
As for the secret to their success as a band, he says that’s pretty easy: “The main reason is that we’re not there to educate anyone with our music. We play popular songs and everyone can get involved and sing along and knows the lyrics. We never tried to keep up with modern music because these days, it’s lost all sense of melody and rhythm. We like doing songs people enjoy. Basically, we’re a nostalgic band. That’s the secret.”
Sharing his greatest experiences in the Blarney Brothers, McIlroy says: “The band has afforded us the opportunity to travel inside and outside of South Africa. We played in popular places in China and we played all over Taiwan. For 10-12 years, we’ve been going over to Shanghai. We always look forward to that and it’s nice to get out of SA and not having to pay to do so,” he adds.
So what can audiences expect at the 40th celebration party at the Rhumbelow? It’s going to be a good night out, “It’s always an enjoyable evening when people are happy and singing and smiling, its infectious.”
The Blarney Brothers, 40 years of partying runs at Rhumbelow Theatre in Durban from Friday to Sunday, then in Pietermaritzburg on October 5 and Westville Country Club on November 2. Tickets R120 (R100 for pensioners) at Computicket or call Roland on 082 499 8636.