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I'se Da bye
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The Rocks Of Bawn
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A Sailor Courted
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The Swallow's Tale
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Leaving London
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Farewell To Carlingford
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Newport Town
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Bold O'Donoghue
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Rocks Of Merasheen
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Farewell to Nova Scotia
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Last Night I had The Strangest Dream
Liner Notes
On
The flight from Dublin to London I was seated next to a clean shaven, well
groomed, handsome young business executive. He proved quite friendly and
introduced himself as Denis Ryan from Newport, County Tipperary. Little
did I know that underneath that well-cut suit and button down collar,
there lurked a potential Irish musical nut, until he leaned over with a
mad twinkle in his eye and a broad grin, " Where's the session
tonight and if there is none, could we organize one?" It transpired
that he had taken to the music much as some people take to the drink and
one's as bad as the other. He was very fond of the tin whistle and the
fiddle, and as a matter of fact had a couple of tin whistle tucked away
among the business papers in his attaché case. Anyway, a session was
organized later that day in a pub in London called called "The Bunch
of Grapes" and very enjoyable it proved to be.
One night a few years later, I rambled into an establishment in
Toronto where there was a group on stage called Sullivan's Gypsies. After
their first I was introduced to the lads including Dermot O'Reilly, Fergus
O'Byrne, and Denis Ryan. I didn't recognize Denis as the same fellow with
whom I'd shared such an enjoyable evening in London long ago because he
had now sprouted a very fine beard and the immaculate three-piece suit had
given way to a fine pair of slacks, a colorful open necked sports shirt
and a leather waist coat. Denis reminded me then of where and when we had
met before.
Some time after that night, Dermot O'Reilly and Fergus O'Byrne, two
talented young men from Dublin's fair city, took off with Denis to
Newfoundland to attend University there. The Trio kept performing
togeather and named themselves Ryan's Fancy, taking the name from a fiddle
tune they play. They erupted upon the Canadian folk scene with such
dynamism and talent that it didn't take them long to establish themselves
as the tremendously popular performers that they are today.
Fergus O'Byrne plays a very fine banjo with the group, and when
called upon to do so, can handle a guitar just as well. His driving style
on banjo is echoed by his vibrant voice which has all the strength and
quality of high tensile steel. He's a quiet young fellow who takes life as
it comes and enjoys everything it has to offer.
Dermot O'Reilly, who is a very fine guitarist, plays as equally
fine mandolin with a great flair for harmony. His voice has been described
on various occasions as, warm, velvety, sensitive, etc., but I sort of
think as being intense and very personal with all the flavor of a hazel
nut soaked in whiskey.
Denis Ryan, lighthearted and affable, plays tin whistle, fiddle and
mandolin with the group and sings in a very pure, sweet tenor voice. He
espeacially loves to sing slow ballads, and like Dermot and Fergus, would
go any where for a musical session.
Collectively, Ryan's Fancy ramble through life spreading happiness
and good times wherever they go. They sing their songs with a right good
will and enjoy singing them. Their audiences enjoy hearing them and always
come away from a performance feeling better for having been there. Catch
them "live" if you can at all, or lend an ear to this record and
I know that Ryan's Fancy will tickle your fancy, just as they have mine.
Tommy Makem.
Dermot O'reilly
Denis Ryan
Fergus O'Byrne