The Boys Of The Lough is a Scottish-Irish Celtic music band active since the 1970s. Their eponymous first album (1972) consisted of Aly Bain (fiddle), Cathal Mc'Connell (flute), Dick Gaughan (vocals and guitar) and Robin Morton (bodhran and vocals).
Since the 1960s the Forrest Hill Bar in Edinburgh had been a centre for folk singers and instrumentalists. In the pub, always nicknamed "Sandy Bell's" and now formally called that, fiddler Aly Bain played along with guitarist Mike Whellans and singer Dick Gaughan in sessions. Aly Bain was from the Shetland Islands, and steeped in the Shetland style of playing. Meanwhile in Ireland, Cathal Mc'Connell was an All-Ireland champion in both flute and whistle. He was from a family of flute players in County Fermanagh in Ireland. Cathal's musical collaborators were Tommy Gunn and Robin Morton. The two halves met at Falkirk folk festival in Scotland, and formed Boys of the Lough. Gaughan left to pursue a solo career and Dave Richardson (born David Richardson, 20.8.1948, in Corbridge, Northumberland) (mandolin) joined. This line-up (without Gaughan) was constant for the next six albums. Dave Richardson was also a writer of new material. They played ensemble instrumentals and the occasional song, equally divided between traditional sources from Ireland and Scotland. (Read more at Wikipedia.)
Links to Peel[]
Boys of the Lough
In the early 1970s, Peel began to feature many traditional folk music artists on his programmes, reflecting the upsurge of interest in traditional music on the folk scene as the singer-songwriter boom of the era led some contemporary folk artists to move closer to the pop scene. Among his favourites were the Boys of the Lough, who, after issuing their first album on Bill Leader's Trailer label (which also released albums by other folk artists favoured by Peel, including Nic Jones, Swan Arcade, the High Level Ranters and John Doonan) did seven sessions for his shows between 1973 and 1978.
The member of the Boys of the Lough best-known to the general public (especially in Scotland) is Aly Bain, the Shetland fiddler, because of his duo work with accordionist Phil Cunningham, as well as his involvement in the long-running TV series of Transatlantic Sessions, which has featured many leading British, Irish and North American folk and country singers and musicians, including some who have appeared on Peel shows or sessions (including Danny Thompson of Pentangle, Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny of Planxty, Sharon Shannon, James Taylor, Paul Brady, and John Martyn). Yet Peel showed little interest in Aly Bain's music. However, one of the band's original members was long-term Peel favourite Dick Gaughan, and the DJ seemed to have a lasting affection for their music, repeating one of their sessions in 1986 and playing a track by them on a 1999 show.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
Seven sessions. No known commercial release.
1. Recorded: 1972-10-16. First broadcast: 07 November 1972. Repeated:
- The Boys Of The Lough/Slantigard / Farewell To Whiskey / Keenya Run/Morning Dew / The Lass From Glasgow Town
2. Recorded: 1973-01-29. First broadcast: 13 March 1973. Repeated: 29 May 1973
- Shetland Wedding Marches / Flowers Of The Forest / Erin I Won't Say Her Name/The Whinney Hills Of Leitrin/Joe Ryan's Jig / Wee Croppy Tailor/Boy In The Gap/McMahon's Reel
3. Recorded: 1973-09-24. First broadcast: 02 October 1973. Repeated: 14 February 1974
- A Ewe Came To Our Door Bleating/Christmas Day In The Morning / Lovely Nancy / Shetland Reels / Mason's Reel
4. Recorded: 1974-09-09. First broadcast: 24 September 1974. Repeated:
- Jigs: Kincora Jig/Behind The Haystack / The Maid With The Bonnie Brown Hair / The Golden Slipper/The Stevenstown Jig/Johnny Mcl’john's Reel/Sonny's Mazurka / Hounds And The Hare
5. Recorded: 1975-10-30. First broadcast: 18 November 1975. Repeated:
- Medley: Laird Of Drumblair/Millbrae / Farewell To Ireland / The Darling Baby / Dovecote/The Athol Highlanders / Lochaber No More
6. Recorded: 1976-12-09. First broadcast: 17 January 1977. Repeated: 01 March 1977, 21 October 1986
- Torn Petticoat/The Piper's Broken Finger/The Humours Of Bally Connell / The Lament For Limerick / The Red Haired Man's Wife / The Old Favourite Jig/Bobby Gardner's Jig / Lady Anne Montgomery/The Highland Man That Kissed His Granny/O'Connor Donn's Reel
7. Recorded: 1978-05-24. First broadcast: 01 June 1978. Repeated: 19 June 1978
- Donal Og / The New Rigged Ship/Naked And Bare/The Graemsay Gig / McConnell's Gravel Walk/The Gravel Walk / The Larks March
Other Shows Played[]
- 29 March 1973: Andrew Lammie (LP – The Boys Of The Lough) Trailer
- 12 April 1973: Farewell To Whisky (LP – The Boys Of The Lough) Trailer
- 08 April 1976: The Blarney Pilgrim / Jackson's Jig (album - Lochaber No More) Transatlantic TRA 311
- 22 September 1983: unknown (album - Open Road) Topic 12TS433
- 08 April 1986: Irish Washerwoman / Haste To The Wedding (LP - Welcoming Paddy Home) Lough
- 21 May 1986: Antrim Rose / Miss Mcguinness / Brereton's (album - Welcoming Paddy Home) LOUGH LOUGH 001
- 13 January 1999: The Steamboat/The Sheffield (LP - The West Of Ireland) Lough Records