The Dubliners 50th Anniversary Tour was a tour in 2012 by the Dubliners celebrating 50 years. The group was awarded a lifetime achievement award by BBC Radio 2 in February. However, in April, founding member and tenor banjo player Barney McKenna died. Banjo player Gerry O'Connor filled his place until the end of the tour. In November the group released the album 50 Years charting in the Irish Top 10. John Sheahan after 48 years decided he could no longer continue with the band due to the death of Barney McKenna. In December the group played its final concerts at Vicar Street and were joined on stage by Jim McCann. The band met with President Michael Higgins in the presidential palace in Dublin. The group appeared on BBC's Jools Holland Annual Hootenanny on New Year's Eve. With the exception of John Sheahan, the rest of the group continues touring as The Dublin Legends – Spirit of the Dubliners.
Setlist
The Fermoy Lassies / Sporting Paddy Seven Drunken Nights (Archive Video featuring Ronnie Drew) The Rare Auld Mountain Dew The Ferryman Fiddler's Green (Archive Video featuring Barney McKenna) The Belfast Hornpipe / The Swallow's Tail Poem for Luke (Poem, recited by John Sheahan) Kelly the Boy from Killan (Archive Video featuring Luke Kelly) Dirty Old Town The Rare Auld Times When the Boys Come Rolling Home Fáinne Geal an Lae Poem for Barney (Poem, recited by John Sheahan) Banjo Solo Billy in the Lowground / The Moving Cloud The Monto (Archive Video featuring Luke Kelly) All for Me Grog Remembering Ciarán (Poem, recited by John Sheahan) Bainne na mBó (Archive Video featuring Ciarán Bourke) Peggy Lettermore Farewell to Harstad Feathered Gael / Jackie Coleman's Reel I Wish I Had Someone to Love Me (Archive Video featuring Barney McKenna) The Rocky Road to Dublin A Pint of Plain (Archive Video featuring Ronnie Drew) Finnegan's Wake Sketch of a Dubliner (Poem, recited by John Sheahan) McAlpine's Fusiliers (Archive Video featuring Ronnie Drew) Cooley's Reel / The Dawn / The Mullingar Races The Black Velvet Band / Dicey Reilly / The Marino Waltz / The Irish Rover Whiskey in the Jar Encore: The Wild Rover Molly Malone
Tour dates Date City Country Venue 27 January 2012DublinIrelandChrist Church Cathedral, Dublin – Temple Bar TradFest 28 January 2012 1 February 2012 BernSwitzerland Theater National 2 February 2012 Basel Stadtcasino 3 February 2012 Zurich Neues Theater Spirgarten 4 February 2012 St. Gallen Tonhalle 7 March 2012 Cardiff Wales St. David's Hall 8 March 2012 PlymouthEngland Plymouth Pavilions 9 March 2012 Cheltenham Town Hall 10 March 2012 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 11 March 2012 Leicester De Montford Hall 12 March 2012 Norwich Theatre Royal 13 March 2012 London Royal Albert Hall 14 March 2012 Manchester Opera House 15 March 2012 Reading The Hexagon 17 March 2012 Birmingham Town Hall 18 March 2012 Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House 19 March 2012 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 18 April 2012 CopenhagenDenmark Tivoli, Tivolis Koncertsal 19 April 2012 Ringsted Kongrescenter 20 April 2012 Nykøbing Mors Morsø Arena 21 April 2012 Frederikshavn Arena Nord 22 April 2012 Esbjerg Musikhuset 24 April 2012 Skjern Kulturcenter 25 April 2012 Aalborg Skråen 26 April 2012 Sørvad Kultur & Idrætscenter 27 April 2012 Viborg Tinghallen 28 April 2012 Aarhus Musikhuset 4 May 2012 Ingelmunster Belgium Labadoux festival 10 May 2012 Paris France La Cigale 2 June 2012 ListowelIreland Kerry 3 June 2012 Cork Opera House 4 June 2012 Limerick UCH 7 June 2012 BelfastNorthern Ireland Waterfront Hall 8 June 2012 Derry Millennium Forum 9 June 2012 DroghedaIreland TLT Concert Hall & Theatre 23 June 2012 Westport Westport Festival 30 June 2012 Tønsberg Norway Oseberg kulturhus – Vestfoldfestspillene 8 July 2012 Skagen Denmark Skagen Folk Festival 6 September 2012ViennaAustriaMetropol 7 September 2012 8 September 2012 9 September 2012 10 September 2012 11 September 2012 12 September 2012 13 September 2012 Graz Orpheum 14 September 2012 Zagreb Croatia Tvornica kulture 15 September 2012 Ljubljana Slovenia Krisanke 16 September 2012 Oslip Austria Cselley Mühle 28 September 2012 Ettelbruck Luxembourg Daichhalle 29 September 2012 TurnhoutBelgium Warande Turnhout 30 September 2012 Brussels Paleis voor Schone Kunsten 1 October 2012 TilburgNetherlands 013 3 October 2012 Utrecht Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn 4 October 2012 Rotterdam De Doelen 5 October 2012 Rijssen Lucky & co 6 October 2012 Leeuwarden World Trade Center 7 October 2012 Amsterdam Paradiso 1 November 2012 MunichGermany Cirkus Krone 2 November 2012 Stuttgart Theaterhaus 3 November 2012 Beckingen Deutschherrenhalle 4 November 2012 Bamberg Bamberger Konzert- und Kongresshalle 5 November 2012 Frankfurt Alte Oper 7 November 2012 Hanover Theater am Aegi 8 November 2012 Bremen Glocke 9 November 2012 Aurich Stadthalle 10 November 2012 Bielefeld Ringlokschuppen 11 November 2012 Dortmund Konzerthaus 2 December 2012 Dresden Alter Schlachthof 3 December 2012 Braunschweig Stadthalle 4 December 2012 Cloppenburg Stadthalle 5 December 2012 Kiel Kieler Schloss 6 December 2012 Lübeck Musik und Kongresshalle 7 December 2012 Flensburg Deutsches Haus 8 December 2012 Hamburg CCH 28 December 2012DublinIrelandVicar Street 29 December 2012 30 December 2012 31 December 2012 London England BBC Studios – Jools Holland Annual Hootenanny
Line up
The Dubliners Seán Cannon – Lead Vocals, Guitar Patsy Watchorn – Lead Vocals, Banjo John Sheahan – Fiddle, Mandolin, Tin Whistle Eamonn Campbell – Guitar Barney McKenna – Tenor Banjo, Mandolin, Vocals (January–April, died 5 April)
Guest Musicians Gerry O'Connor – Tenor Banjo, fiddle (April–December) Christy Sheridan – Tenor Banjo (May) Chris Kavanagh – Vocals, banjo (February) Jim McCann – Guitar (December)
Featured in Archive Videos Luke Kelly: "Kelly, the Boy from Killan", "The Monto" Ronnie Drew: "Seven Drunken Nights", "McAlpines Fusiliers", "A Pint of Plain" Ciarán Bourke: "Bainne na mBó" Barney McKenna (April–December): "Fiddler's Green", "I Wish I Had Someone to Love Me"
References