Luke Kelly Appreciation Thread

lanternchikk

At least, MY head's only woolly on the outside!

A girl from Luxembourg checking in here, possibly the Ginger Dubliner's biggest fan ever.
I've always been into intense, powerful music - but Luke's voice is just too much. It can make my eyes well up or leave me with a huge delightful grin...it's too much!

And as I stumble into your arms, can you regale me with some stories?

Zatman

From what i heard he was a good man. The bridge next to my home is named afer him and he is my local famous person other than Bertie.
My friend once told me he tried to chat up his mam dont know if this is true or not could be just a story

lanternchikk

Zatman wrote: »

From what i heard he was a good man.

He didn't have much money when he was a kid and growing up, but when he finally did make some, he was extremely generous. That's what I hear and read all the time at least...

Zatman wrote: »

The bridge next to my home is named afer him and he is my local famous person other than Bertie.

Ballybough, huh?

Zatman wrote: »

My friend once told me he tried to chat up his mam dont know if this is true or not could be just a story

You mean, Luke tried to chat up your friend's mum...? Heh.

Táck

from Sheriff Street, moved to Larkhill in Whitehall then...

lanternchikk

Táck wrote: »

from Sheriff Street, moved to Larkhill in Whitehall then...

Yea, I know.:) I meant, the bridge is in Ballybough, over the Tolka.
The family was moved to Whitehall after their flat in Sheriff St was damaged by fire, right? Luke was about 13 then, and (at first, at least) hated the new house, cried and was almost depressed...at least that's what I remember reading in Des Geraghty's book.

lanternchikk

Okay, so maybe I should have posted this in one of the music or showbiz forums...? Ya know, I wasn't sure where to put it; sure, Luke was/is a famous musician, but then he was also a true Dub, and I know that at least some people in Dublin knew him well and have some nice little stories to tell...:)
Alright, so can anyone tell me if it's true that his 2nd/middle name was Gerard? Just wondering, 'cause it says so on the German Wikipedia entry on Luke, but not on the English-language one. Thanks in advance.

_blank_

There should be a statue to the man somewhere in Dublin, he's a proper legend of this city.

Are you aware that his band-mate Ronnie Drew died recently after a cancer battle?

And yes, you are right, he has one fo the best, most distinctive voices ever heard.

lanternchikk

Des wrote: »

There should be a statue to the man somewhere in Dublin, he's a proper legend of this city.

Hell yeah!:) Didn't they plan to have a bronze statue of Luke erected in Dublin City a few years ago already?

Des wrote: »

Are you aware that his band-mate Ronnie Drew died recently after a cancer battle?

Yes, I know. And it's sad.:( However, Ronnie had a good, long(ish) life...
RIP Ronnie, Luke and Ciaran! Have some pints in heaven.

Des wrote: »

And yes, you are right, [Luke Kelly] has one fo the best, most distinctive voices ever heard.

That is true.:)


PS: I would still like to know about the name; thanks in advance.

John Mason

most people here werent even born when luke died, so to be honest i think you are flogging a dead horse.

humberklog

I'm from a family of musicians, also from the north inner city of Dublin, that would have come across Luke Kelly. I don't think you'll get too many anecdotes on Luke for a number of reasons. He wasn't a 'mixer' outside of music. He socialised almost exclusively within that fraternity and as they say 'what happens on the road stays on the..'. He was also known for being very, very grumpy. He didn't tolerate people before 2p.m and even efter that time just about tolerated people.
A voice like no other and a skill of identifying and interpreting a good tune seldom seen on these shores.
Indeed a true professional artist in the application of his skills but also a stereotypical cranky artist. In the passing of time I think this indears his legacy more; that there is little else left of the man other than in the thoughts of those that knew him personally and for those he didn't want to know about...well he left us his works.

Steve

He was one of the greatest musicians / singers that Dublin ever had the pleasure of being associated with, I've spent many an evening watching old footage of him on youtube.

That's an interesting insight into his character, humberklog.

humberklog

SteveC wrote: »

That's an interesting insight into his character, humberklog.

The people I'm paraphrasing couldn't stress enough that although cranky it's not in the same way as Behan. Who apparently was cranky for crankyness sake, wouldn't stand his round and was wholly unliked by dockers. Where as Luke was liked and known as decent but no sufferer of fools, hanger ons or lackies.

Lu Tze

Without doubt the most powerful singing voice Ireland has ever produced.

