Episode 1 of ‘Showband Heroes – Dancing in the Dark’ features Fr. Brian D’Arcy, the unofficial chaplain to the Showbands, Frankie McDonald, trumpet player with Joe Dolan since the late sixties, and Eamonn Keane, band leader with The Casino Showband and with The Indians, one of the most enduring bands of the Showband era.
In 2020, TaRP recorded a number of online events in its limited series, ‘Music – A Bridge Over Troubled Waters’. The response left the producers in no doubt that music could re-connect, reawaken and re-invigorate the common, cross-community bond that endured even through our darkest days. For that series, musicians were mainly drawn from the folk/acoustic genre. This time, the focus is on stars from the showband, cabaret and rock groups who entertained mixed audiences from the early Sixties through to the late Seventies; many of whom still attract large audiences to dancehalls and concerts. Ironically, the Showbands remain the unsung heroes of their time, but now their priceless legacy is finally being acknowledged and honoured.
Presenter – Ken Murray
Producer – Stephen Travers
Executive Producer – Eugene Reavey
Co-Executive Producer – Joe Campbell
Online Producer – Tracy Dempsey
‘Showband Heroes – Dancing in the Dark’, ‘Speaking for Myself’ and ‘Music – A Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ are Truth and Reconciliation Platform educational projects, hosted by The Miami Showband Peace Centre Online and assisted by the consultant and coach, Tracy Dempsey. The ‘Showband Heroes’ and ‘Speaking for Myself’ series are assisted by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
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