Patrick Street

Updated on Dec 11, 2023

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Origin Dublin, Ireland Active from 1986		Years active 1986–2014

Associated acts The Bothy Band Sweeney's Men Planxty De Dannan Van Morrison The House Band Battlefield Band Past members Mícheál Ó Domhnaill Gerry O'Beirne Dónal Lunny Bill Whelan Declan Masterson James Kelly Brendan Hearty Jackie Daly Ged Foley Albums Irish Times, All in Good Time, Live from Patrick Street Genres Folk music of Ireland, Folk music Members Andy Irvine, Kevin Burke, Arty McGlynn, Jackie Daly, John Carty

Patrick street music for a found harmonium

Patrick Street is an Irish folk group founded by Kevin Burke (formerly of The Bothy Band) on fiddle, Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty) on mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica and vocals, Jackie Daly (De Dannan) on button accordion, and Arty McGlynn (Van Morrison) on guitar.

Other members were added at various times: Ged Foley (The House Band, Battlefield Band) who held the tenure on guitar for many years, Bill Whelan on keyboards, Declan Masterson on uilleann pipes and keyboards, James Kelly on fiddle, Brendan Hearty on harmonium and John Carty on fiddle, flute and banjo.

Dónal Lunny, Whelan and Enda Walsh joined as producers on some albums.

History

In 1985, Andy Irvine joined up with fiddler Kevin Burke and guitarist Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (who had been gigging together around America for some time) and toured as a trio in the USA; when Ó Domhnaill wasn't available for some of the dates, guitarist/vocalist Gerry O'Beirne stepped in.

"This tour was such fun and so successful that we decided to expand the outfit into a four-piece by adding Jackie Daly", Irvine wrote.

Originally billed on a 1986 American tour as "The Legends of Irish Music", they soon chose to call themselves Patrick Street. The line-up for the band underwent several changes, but always included Burke, Irvine and Daly.

The guitar role, however, passed:

from O'Beirne to Arty McGlynn – before the recording of their first album, Patrick Street, which began in August 1986;

from McGlynn to Ged Foley – after the band recorded their fourth album, All in Good Time, released in 1993;

back to McGlynn – when they resumed touring after the completion of their ninth album, On the Fly, released in 2007.

After Daly retired from Patrick Street, John Carty joined on fiddle, flute and tenor banjo in time to record On the Fly.

Originally agreed to as a part-time band, they have nevertheless recorded eight studio albums together, plus one live album (Live from Patrick Street) and two compilations (The Best of Patrick Street and Compendium: The Best of Patrick Street).

Music for a Found Harmonium

In 2004, Patrick Street's rendition of "Music for a Found Harmonium" (originally composed by Simon Jeffes from The Penguin Cafe Orchestra), was used near the end of the movie Napoleon Dynamite. It was also used in the 1991 comedy/drama movie 'Hear My Song' starring Adrian Dunbar, Tara Fitzgerald and Ned Beatty.

In 2008, the furniture company MFI also used Patrick Street's cover of "Music for a Found Harmonium" as the soundtrack of a TV advertisement.

In 2009, Topic Records included "Music For A Found Harmonium" from Irish Times as track fifteen on the first CD ("Disk one") of their 70-year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten.

Studio albums

Patrick Street (1986)

No. 2 Patrick Street (1988)

Irish Times (1990)

All in Good Time (1993)

Cornerboys (1996)

Made in Cork (1997)

Street Life (2002)

On the Fly (2007)

Live albums

Live from Patrick Street (1999)

Compilations

The Best of Patrick Street (1995)

Compendium: The Best of Patrick Street (2000)

Songs

Music for a Found HarmoniumIrish Times · 1990
The Carraroe Jig2002
Loftus JonesPatrick Street · 1986

References

Patrick Street Wikipedia

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