Earth Worm Jim

Luke Kelly was born and grew up in Sherrif Street (Phil Shannahan House) and he is a hero in that Area and most of Dublin..

They even have a Spare ribs and Coddle Night in the local sports hall once a year, its all free(exept the drink) and Lukes Brother, friends and the last remaining Dubliners usualy turn up, plus they always have a good band belting out the ballads..

Its on around sept, either lukes birthday or the day he died.

Its a good night and all are welcome, though it be a fair few months away

Latchy

I met Luke kelly once when i was only a kid.I was down in kilmainham jail when the dubliners arrived for an album photoshoot .I was in the museam section of the jail when he came in and seeing me, asked would I mind holding his jacket while he got his pictures taken .I even got a signed album for my troubles which sadly i lent out on loan and never got back .

He had amazing voice.:)

topper75

There won't be another Dubliner, or indeed Irishman, like him for a long time to come. A special performer. One of the clearest, purest, strongest singing voices in any genre, in any country. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-ainm.

lanternchikk

pink fluffy bunny wrote: »

most people here werent even born when luke died, so to be honest i think you are flogging a dead horse.

I was born just 4 months and 8 days before.;) Seriously tho, what's wrong with being fascinated by an artist or other person who died many years ago?

*****

Us hard-drinking, creative ones tend to be a cranky bunch, right?;)

There's this one story I've got about Luke. Apparently, one time when he was waiting for a bus (at least he wasn't a "limousine liberal" as it seems) in Harolds Cross near the Classic Cinema, some people gathered and GAWKED at him and his ginger afro. The bus arrived, Luke stepped on, and just before the bus' doors closed, he turned around and said, "What are yous f*cking looking at?".

Wishbone Ash

pink fluffy bunny wrote: »

most people here werent even born when luke died, so to be honest i think you are flogging a dead horse.

lanternchikk wrote: »

what's wrong with being fascinated by an artist or other person who died many years ago?

pink fluffy bunny wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with it but merely pointing out that many who frequent boards tend to be younger (i.e. under 30) and unlikely to be overly interested in a singer who died in 1984.

I can throw this over to the Traditional Music Forum if you prefer - just let me know.

(At the risk of being lynched :eek: I can't bear that 'Scorn Not His Simplicity' song but I suppose Luke's version is better than most!)

irlirishkev

Ah, Luke Kelly. Truly one of the greats.
I only started listening to him in the last couple of years, but I can't get enough of that voice, and his quirky on-stage humour.

My Dad saw him play in London once, years ago. Some small club. He just got up to sing a couple of songs. Threw his head back and belted them out. Said it was quite incredible.
He met Luke, with the rest of the Dubliners in Dublin Airport in the 70s. Apparantly they all looked a bit worse for wear.

I'd have loved to have been around in the day, to catch them playing up on Baggot Street.

RIP.

lanternchikk

Earth Worm Jim wrote: »

They even have a Spare ribs and Coddle Night in the local sports hall once a year, its all free(exept the drink) and Lukes Brother, friends and the last remaining Dubliners usualy turn up, plus they always have a good band belting out the ballads..

Its on around sept, either lukes birthday or the day he died.

Its a good night and all are welcome, though it be a fair few months away

Coddle...it's not just for bathing in anymore.:D

Luke's birthday is November 17th, the day he died is January 30th.

*edit*

topper75 wrote: »

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-ainm.

Could you please translate that for me? (I don't speak Irish, but I've been thinking about learning it...) Thanks.

dfx-

God rest his soul or some such..

Earth Worm Jim

lanternchikk wrote: »

Coddle...it's not just for bathing in anymore.:D

Coddle is like a white stew, well it can be brown aswell but mostly white with rashers(bacon) sausages, onions, potatoes, etc. they also have Pigs feet and ribs too, plus a ballad session, the army chefs even cooked it one year, good night for the craic.

Luke's birthday is November 17th, the day he died is January 30th.

Not sure when they hold the Luke Kelly night but I think its about sept/oct time, not sure why, I assumed it was his birthday or anniversy? The sports hall its held in is actualy built on the site where Philshanahan House flats stood, where Luke was borne and brought up.

John Mason

thanks wishbone, you were right i wasnt having a go.

i am a huge luke fan myself, went to his 20th anniversay gig in the gaiety there a few years ago - supreme, all the dubliners on stage for the very last time.

lanternchikk

pink fluffy bunny wrote: »

thanks wishbone, you were right i wasnt having a go.

i am a huge luke fan myself, went to his 20th anniversay gig in the gaiety there a few years ago - supreme, all the dubliners on stage for the very last time.

That must have been awesome.
And sorry if I came across as a bit harsh before, I meant no offense. I was just slightly confused I guess...

Dyr

funny dat, I Just listened to him singing hot asphalt on youtube, wotta voice

lanternchikk

Bambi wrote: »

funny dat, I Just listened to him singing hot asphalt on youtube, wotta voice

Wotta voice indeed...it's positively addictive!

Esel

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-ainm.

May his soul be at God's right (side).

lanternchikk

esel wrote: »

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-ainm.

May his soul be at God's right (side).

Thanks!:)

Still wondering about the name thing tho. Was it indeed "Luke Gerard Kelly"?

RaverRo808

Truely one of the greatest Irishmen,there should many a statue of him,and roads and streets etc,the man was the true definition of a Dubliner,his accent,his humour,his stlye,his mannerisms,he died before my time,but have nothing but respect for his legacy,I love the old fashioned Luke Kelly like charactors,thats why I go for a pint down cobblestones and around town,with the auld townies,hear afew ballads

lanternchikk

Earth Worm Jim: It's on the site where Phil Shanahan House used to be? Wow, that's quite fascinating...to me at least.

RaverRo808, I have nothing to add.

I just love Luke's accent, pronounciation and diction. This goes for singing songs as well as reciting poems. No bullsh1t, just lots of warmth and raw passion. His voice is beautiful even when he just speaks (see interview clips on Youtube).

Wishbone Ash

RaverRo808 wrote: »

there should many a statue of him,and roads and streets etc

The bridge over the Tolka between Ballybough and Fairview is named after him.

gubby

Has anyone come across a wonderful poem written by Liam Clancy I think (at least its on his album) called simply "Luke" it would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I will post it here if I can find it

lanternchikk

gubby wrote: »

Has anyone come across a wonderful poem written by Liam Clancy I think (at least its on his album) called simply "Luke" it would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I will post it here if I can find it

Here it is:

Luke – How glad I am that our paths crossed in that brief window of consciousness that is given to us between the two great mysteries.

You came into my life through a window – the men’s room window –
in the Central Hotel at the Fleadh in Miltown Malbay back in 1964.
They wouldn’t let you in the front door because they said ‘twas after hours and you weren’t a resident – but it was really because they didn’t want
a Dublin Jackeen upsetting their session.

Willie Clancy was there, in the parlour, and Jimmy Ward and
the great Seamus Ennis who shares this piece of ground with you now forever.

You startled us all that night when you sang.
You were no self-effacing rustic
waiting to be coaxed to sing soft sad love songs.
You were as strident as a street in Crickelwood,
as brash as a Dublin hackney driver
and you took delight in what you sang.

Joy and anger mixed in a powerful blend –
that was your hallmark – then as always –
joy in the act of singing – anger in the words that spoke of injustice.
You came from the mold of the great commune-ists
who knew that it was right to rail against the tyranny of class and privilege.

Look at us now Luke, here in this cemetery,
a small huddle of the living, amidst a vast throng of the generations
that marched through before us and, coming fast behind,
the generations waiting to be born.

So what signifies? What signifies is that you fulfilled your destiny –
that you did not stint in the giving of the talent that was uniquely yours.
Had you been a blade of grass you would have been very green and very tall and very pointed – because all things must be what they are to their fullness.

Since we laid you down here – how many years ago? –
you have been joined in the long silence by so many of those we knew –
by Kieran Burke and Seamus Ennis and Joe Heaney and Willie Clancy –
and by my own brothers Tom, Paddy and Bobby.

But are ye really silenced? No, No and never will be.
It’s all preserved isn’t it – in reality as well as in memory.
And when in the future there are those who want to hear,
not the froth of fashion in the pop song of the month,
but the timeless vision of the true story told,
they will listen to you Lukey – you and your likes, if there are such.

And even though we understand all this with our heads,
we still lament that you will, as the song says – no nay never – never no more – will you play the wild rover – no never no more.

Wishbone Ash

This thread needs a few pics!

Steve

My favourite Luke song of all time, It's not an easy song to get right and he performs it as if he was just tying his shoelaces!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtEKUWRpUWg

Equally a favourite of mine and one I always attempt (and fail) to sing when I'm full of porter!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa7birRBmNM

And some more of my favourites to keep yez going...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wny_0pi4hR4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WosTgIBgzf4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSDzOKPvedc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvSO2beh5sk

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do

lanternchikk

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

This thread needs a few pics!

Damn right!:)

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I've never seen that one before. It's great though! Where do you have it from, if I may ask?

Wishbone Ash

lanternchikk wrote: »

I've never seen that one before. It's great though! Where do you have it from, if I may ask?

Google Image Search is your friend!

Pure Legend

Great thread btw:)

Wishbone Ash

SteveC wrote: »

My favourite Luke song of all time, It's not an easy song to get right and he performs it as if he was just tying his shoelaces!

A group of us were over in Bristol at a football match earlier this year. We were in a very busy pub on a Saturday night when one of the older lads did a fantastic rendition of Rocky Road. I've never heard a British pub go so quiet. You could hear a pin drop. Pure class!

SteveC wrote:

Equally a favourite of mine and one I always attempt (and fail) to sing when I'm full of porter!

Apologies for being pedantic but, in that clip, Ronnie doesn't seem to have a clue where 'Monto' was! It was nowhere near the 'back of the Pro Catherdral'! It was in the area around what is now Foley street.

Dyr

the last two aren't luke kelly surely, they're your man with the ronald mcdonald wig who does the luke kelly tribute thing

pokerface_me

The last 2 photos are of chap called Chris Kavanagh, he does a stunning tribute to Luke. He has a site if you google legend of luke you should find it.

Wishbone Ash

Bambi wrote: »

the last two aren't luke kelly surely, they're your man with the ronald mcdonald wig who does the luke kelly tribute thing

pokerface_me wrote: »

The last 2 photos are of chap called Chris Kavanagh, he does a stunning tribute to Luke. He has a site if you google legend of luke you should find it.

Apologies folks! :eek:

*shakes fist at Google Image Search*

lanternchikk

pokerface_me wrote: »

The last 2 photos are of chap called Chris Kavanagh, he does a stunning tribute to Luke. He has a site if you google legend of luke you should find it.

I thought so. The beard and face don't look quite right on the pic I "quoted" before. Too, um, "clean"? Also, how long has that in-ear monitor-or-what's-it-called been around?

Esel

Bambi wrote: »

the last two aren't luke kelly surely, they're your man with the ronald mcdonald wig who does the luke kelly tribute thing

I thought they looked funny, but didn't to wreck the thread's buzz!

pokerface_me

Luke was born in Dublin on either the 16 November or 16 December 1940. The confusion arises because his mother says November and his birth certificate December. In the main Luke always took his mother's word for it, for he reasons that she was there at the time.
The family was a large close one. Luke's father, another Luke, worked for Jacobs the biscuit people and had a great love of soccer - a love he passed on to his son.
Luke was educated at St. Lawrence O'Toole's (the patron saint of Dublin) School in the North Strand area. He left school when he was thirteen and did a variety of jobs before coming, via the Isle of Man, to work in England.
His hobbies included golf and anything to do with the arts. He's was a voracious reader and was rarely found without at least two books and as many newspapers about his person.
Luke was married to Deirdre O'Connell, the Irish-American method actress who owned and ran Dublin's Focus Theatre.

Quoted from the Dubliner scrap book, it also says he was given the name Luke Gerard kelly, any other info i can look up for you, let us know.

lanternchikk

Thanks pokerface!
So the name thing seems to be true - Luke Gerard "The Sun Is Burning" Kelly.:)
I thought Luke's birthday was on the 17th (Nov. or Dec.) though, not the 16th...?

pokerface_me

lanternchikk wrote: »

Thanks pokerface!
So the name thing seems to be true - Luke Gerard "The Sun Is Burning" Kelly.:)
I thought Luke's birthday was on the 17th (Nov. or Dec.) though, not the 16th...?

Sorry my fault it was the 17th.

Heres a pic of his grave

humberklog

My favourite's Raglan Rd. Written by Patrick Kavanagh about Hilda O'Malley (dido, rollo, dessie o'malley family). Kavanagh presented the words to Kelly in The Bailey. Kelly reckoned an old Irish tune would suit it. The Dawning of The Day and so it came.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBndHNJoC0k

lanternchikk

Some more pics...

_blank_

Ha, i love the version of rocky road posted above, notice how he sings the second verse twice, and starts laughing in the middle of it?

irlirishkev

Folks,

This is a great DVD. I bought it a while back. All fantastic performances, interwoven with touching tributes from friends and musicians. I highly recommend it.